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{{short description|Battle of the American Civil War}} |
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{{Orphan|date=February 2009}} |
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{{One source|date=October 2021}} |
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[[Union Army|Union]] [[cavalry]] raiders under the command of [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[Benjamin Grierson]], in an effort to disrupt [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] communications, probed deep in enemy territory and entered the town of Newton's Station (now Newton). They succeeded in securing the town without any serious fighting, and captured two Confederate trains. The raiders also destroyed several miles of railroad track and telegraph wires in the vicinity, severing communications between Confederate-held [[Siege of Vicksburg|Vicksburg]] and the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|Eastern Theatre]] commanders. |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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| conflict = Battle of Newton's Station |
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| image = |
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| image_size = |
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| caption = |
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| partof = the [[American Civil War]] |
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| date = April 24, 1863 |
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| place = [[Newton, Mississippi|Newton's Station, Mississippi]] |
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| result = [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] victory |
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| combatant1 = {{flagicon|USA|1863}} [[United States]] ([[Union (American Civil War)|Union]]) |
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| combatant2 = {{flagicon|CSA|1863}} [[Confederate States of America|CSA (Confederacy)]] |
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| commander1 = [[Benjamin H. Grierson]] |
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| commander2 = Unknown |
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| units1 = |
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| units2 = |
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| strength1 = 2 Regiments |
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| strength2 = 34 Soldiers |
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| casualties1 = 4 |
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| casualties2 = 25 |
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| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Grant's Operations Against Vicksburg}} |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | The '''Battle of Newton's Station''' was an engagement on April 24, 1863, in [[Newton, Mississippi|Newton's Station]], [[Mississippi]], during the famous [[Grierson's Raid]] of the [[American Civil War]] (1861-1865).<ref>{{cite book|last=Ballard|first=Michael B.|title=Vicksburg: the campaign that opened the Mississippi|year=2004|publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-8078-2893-9|pages=208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Wkn3Ozr6Y8C&q=Newton}}</ref> |
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Colonel Grierson had set out from La Grange, Tennessee, on April 17 with 1,700 men of the [[6th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry|6th]] and [[7th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry|7th Illinois]] and the [[2nd Iowa Cavalry]] regiments. Over the next 17 days, his command marched 800 miles, repeatedly engaged the Confederates, disabled two railroads, captured many prisoners and horses, and destroyed vast amounts of property before finally ending in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]] on May 2.<ref name=harpers>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1863/june/grierson-raid.htm |
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|title=Harper's Weekly|date=June 6, 1863 |
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|accessdate=October 7, 2007}}</ref> |
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[[Union Army]] [[cavalry]] raiders of 1,700 troopers in a brigade of three mounted regiments ([[6th Illinois Cavalry Regiment|6th]] and [[7th Illinois Cavalry Regiment|7th Illinois]] and [[2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiment|2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiments]]) under the command of [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[Benjamin Grierson]] (1826-1911), in an effort to disrupt [[Confederate States Army]] and civilian east-west communications and the railway line between Vicksburg and the state capital of [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]] further to the east. |
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The raid and the battle were popularized in the 1959 film ''[[Horse Soldiers]]'' starring [[John Wayne]] as a fictionalized character loosely based upon Grierson. |
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They left [[LaGrange, Tennessee]] in the north and drove south through Mississippi to eventually rendezvous with Federal-occupied [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], the state capital of [[Louisiana]] to the south. The blue-coated troopers probed deep in enemy territory and entered the town of Newton's Station (now Newton). They succeeded in securing the town without any serious fighting and captured two Confederate trains nearby. The Yankee raiders also destroyed railroad facilities, equipment with the locomotives and box cars along with several miles of railroad track by tearing up and burning railroad ties, melting and twisting rails (nicknamed "General Sherman's neckties") and cutting telegraph wires and poles in the vicinity, severing communications between Confederate-held [[Siege of Vicksburg|Vicksburg]], under commanding Gen. [[John C. Pemberton]] (1814-1881) there and the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|Eastern Theatre]] with other Southern commanders in the [[Army of Northern Virginia]], commanding General [[Robert E. Lee]] and the administration of President [[Jefferson Davis]] at the Confederate capital in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. |
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==Notes== |
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The two trains (one a freight and the second a mixed freight and passenger) were actually captured by Lt-Colonel William Blackburn, who had ridden ahead in darkness to scout the town. His men set fire to the trains, and exploding ammunition led the nearby Grierson to assume the worst, that a major battle had started. He arrived with the main force to find Blackburn's men helping themselves to confiscated whiskey. |
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Over the next few hours, Union Army forces destroyed trackage and equipment, as far east to the [[Chunky River]] and to the west as far as possible. A large building in the town with uniforms and arms was burned, and the railroad depot was burned (not before local hospital staff were allowed to remove medicine and food). Assembling his mounted forces, Colonel Grierson departed the area around 2 pm, leaving behind burned ruin, melted and twisted rails and devastated wreckage. |
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The 1863 Battle of Newton's Station and Grierson's cavalry exploits through Mississippi between [[La Grange, Tennessee]] and [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]] were the basis of the 1959 movie ''[[The Horse Soldiers]]'', directed by [[John Ford]], starring [[John Wayne]], [[William Holden]] and [[Constance Towers]], and inspired by the earlier 1956 [[historical fiction]] novel by [[Harold Sinclair (novelist)|Harold Sinclair]] (1907-1966) of [[Bloomington, Illinois]]. |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
== External links == |
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* [http://www.civilwaralbum.com/vicksburg/newton1.htm Photos of Newton's Station] |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080705192229/http://www.civilwaralbum.com/vicksburg/newton1.htm Photos of Newton's Station] |
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* [http://www.ci.newton.ms.us/station.htm Website with modern photo of the rebuilt railroad depot] |
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{{coord|32.320353|-89.162423|display=title}} |
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{{authority control}} |
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{{coord missing|Mississippi}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT: |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton's Station, Battle Of}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Vicksburg campaign]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Battles of the Western Theater of the American Civil War]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Union victories of the American Civil War]] |
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[[Category:Battles of the American Civil War in Mississippi]] |
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[[Category:Newton County, Mississippi|Battle Of Newton's Station]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1863]] |
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[[Category:1863 in Mississippi]] |
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[[Category:April 1863 events]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:52, 13 October 2024
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2021) |
| Battle of Newton's Station | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Benjamin H. Grierson | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2 Regiments | 34 Soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 | 25 | ||||||
The Battle of Newton's Station was an engagement on April 24, 1863, in Newton's Station, Mississippi, during the famous Grierson's Raid of the American Civil War (1861-1865).[1]
Union Army cavalry raiders of 1,700 troopers in a brigade of three mounted regiments (6th and 7th Illinois and 2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiments) under the command of Col. Benjamin Grierson (1826-1911), in an effort to disrupt Confederate States Army and civilian east-west communications and the railway line between Vicksburg and the state capital of Jackson further to the east.
They left LaGrange, Tennessee in the north and drove south through Mississippi to eventually rendezvous with Federal-occupied Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana to the south. The blue-coated troopers probed deep in enemy territory and entered the town of Newton's Station (now Newton). They succeeded in securing the town without any serious fighting and captured two Confederate trains nearby. The Yankee raiders also destroyed railroad facilities, equipment with the locomotives and box cars along with several miles of railroad track by tearing up and burning railroad ties, melting and twisting rails (nicknamed "General Sherman's neckties") and cutting telegraph wires and poles in the vicinity, severing communications between Confederate-held Vicksburg, under commanding Gen. John C. Pemberton (1814-1881) there and the Eastern Theatre with other Southern commanders in the Army of Northern Virginia, commanding General Robert E. Lee and the administration of President Jefferson Davis at the Confederate capital in Richmond, Virginia.
The two trains (one a freight and the second a mixed freight and passenger) were actually captured by Lt-Colonel William Blackburn, who had ridden ahead in darkness to scout the town. His men set fire to the trains, and exploding ammunition led the nearby Grierson to assume the worst, that a major battle had started. He arrived with the main force to find Blackburn's men helping themselves to confiscated whiskey.
Over the next few hours, Union Army forces destroyed trackage and equipment, as far east to the Chunky River and to the west as far as possible. A large building in the town with uniforms and arms was burned, and the railroad depot was burned (not before local hospital staff were allowed to remove medicine and food). Assembling his mounted forces, Colonel Grierson departed the area around 2 pm, leaving behind burned ruin, melted and twisted rails and devastated wreckage.
The 1863 Battle of Newton's Station and Grierson's cavalry exploits through Mississippi between La Grange, Tennessee and Baton Rouge, Louisiana were the basis of the 1959 movie The Horse Soldiers, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers, and inspired by the earlier 1956 historical fiction novel by Harold Sinclair (1907-1966) of Bloomington, Illinois.
References
[edit]- ^ Ballard, Michael B. (2004). Vicksburg: the campaign that opened the Mississippi. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-8078-2893-9.
External links
[edit]32°19′13″N 89°09′45″W / 32.320353°N 89.162423°W
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