Battle of Mansfield

Map of Mansfield battle

Date	April 8, 1864 (1864-04-08)
Location	De Soto Parish, Louisiana
Result	Confederate victory; End of the Union Army's Red River Campaign

Belligerents

Confederate States

United States

Commanders and leaders

Richard Taylor

Nathaniel Banks

Units involved

District of West Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Department

Army of the Gulf

Strength

14,000

12,000

Casualties and losses

1,000 killed/wounded

694 killed/wounded
1,423 captured/missing

The Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana, (8 April 1864) formed part of the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War, when Union forces were aiming to occupy the state capital Shreveport.

The Confederate commander, Major General Richard Taylor chose Mansfield as the place where he would make his stand against the advancing Union army under General Nathaniel Banks. Taylor concentrated his forces at Sabine Crossroads, knowing that reinforcements were nearby. Banks prepared for a fight, though his own army was not fully assembled either. Both sides were reinforced by stages throughout the day. After a brief resistance, the Union army was routed by the Confederates, consisting mainly of units from Louisiana and Texas, reportedly strengthened by hundreds of men breaking parole.

The engagement is also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads.

During the second half of March 1864, a combined force from the Union Army of the Gulf and navy led by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks ascended the Red River with the goal of defeating the Confederate forces in Louisiana and capturing Shreveport. By April 1 Union forces had occupied Grand Ecore and . While the accompanying gunboat fleet with a portion of the infantry continued up the river, the main force followed the road inland toward Mansfield, where Banks knew his opponent was concentrating.

Major General Richard Taylor, in command of the Confederate forces in Louisiana, had retreated up the Red River in order to connect with reinforcements from Texas and Arkansas. Taylor selected a clearing a few miles south of Mansfield as the spot where he would take a stand against the Union forces. Sending his cavalry to harass the Union vanguard as it approached, Taylor called his infantry divisions forward.

...
Wikipedia