Okolona
Civil War Mississippi

American Civil War
February 22, 1864

From Vicksburg, Mississippi, Sherman launched a campaign to take the important railroad center at Meridian, Mississippi, and if the situation were favorable, to push on to Selma, Alabama, and threaten Mobile. Sherman ordered Brig. General William Sooy Smith to lead a cavalry force of 7,000 men from Memphis, Tennessee, on February 1, 1864, south through Okolona, along the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, and to meet the rest of the Union force at Meridian, on February 10.

With the main force of approximately 20,000 men, Sherman set out on the 3rd for Meridian, but made feints on various other locations. Against orders, Smith delayed ten days, while waiting for reinforcements, and did not start out until February 11. Destroying crops and railroad track along the way, Smith's force met almost no opposition, and, before long, 1,000 former slaves were traveling with them. Smith was supposed to rendezvous with Major General William T. Sherman at Meridian on the 10th, but he never arrived there.

Sherman left Meridian on the 20th, due in part to apprehension over Smith's whereabouts. Smith neared West Point, 90 miles north of Meridian, on the 20th, and he fought with Confederate cavalry units at Prairie Station and Aberdeen. Smith—knowing that Nathan Bedford Forrest commanded the troops he was fighting, concerned about the fate of the former slaves with him, and not knowing how many of the enemy he faced—decided to concentrate at Prairie Station, and, on the morning of the 21st, he set out for West Point. 

Shortly after dawn on the 21st, Col. Jeffrey Forrest's Confederate cavalry brigade engaged Smith. Withdrawing at times, Forrest drew Smith into a swamp west of the Tombigbee River. Other Rebel troops arrived and the fighting intensified. Smith was sure that this was a trap set for him, and, discerning that he was greatly outnumbered, he ordered a retreat, leaving a rearguard. The rearguard held off the Confederates for about two hours before withdrawing in good order. About the same time, Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest arrived and ordered a pursuit.

Skirmishing occurred the rest of the day. At sunup on the 22nd, the Rebels attacked Smith just south of Okolona on the prairie. More Confederate troops arrived, causing breaks in the Union battle line, precipitating a retreat. For most of the rest of the day, they engaged in a running battle for a distance of eleven miles, with both sides attacking and counterattacking. Col. Forrest was killed during one Rebel charge. The Yankees finally broke off the fighting and headed for Pontotoc.

Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the commander on the field, realized that his men were nearly out of ammunition and did not order a pursuit. Mississippi militia harassed Smith to the state line. Smith arrived in Collierville, Tennessee, near Memphis, on the 26th. Although Smith had caused much destruction during his expedition, Okolona forced him to retire before he could do more. Smith's actions against Sherman's orders jeopardized the Meridian Expedition.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Chickasaw County

Campaign: Meridian and Yazoo River Expeditions (1864)

Date(s): February 22, 1864

Principal Commanders: Brig. General William Sooy Smith [US]; Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS]

Forces Engaged: Cavalry force (7,000) [US]; Forrest's Cavalry Corps [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 150 total (US 100; CS 50)

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Civil War Mississippi Book Titles

Vicksburg 1863: Grant Clears the Mississippi
The 1863 Vicksburg campaign was to prove decisive to the outcome of the American Civil War. Known as the "Gibraltar of the West", Vicksburg was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In a masterly campaign, the Union General Ulysses S Grant used riverboats and steamers to land his army south of the city, where he defeated the armies of Generals "Joe" Johnston and John C. Pemberton. Pemberton's men became bottled up in Vicksburg, where they endured an epic 47 day siege
The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History
This is the story of the soldiers of Hardcastle's 3rd Battalion Mississippi Infantry from enlistment to the end of the war. It includes their mid-war incarnation as the 45th Mississippi Regiment and the role they played in Cleburne's fabled division during almost every major engagement of the Army of Tennessee. The battles are discussed and analyzed in their strategic context with emphasis on the battalion's role in the outcome, including the specific Federal units they fought against.
Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi 1830 - 1860
 This groundbreaking study of the politics of secession combines traditional political history with current work in anthropology and gender and ritual studies. Christopher J. Olsen has drawn on local election returns, rural newspapers, manuscripts, and numerous county records to sketch a new
picture of the intricate and colorful world of local politics.
Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 1861-65
At the start of the American Civil War, neither side had warships on the Mississippi River and in the first few months both sides scrambled to gather a flotilla, converting existing riverboats for naval use. These ships were transformed into powerful naval weapons despite a lack of resources, trained manpower and suitable vessels. The creation of a river fleet was a miracle of ingenuity, improvisation and logistics, particularly for the South. This title describes their design, development and operation throughout the American Civil War.

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.