# Battle of Booneville > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Battle_of_Booneville > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Battle_of_Booneville.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Booneville > Source revision: 1343306005 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Battle of the American Civil War Not to be confused with the 1861 [Battle of Boonville](/source/Battle_of_Boonville) in Missouri. Battle of Booneville Part of the American Civil War Date July 1, 1862 Location Booneville, Mississippi Result Union victory Belligerents United States Confederate States Commanders and leaders Henry W. Halleck Philip Sheridan P.G.T. Beauregard James R. Chalmers Strength 800[1] 4,700 Casualties and losses 1 killed, 24 wounded, 16 missing 65 killed The **Battle of Booneville** was fought on July 1, 1862, in [Booneville, Mississippi](/source/Booneville%2C_Mississippi), during the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War). It occurred in the aftermath of the [Union](/source/Union_Army) victory at the [Battle of Shiloh](/source/Battle_of_Shiloh) and within the context of [Confederate](/source/Confederate_States_Army) General [Braxton Bragg](/source/Braxton_Bragg)'s efforts to recapture the rail junction at [Corinth, Mississippi](/source/Siege_of_Corinth), 20 miles (32 km) north of Booneville. Though greatly outnumbered, Union troops led by Colonel Philip Sheridan were able to rout the Confederate forces led by General James R. Chalmers. ## Opposing forces ### Union 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, [Army of the Mississippi](/source/Army_of_the_Mississippi), Col. [Philip H. Sheridan](/source/Philip_H._Sheridan):[2] Unit Commander 2nd Michigan Cavalry Cpt. Archibald P. Campbell 2nd Iowa Cavalry Col. Edward Hatch ### Confederate Cavalry Brigade, General [James Ronald Chalmers](/source/James_Ronald_Chalmers) A roster of the Confederate units engaged at Booneville is not included in the [Confederate records](/source/Official_Records_of_the_Union_and_Confederate_Armies), but Union records report the following regiments and "probably two others" were present under Chalmers' command:[3] Unit Commander 8th Confederate Cavalry Col. Richard H. Brewer Wirt Adams' Cavalry Regiment Col. Wirt Adams Greer's Tennessee Regiment -- First Alabama Battalion -- Kentucky Battalion -- 1st Alabama Cavalry James Holt Clanton Balch's Tennessee Battalion Maj. R.M. Balch ## Battle After the Union Army victory at Shiloh, [Maj. Gen.](/source/Major_General#United_States) [Henry W. Halleck](/source/Henry_W._Halleck) moved his forces slowly toward Corinth, an important rail center. By May 25, 1862, after traveling 5 miles (8.0 km) 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](/source/P.G.T._Beauregard) slipped away undetected and moved toward [Tupelo, Mississippi](/source/Tupelo%2C_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.](/source/Colonel_(United_States)) [Philip Sheridan](/source/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.](/source/Brigadier_General#United_States) [James R. Chalmers](/source/James_R._Chalmers), who was also 31 years old, encountered Sheridan's pickets on the morning of July 1, three and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) 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](/source/Saltillo%2C_Mississippi). Aided by the superiority of their new [Colt revolving rifles](/source/Colt_revolving_rifle), the line withstood the initial Confederate assault before withdrawing to a backup position 2 miles (3.2 km) 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 ordered [Lt. Col.](/source/Lieutenant_Colonel_(United_States)) Edward Hatch in command of the [2nd Iowa Cavalry](/source/2nd_Iowa_Cavalry) to select two companies of the [2nd Michigan Cavalry](/source/2nd_Michigan_Volunteer_Cavalry_Regiment) under [Capt.](/source/Captain_(United_States)) [Russell Alexander Alger](/source/Russell_A._Alger) and company "B" and company "F" of the 2nd Iowa Cavalry to circle around the enemy in secret and attack the rear of Chalmers' forces with saber and pistol while the remainder of the dismounted 2nd Michigan Cavalry and 2nd Iowa Cavalry attacked the Confederate forces from the front. The cavalry forces pushed Chalmers to retreat and Sheridan called off the pursuit after 4 miles (6.4 km), when his fatigued troops encountered swampy terrain. ## Aftermath Sheridan estimated that Chalmers 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. In recognition of his performance against overwhelming odds, Sheridan was recommended for promotion to Brigadier General following this battle.[3] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["History of the Second Iowa cavalry; containing a detailed account of its organization, marches, and the battles in which it has participated; also, a complete roster of each company"](https://archive.org/details/secondiowacava00pierrich/page/26/mode/2up). Burlington, Iowa, Hawkeye steam book and job printing establishment. 1865. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Sheridan, Philip H. (1888). [*Personal Memoirs of Philip Henry Sheridan, General U. S. Army, Vol 1*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Personal_Memoirs_of_Philip_Henry_Sherida/SRseFhtmBEwC). Chatto & Windus. p. 164. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-OR_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-OR_3-1) United States War Department (1895). [*The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume 17 Serial 25*](https://ehistory.osu.edu/books/official-records/025/0066). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. p. 66. - Eldridge, David P., "Battle of Booneville, Mississippi (1 July 1862)", *Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History*, Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., W. W. Norton & Company, 2000, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-393-04758-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-393-04758-X). - Lyftogt, Kenneth L., "Iowa and the Civil War Volume 2: From Iuka to the Red River 1862–1864", p 168-170, Camp Pope Publishing, 2020, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-929919-91-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-929919-91-8). ## External links - [Civil War Album](https://web.archive.org/web/20130624045419/http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc21/booneville1.htm) [34°39′18″N 88°33′44″W / 34.655050°N 88.562233°W / 34.655050; -88.562233](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Battle_of_Booneville¶ms=34.65505_N_88.562233_W_) v t e Mississippi in the American Civil War Combatants Confederacy State Troops Union Campaigns Vicksburg Yazoo Pass Bayou Greenville Grierson's Raid Jackson Meridian Yazoo City Tupelo Battles 1862 First Corinth Booneville Iuka Second Corinth Chickasaw Bayou 1863 Newton's Station Grand Gulf Snyder's Bluff Port Gibson Raymond Jackson Champion Hill Big Black River Bridge Vicksburg 1864 Aberdeen Okolona Yazoo City Brice's Cross Roads Oxford Seminary Senatobia Tupelo Egypt Station Aftermath Reconstruction Fourth Military District Meridian race riot of 1871 Mississippi Plan Vicksburg massacre Monuments and memorials List Beauvoir Estate Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Category Commons --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Battle of Booneville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Booneville) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Booneville?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.