Not Everybody Loves Raymond - July 2nd 1864 - Morning

The Department of the Eastern Frontier forces at Raymond had an excellent plan for the destruction of Brig. Gen. Benjamin Adams' Federal 6th Division to their front. Adams definitely knew that he faced the Confederate 6th Division (Garrett), but he may not have been aware of the presence of the Confederate 1st Division (Gowan), which had arrived in the early evening and held a position in reserve behind Garrett's lines at the Rockport Pike - Raymond Road Junction.  Adams' batteries had proven troublesome the previous afternoon, particularly a battery of 10lb Parrott Rifles, so the Confederates would start by forming a grand battery to silence the Federal guns. Capt Gage's 10th Arkansas Field Battery was present with six 20lb guns with veteran gunners and at 6:00 a.m. Gowan's batteries started moving up towards Garrett's line to take their position.

As the batteries moved north, Gowan's infantry started moving east on the Rockport Pike. Their orders were to move to the junction with the Caney Road and then turn left onto a trail that would lead them to Bell Creek and the flank and rear of Adams' Division. By the time they were in position, Adams' guns would be largely disabled and an attack would start that would result in the destruction of the Federal 6th Division. At least that was the plan.

Adams had plans of his own. No sooner did Gowan's infantry set off, than they heard firing on Garrett's right. Adams had advanced his 1st Brigade under Brigadier General Joseph C. Kitchen, from a reserve position into some abandoned works to the front of Garrett's right flank, manned by Brig. Gen. Hollis Gregg's Mississippi Brigade. Instead of engaging in counter-battery fire, Adams' Batteries were limbered and started moving eastward. Kitchen's Brigade was acting as a rear guard as the rest of the division quickly moved down the very same trail that Gowan intended to use to move on Adams' flank.

The fire from Kitchen's Brigade fell largely on the 64th Mississippi, which was the right-most regiment. Brig. Gen. Gregg moved his left out of the rifle pits he had occupied and began to engage with Kitchen's men around the fortification to their front. The Mississippians started to push back Kitchen's right regiment, which was outside of the fortifications to the west. Garrett's 1st Brigade under Brig. Gen. Edward C. McElhanan was to wait for a signal to attack, but decided Gregg's engagement was sufficient cause to start. The 1st Brigade began to advance, followed by the 2nd Brigade (Prince) on its left. Both are Alabama brigades, with a single Tennessee Regiment (68th Tennessee) in McElhanan's Brigade.

The movement down the Bell Creek Trail was lead by Adams' 3rd Brigade under Col. James Casey, who was Colonel of the 141st United States Colored Troops. Casey's Brigade was composed of 5 green regiments totally about 4,000 men and it reached the woods near the Caney Road Junction before Gowan's Division. It came through the woods at the double quick and fired on the flank of Brig. Gen. Andrew Wales' Brigade, which was forced to stop and engage before it could form properly. Casey extended his line across the Rockport Pike to cover the withdrawal of the rest of the division and began firing on Wales' right flank. The 38th Texas inflicted heavy damage on Casey's Brigade, but the fire was too heavy and it broke and was routed. Wales brigade was in a weak position, but Gowan quickly moved up Curtis' Brigade on the south side of Rockport Pike and moved Norris into the woods on the north side of the pike.

Back along Garrett's line, the rest of Adams' Division had already passed behind Kitchen's Brigade when McElhanan came into position on Kitchen's right flank. A few rounds from the 70th Alabama and the 68th Tennessee and Kitchen gave the order to retreat, every man for himself. McElhanan pursued Kitchen across Bell Creek, Prince began moving in column down the Bell Creek Trail and Gregg brought in some prisoners, reformed and began to follow Prince to the east.

Before Garrett's men could come up on Casey's rear on the trail, Curtis' Brigade struck Casey's right. The 28th Texas (Wales' Brigade was on the road engaging with Casey's left, allowing Curtis' 19th Florida and 75th Georgia to get into a flanking position, with the 75th Georgia firing into the rear of of the 152nd USCT close to a small spring that leads to Cold Creek. The 152nd broke and was routed and Casey gave the order to retreat. The batteries were safely on the road to Beaton and the 2nd Brigade was clear as well. Kitchen and Casey had done their jobs and retreated in haste to join the rest of the division moving eastward. Gowan and Garrett reformed briefly and then immediately started in pursuit. Total losses in the early morning action were just over 750 men in total, with slightly heavier losses on the Confederate side. The heaviest losses were in Wales and Casey's Brigades.