Davis Bridge was one of the final actions of the Corinth campaign in October 1862. After losing the battle of Corinth on October 3rd and 4th Earl Van Dorn was just trying to escape the area with as many men as possible. Federal columns under Hurlbut and Rosecrans tried to catch Van Dorn and on October 5th Hurlbut caught up to Van Dorn at Davis Bridge. Ord arrived to take command from Hurlbut but he would be wounded in the action and Hurlbut would resume command.
Ord's orders were for hlaf his force to go to the right of the road after crossing the bridge and the other half to go to the left. But there was very little ground to the right as the Hatchie River makes a severe bend near the bridge. The Union massed its men there, providing a tempting target for Van Dorn's artillery. Nightfall brought an end to the fighting but the Union was not doing well anyway. Van Dorn had escaped. Rosecrans fared no better elsewhere. Ord lost 570 men, the Confederates did not report their loss but Ord thought he lost more men than they did.
When I visited the site there was very little preserved, although you can see that the land has not become filled with restaurants and shopping malls. This picture is from the high ground that Ord used to deplot his artillery. The bridge is in the tree line on the left side of the picture.
The Hatchie River about where the bridge would have been. There is no bridge there anymore.
There area few grave markers and this Confederate monument. If this was a digital picture we could actually read the monument better. Unless things have changed at the site I'm not sure I'd ever visit there again. There wasn't much to see so seeing it once was good enough. If they have more interpretive markers then I think I would go again.
2 comments:
Nick, the State of Tennessee has acquired some land at DB and a building is being renovated to serve as a VC.
That is good news. Guess I will need to make another trip there.
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