The Battle of Mansfield (also known as The Battle of Mansfield ), also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads , occurred on April 8, 1864 in the parish (district) of De Soto, Louisiana , and was part of the Red River campaign during the American Civil War . The Confederate army under the command of Richard Taylor attacked the federal army of Nathaniel Banks a few miles from the city of Mansfield. Northerners could not stand the attack and left the battlefield. The battle was a decisive victory for the Confederation, which thereby halted the offensive of the federal army, forcing it to complete the Red River campaign.
| Battle at mansfield | |||
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| Main conflict: US Civil War | |||
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| date | April 8, 1864 | ||
| A place | De Soto Parish, Louisiana | ||
| Total | Confederate victory | ||
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Background
In late March, the combined forces of the army and navy advanced up the Red River in order to destroy the Louisiana army and the captures of Shreveport . On April 1, they occupied Green-Écor and Natchitoches. From here the fleet moved further up the river, and the land army dodged away from the river and moved to the town of Mansfield where, according to Banks, the Taylor army concentrated.
Meanwhile, Taylor retreated up the river to connect with reinforcements from Texas and Arkansas. He chose a field a few miles south of Mansfield, where he decided to keep the defense. He sent cavalry to disturb the enemy’s avant-gardes, and sent infantry to the selected field.
Banks's army stretched along a long forest road between Natchitoches and Mansfield. When the cavalry vanguards stumbled upon an enemy who had defended at the end of the field, they stopped and asked for infantry support. Leaving forward, Banks decided to attack Taylor in this very place and ordered his infantry to speed up. Now it all depended on who quickly tightened his strength to the battlefield.
Forces of the parties
Confederate Forces
By the start of the battle, Taylor had about 9,000 people. These were: the Louisiana-Texas brigade of General Alfred Mouton, the Texas infantry division of General John Walker, the Texas cavalry division of Thomas Green and the cavalry brigade of Colonel William Vincent. Taylor also requested 5,000 soldiers from the division of Thomas Churchill and Mosby Parsons, who were camped at Keachi, between Mansfield and Shreveport. These units arrived at the end of the day when the battle had already begun. there is an assumption that some parts of the Louisian militia were present on the battlefield, but nothing was known about their participation in the battle.
Union Forces
By the beginning of the battle, the federal army consisted of General Albert Lee's cavalry division (3,500) and the 4th division of the XIIIth corps under the command of Colonel William Landram (approx. 2,500 people). After the start of the battle, the 3rd Division of the XIIIth Corps commanded by General Robert Cameron (1,500 men) approached. Towards the end of the battle, the advancing units of the Southerners met the approaching 1st Division of the XIX Corps commanded by General William Emory (5,000 men). The XIII Corps was commanded by Thomas Rance, while General William Franklin commanded the XIX Corps.