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Battle of Buck Head Creek
Part of the American Civil War
DateNovember 28, 1864 (1864-11-28)
LocationJenkins County, Georgia
Result Union victory
Belligerents
US flag 35 stars United States (Union) Second national flag of the Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Judson Kilpatrick Joseph Wheeler
Units involved
3rd Cavalry Division, Military Division of the Mississippi Department of South Carolina
Department of Georgia
Department of Florida
Strength
1 Cavalry division 1 Cavalry corps
Casualties and losses
46 600


The Battle of Buck Head Creek (also known as Buckhead Creek) was the second battle of Sherman's March to the Sea, fought November 28, 1864, during the American Civil War. Union Army cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick repulsed an attack by the small Confederate cavalry corps under Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, but abandoned its attempt to destroy railroads and rescue Union prisoners of war.

Battle[]

On November 26, Wheeler caught up with two lagging Union regiments, attacked their camp, chased them to the larger force and prevented Kilpatrick from destroying the Briar Creek trestle. Kilpatrick instead destroyed a mile of track in the area. When Kilpatrick discovered that the Union prisoners at Camp Lawton had been taken to other unknown sites, he began to move southwest to join up with Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's headquarters.[1]

Kilpatrick's men encamped near Buck Head Creek on the night of November 27. Wheeler came along the next morning, almost captured Kilpatrick, and pursued him and his men to Buck Head Creek. As Kilpatrick's main force crossed the creek, the 5th Ohio Cavalry regiment, under Col. Thomas T. Heath, supported by two artillery pieces, fought a rearguard action from behind a barricade of rails, severely punishing Wheeler's troopers with canister fire and then burned the bridge behind them. Wheeler soon crossed and followed, but a Union brigade behind barricades at Reynolds's Plantation halted the Rebels' drive, eventually forcing them to retire. Kilpatrick rode on to rejoin Sherman at Louisville, Georgia.[1]

Aftermath[]

Union casualties were reported as 46. Confederate casualties estimated to be 600.

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 NPS

References[]

Coordinates: 32°53′57″N 82°01′32″W / 32.8991°N 82.0255°W / 32.8991; -82.0255


All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Battle of Buck Head Creek and the edit history here.
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