Key Facts
- Dates
- November 4–5, 1864
- Union boats/barges destroyed
- 28
- Raid duration
- 23 days through western Tennessee
- Confederate commander
- Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest
- Battlefield preservation
- Partially submerged by Kentucky Lake (1944)
Strategic Narrative Overview
On November 4–5, 1864, Forrest's cavalry positioned artillery along the riverbank opposite Johnsonville and opened fire on the Union supply base. The assault destroyed 28 Union boats and barges and set fire to vast quantities of stored supplies, reportedly worth millions of dollars. Union forces struggled to mount an effective defense, and much of the depot's contents were lost either to Confederate fire or to Union troops who burned supplies to prevent Confederate capture.
01 / The Origins
In autumn 1864, Confederate cavalry commander Nathan Bedford Forrest launched a 23-day raid through western Tennessee as part of broader Confederate efforts to disrupt Union logistics supporting Major General George H. Thomas in Nashville. The raid aimed to weaken Union supply lines ahead of Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's invasion of Tennessee, known as the Franklin–Nashville campaign, by striking the critical supply depot at Johnsonville on the Tennessee River.
03 / The Outcome
Forrest withdrew after the two-day attack, having inflicted severe logistical damage on Union operations. Thomas's ability to equip and maneuver against Hood's invading army was temporarily hampered. Thomas nevertheless repulsed Hood in the subsequent Franklin–Nashville campaign. Much of the original battlefield was later submerged when Kentucky Lake was created in 1944, with a portion preserved as Johnsonville State Historic Park.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Side B
1 belligerent
George H. Thomas.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.