Fighting near White Fox Tavern Continues - Baird - June 2nd

The Confederate 2^nd Division under Major General Clinton Swain continued to attack the Union left in the trenches and woods west of White Fox Tavern.  Black’s Brigade of Missouri and Kentucky regiments continue moving up the trenches, supported by the St. Petersburg Battery (Wickson) and Otis’s Kentucky Battery which advanced up the road and deployed to Black’s rear. Schuyler’s Florida Brigade (augmented by two green Arkansas Battalions) continued pressing against Hammond’s Brigade, which had refused the Union Flank.

The left most Union regiment in Clay’s Brigade gave way and fled the trenches. Hammond then pulled his brigade back slightly to the south and reformed, maintaining a connection to Clay’s Brigade in his trenches to the right. Osgood’s Brigade, the first driven from the trenches by Schuyler’s flank attack, reformed and came up in reserve to Hammond’s left rear, near Everitt, which Richardson’s Battery has also re-supplied and reformed.  Schuyler and Black briefly halted their attack as Hammond fell back, the Confederates also needing to dress their lines and rest before resuming the assault.

Gowan’s Division was struggling with the Federal third division across the Greenville – Midway Road south of the tavern, when they received an order to fall back. Curtis fell back across the road to his northeast, supported by Oliphant’s Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Battery to his immediate rear. Norris’ Louisiana Brigade fell in on Curtis’ right, between Curtis and the White Fox Tavern.

Norris and Curtis had no time to rest, because Bryan’s Brigade, which had already started a counter-attack against Norris, pursued and attacked. Rector’s Kentucky Brigade reformed and came up to support Oliphant and Martin’s Cavalry Brigade arrived with news that their nemesis Colonel Marple had been killed and they had taken the colors of the Twenty-Fifth Illinois and most of its men as prisoners.  Martin fell in on Curtis’ left, in the woods south of the road as Bryan’s Brigade slowly began to break and fall back to the main Federal line by 2:00 p.m. 

Total Casualties from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. are nearly 4,000 in this small battle of four infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades.  The fighting continues….