Last updated: July 27, 2025
Place
Corinth Tour #5, Stop #5 - Davis Bridge
Public Domain
Quick Facts
Location:
Pocahontas, Tennessee
Significance:
Battle Site
Designation:
National Park
Amenities
2 listed
Audio Description, Information
The Confederate Army of West Tennessee was in full retreat. The heavy fighting at the Battle of Corinth, October 3 & 4, 1862, had crippled the army under Major General Earl Van Dorn and he sought to return to Mississippi to rest and refit his forces. The path to safety led across Davis Bridge on the Hatchie River in Tennessee. In an effort to block the Confederate escape, a Union column under Major General Edward O. C. Ord was dispatched from Bolivar, Tennessee.
On the morning of October 5, 1862, Major General Edward O. C. Ord arrived and took over the command of the Union force. From the heights above the west bank of the river he commenced an artillery duel with the Confederate wagon guards followed by an infantry assault down the slope. Although they put up a spirited defense, the Confederate soldiers were unable to hold off the attacking Union soldiers and were forced to retreat to Davis Bridge and the Hatchie River.
On the morning of October 5, 1862, Major General Edward O. C. Ord arrived and took over the command of the Union force. From the heights above the west bank of the river he commenced an artillery duel with the Confederate wagon guards followed by an infantry assault down the slope. Although they put up a spirited defense, the Confederate soldiers were unable to hold off the attacking Union soldiers and were forced to retreat to Davis Bridge and the Hatchie River.