Battle of Irish Bend

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Irish Bend


caption=
partof=the American Civil War
date=April 14, 1863
place=St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
result=Union victory [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/ABPP/BATTLES/la007.htm NPS] ]
combatant1= flagicon|USA|1861 United States (Union)
combatant2= flagicon|CSA|1861 CSA (Confederacy)
commander1=Nathaniel P. Banks
commander2=Richard Taylor
strength1=Army of the Gulf, XIX Corps
strength2=Army of Western Louisiana
casualties1=350 (estimated)
casualties2=unknown

The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nierson's Wood or Franklin, was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana.

Prelude

While the other two Union XIX Corps divisions under Nathaniel Prentice Banks were comprising the expedition into west Louisiana crossed Berwick Bay towards Fort Bisland, Brigadier General Cuvier Grover's division went up the Atchafalaya River into Grand Lake, where they could either block a Confederate retreat, or force a retreat if the Confederates stayed and fought at Fort Bisland. The battle occurred two days after the Battle of Fort Bisland. done

Battle

On the morning of April 13, 1863, Grover's division landed in the vicinity of Franklin and scattered Confederate troops attempting to stop them from disembarking. That night Grover ordered the division to cross Bayou Teche and prepare for an attack towards Franklin, Louisiana, at dawn. Meanwhile, however, Major General Richard Taylor reacted, feeling the obvious threat to his rear. He started withdrawing his forces from Fort Bisland, and his advance guard arrived quickly. On the morning of April 14, Taylor and his men were at Nerson's Woods, around a mile and a half above Franklin. As Grover's lead brigade marched out a few miles, it found Taylor's men on its right and skirmishing began. The fighting became intense; the Confederates attacked, forcing the Federal soldiers to fall back. The gunboat "Diana" arrived and anchored the Confederate right flank on the Teche. Still, Grover's men outnumbered the Confederates and when he paused to deploy his full force, Taylor withdrew rather than risk a pitched battle against superior numbers. Grover's men had taken the strategic position they sought. This victory, along with the one at Fort Bisland, two days earlier, assured the success of the expedition into west Louisiana.

References

ources

*Ayres, Thomas., "Dark and Bloody Ground : The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana", Cooper Square Press, 2001.
* Parrish, T. Michael, "Richard Taylor, Soldier Prince of Dixie", University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
* Taylor, Richard, "Destruction and Reconstruction : Personal experiences of the late war", Time-Life Books, 1983.
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/la007.htm National Park Service battle description]