Battle of Pleasant Hill

Battle of Pleasant Hill by C. E. H. Bonwell
— as illustrated in Frank Leslie's Weekly, May 14, 1864.

Date	April 9, 1864 (1864-04-09)
Location	Desoto Parish and Sabine Parish, Louisiana
Result	Confederate Victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

Confederate States

Commanders and leaders

Nathaniel Banks

Richard Taylor

Units involved

Red River Expeditionary Force

Trans-Mississippi Department

Strength

12,000

12,100

Casualties and losses

1,369 total
150 killed
844 wounded
375 missing

~1,626 total
~1,200 killed and wounded
426 captured

The Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana (9 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 battle was essentially a continuation of the Battle of Mansfield (8 April), a Confederate victory, which had caused the Union commander Nathaniel Banks to send his wagons, with most of his artillery, downriver in retreat. However, both sides had been reinforced through the night, and when the Confederate commander Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor launched an assault against the Union line, it was repulsed, though at a high cost in casualties. This led the demoralised Union army to retreat the next day. For this reason, the result of the battle, technically a Union win, has been disputed by historians.

After the success of the Confederates at the Battle of Mansfield, April 8, 1864, Union forces retreated during the night and next morning took up a position on Pleasant Hill. The road from Mansfield to Pleasant Hill was "littered by burning wagons, abandoned knapsacks, arms, and cooking utensils. Federal stragglers and wounded were met by the hundreds and were quickly rounded up and sent to the rear," explains the historian John D. Winters of Louisiana Tech University in his The Civil War in Louisiana.

The Battle of Mansfield took place about 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of the town of Mansfield at Sabine Cross Roads. Pleasant Hill was located about 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Sabine Cross Roads. Confederate reinforcements had arrived late on the April 8—Churchill's Arkansas Division arrived at Mansfield at 3.30 p.m. and Parson's Missouri Division (numbering 2,200 men) arrived at Mansfield at 6 p.m. Neither of these Divisions participated in the Battle of Mansfield — however, both would play a major role during the Battle of Pleasant Hill.

On the Union side reinforcements also arrived, when Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Smith, commanding detachments of XVI and XVII Corps, arrived from Grand Ecore late on the April 8, around nightfall, and encamped about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Pleasant Hill.

...
Wikipedia