The Battle of Dandridge was fought near the town of Dandridge in East Tennessee in mid-January 1864. After that battle Union cavalry had moved south of the French Broad River seeking foraging land for their horses, in turn driving Confederate cavalry out of the area and, in the process, capturing several rebel wagons.
The commander of Confederate forces in East Tennessee, Lt. General James Longstreet, ordered his men to get the Union troops out of the area, leading to the Battle of Fair Garden.
On the afternoon of January 26th, 1864, two units of Confederate cavalry with artillery advanced from Fair Garden but were stopped about 4 miles from Sevierville by Union cavalry. After a skirmish, the Confederates managed to drive Union forces back about two miles before fighting ended.
The next day, January 27th, one hundred fifty-eight years ago today, the Union commander, Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis, ordered an attack. After a running battle throughout the day, Union cavalry managed to rout the Confederates and, over the next day, forced them to the French Broad River. There the Union soldiers found three of Longstreet’s infantry brigades crossing the river and headed to the foraging grounds.
Fighting continued until dark, when the outnumbered Federal troops withdrew from the area, surrendering those foraging grounds to the Confederates.
