Battle of Vermillion Bayou

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Vermillion Bayou


caption=
partof=the American Civil War
date=April 17, 1863
place=Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
result=Union victory
combatant1= flagicon|USA|1861 United States (Union)
combatant2= flagicon|CSA|1861 CSA (Confederacy)
commander1=Nathaniel P. Banks
commander2=Richard Taylor
strength1=Department of the Gulf, XIX Corps
strength2=Army of Western Louisiana
casualties1=unknown
casualties2=unknown

The Battle of Vermillion Bayou was fought on April 17, 1863, the third battle in a series of running battles between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks and Confederate Major General Richard Taylor. The battle was fought after both the Battle of Fort Bisland and the Battle of Irish Bend.

Prelude

After Nathaniel Prentice Banks had outmaneuvered Richard Taylor's Army of Western Louisiana out from the Bayou Teche region, he continued his movements towards his main objective of Alexandria, Louisiana. The Confederates were trying to slow him down as much as they could and they once again tried slowing him down right outside of Vermillion Bayou.

Battle

As Richard Taylor's small army was withdrawing up the Teche, they crossed a bridge going over Vermillion Bayou. In order to slow Banks' army down, Taylor's men lit the bridge on fire and stopped for a rest. Banks, who was in pursuit of Taylor, split his army into two columns and sent one towards the bridge and the other column around the side.

As soon as the first column came within sight of the bridge, Confederate artillery began shelling the Union soldiers. After a while, Union artillery came up and a series of counter-battery exchanges ensued.

During the night, Taylor, knowing himself to be outnumbered, withdrew his force again.

Aftermath

Though Taylor had not dealt Banks a defeat, he was continually slowing Banks down from reaching Alexandria, Louisiana, and his ultimate objective of Port Hudson, Louisiana.

References

*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.