Portal:American Civil War/This week in American Civil War history/41

October 3

1862 - Corinth - After enduring multiple massed assaults in oppressive Mississippi heat, the Army of the Mississippi under William Rosecrans repulsed divisions of the Army of the West and the Army of Tennessee under Earl Van Dorn, but failed to quickly pursue the beaten rebels

October 5

1862 - Hatchie's Bridge - Van Dorn's Army of Tennessee finally eluded Rosecrans's tardy pursuit after defeat at Corinth; Van Dorn's and Sterling Price's retreating forces fought off Union pursuers under Edward Ord in southwest Tennessee

1864 - Allatoona Pass - "Hold the fort! I am coming!" signaled William T. Sherman as he dispatched a brigade to John M. Corse, urging Corse to protect works next to the Western and Atlantic Railroad supply line in Bartow County, Georgia

October 6

1863 - Baxter Springs - Raiders under William Quantrill stumbled upon and attacked the district headquarters column of James G. Blunt while harassing local Union soldiers in this Cherokee County, Kansas action; Blunt narrowly avoided capture, losing his military band in the escape

October 7

1864 - Darbytown - In response to the loss of Fort Harrison from the Petersburg defenses, Robert E. Lee ordered an attack on Union lines along the Darbytown road, but after initial success, rebel assaults were rebuffed and Texas Brigade commander John Gregg was killed

October 8

1862 - Perryville - In this meeting engagement caused by both sides' need to secure fresh drinking water, the Army of Mississippi under Braxton Bragg successfully assaulted the much larger Army of the Ohio under Don Carlos Buell arriving in Boyle County, Kentucky, but the enormous rebel losses taken (one in four Confederates were listed as casualties) outweighed the greater loss inflicted on the larger Union force (one in nine Federals were casualties)

October 9

1861 - Santa Rosa Island - After midnight, two steamers landed 1,200 Confederates under Richard H. Anderson on the west Florida barrier island surprising Union volunteer units camped outside Fort Pickens, but were unable to capture the fort garrisoned by regular army soldiers

1864 - The Woodstock Races - Saying "either whip the enemy or get whipped yourself" Philip Sheridan ordered cavalry commander Alfred Torbert to turn and attack advancing Confederate infantry in Shenandoah County, Virginia; Merritt's and Custer's cavalry surprised and outpaced rebel divisions under Thomas L. Rosser and Lunsford L. Lomax, capturing two batteries of cannon in rapid pursuit