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 The Battle of
Booneville was fought on July 1, 1862, in Booneville, Mississippi, during
the American Civil War. It occurred in the aftermath of the Union. victory
at the Battle of Shiloh and within the context of Confederate General
Braxton Bragg's efforts to recapture the rail junction at Corinth,
Mississippi, twenty miles north of Booneville.
After the Union Army victory at Shiloh, Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck moved
his forces slowly toward Corinth, an important rail center. By May 25,
1862, after traveling five miles in three weeks, Halleck was positioned to
lay siege to the town. But on May 29, the Confederate forces under General
P.G.T. Beauregard slipped away undetected and moved toward Tupelo,
Mississippi. In late June, Halleck ordered his forces south and learned
that the Confederates, by then under Bragg, were advancing toward Corinth.
The 31-year-old Union Col. Philip Sheridan established a fortified
position to the south at Booneville on June 28 to await the Confederate
attack.
Lead elements of 4,700 troops under the Confederate Brig. Gen. James R.
Chalmers, who was also 31 years old, encountered Sheridan's pickets on the
morning of July 1, three and one-half miles to the southwest of Corinth.
The pickets fell back and established a sound defensive line at the
intersection of the roads from Tupelo and Saltillo. Aided by the
superiority of their new Colt revolving rifles, the line withstood the
initial Confederate assault before withdrawing to a backup position two
miles closer to the town.
Chalmers' effort to turn the left flank of this new line was thwarted when
Sheridan's main force joined the battle. The bulk of the Union force
stayed on the defensive while Sheridan sent the 2nd Michigan Cavalry under
Capt. Russell Alexander and the 2nd Iowa Cavalry under Lt. Col. Edward
Hatch to attack the Confederate rear and left flank, respectively. The
cavalry forces pushed Chalmers to retreat and Sheridan called off the
pursuit after four miles, when his fatigued troops encountered swampy
terrain.
Sheridan estimated that Chalmer lost 65 troops killed in the battle;
Federal casualties were one dead, 24 wounded, and 16 missing. Due to the
battle, Bragg delayed his offensive strategy for Corinth, allowing Halleck
additional time to unite his troops. Probably the most important result of
the battle was the promotion of Philip Sheridan to the rank of Brigadier
General. (Excerpt from Wikipedia) |
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