| Conflict: | Battle of Hatchie Bridge |
| Partof: | American Civil War |
| Place: | Hardeman County and McNairy County, Tennessee |
| Result: | Union victory |
| Combatant1: |  United States (Union) |
| Combatant2: | CSA (Confederacy) |
| Commander1: | Edward O. C. Ord Stephen A. Hurlbut |
| Commander2: | Earl Van Dorn Sterling Price |
| Units1: | District of Jackson (3 brigades) |
| Units2: | Army of the West |
| Casualties1: | 500 |
| Casualties2: | 400 |
The Battle of Hatchie's Bridge, also known as Battle of Davis Bridge or Matamora, was fought on October 5, 1862, in Hardeman County and McNairy County, Tennessee, as the final engagement of the Iuka–Corinth Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn's army successfully evaded capture by the Union Army, following his defeat at the Battle of Corinth.
Van Dorn's (Confederate) Army of Tennessee retreated from Corinth, Mississippi, on October 4, 1862, but Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans did not send forces in pursuit until the morning of October 5. Maj. Gen. Edward O.C. Ord, commanding a detachment of Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee, was, pursuant to orders, advancing on Corinth to assist Rosecrans. On the night of October 4–5, he camped near Pocahontas. Between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. the next morning, his force encountered Union Maj. Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut's 4th Division, District of Jackson, in the Confederates’ front. Ord took command of the now-combined Union forces and pushed Van Dorn's advanced element, Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Army of the West, back about five miles to the Hatchie River and across Davis's Bridge. After accomplishing this, Ord was wounded in the ankle and Hurlbut assumed command. While Price's men were hotly engaged with Ord's force, Van Dorn's scouts looked for and found another crossing of the Hatchie River. Van Dorn then led his army back to Holly Springs. Grant ordered Rosecrans to abandon the pursuit. Ord had forced Price to retreat, but the Confederates escaped capture or destruction. Although they should have done so, Rosecrans's army had failed to capture or destroy Van Dorn's force.[1] [2] [3]
Union
District of Jackson – Major General Edward O. C. Ord (w)
| Brigade | Regiments and Others | |
|---|---|---|
| 4th Division MG Stephen A. Hurlbut | Cavalry Escort |
|
| 1st Brigade BG Jacob G. Lauman |
Lt Col Matthew M. Trumbull Col Amory K. Johnson Col John Logan Col Isaac C. Pugh
| |
| 2nd Brigade BG James C. Veatch (w) |
Col Cyrus Hall Col John A. Davis (mw)
| |
| Provisional Brigade Col Robert K. Scott | ||
Confederate
Army of the West – Major General Earl Van Dorn
Price's Corps – Major General Sterling Price
| Davis Bridge Battlefield | |
| Nearest City: | Pocahontas, Tennessee |
| Coordinates: | 35.0308°N -88.7956°W |
| Built: | 1862 |
| Added: | July 13, 1998 |
| Mpsub: | Archeological Resources of the American Civil War in Tennessee MPS |
| Refnum: | 97001549 |
The battlefield site, known as Davis Bridge Battlefield, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. A 5acres area of the battlefield is part of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Sites, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The total battlefield area deemed potentially eligible for the National Register is, of which has protected status.[4] The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 860acres of the battlefield as of mid-2023.[5]