In the dawn hours, a 2000-strong Confederate force under General Nathan Bedford Forrest entered Union-occupied Memphis, Tennessee, with the goal of capturing Union leaders and freeing Confederate prisoners held at the Irving Hotel. Union General Cadwallader Washburn made his escape on foot and his garrison put together a hasty defense of the prison that prevented the freeing of any held there. But communications were disrupted and horses and supplies carried off. The brief encounter cost around 80 Union and 60 Confederate casualties. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Terry Jones, Historical Dictionary of the Civil War (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2011) I: 964.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Battles/Soldiers
