The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Nierson's Wood or Franklin, was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel Prentice Banks against Confederate Major General Richard Taylor during Banks's operations against the Bayou Teche region in southern Louisiana. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... St. ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (April 3–April 10, 1865) Largest city New Orleans... General Nathaniel Banks served as Governor of Massachusetts and the Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives before becoming a General in the Union Army. ... Richard Taylor Richard Taylor (January 27, 1826 – April 12, 1879) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... The Army of the Gulf was a Union army that served in the general area of the gulf states controlled by Union forces. ... XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Lower Seaboard Theater of the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Robert Anderson P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 85 soldiers 500 soldiers Casualties 1 dead, 5 injured 4 injured The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12 – April 13, 1861), a relatively minor military engagement at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Battle of Fort Pulaski was fought on April 11, 1862, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Officer David G. Farragut and Maj. ... The Battle of Secessionville occurred on June 16, 1862 in the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders A.J. Drake J.W. Pearson Strength 1 gunboat Osceola Rangers, company Casualties 0 0 The Battle of Tampa was a minor engagement of the American Civil War fought June 30–July 1, 1862, between the United States Navy and... Combatants Confederate States of America United States of America Commanders John C. Breckinridge Thomas Williams† and Thomas W. Cahill Strength 2600 2500 Casualties 478 dead 371 dead The Battle of Baton Rouge (or Magnolia Cemetery) was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel P. Banks Richard Taylor Strength Department of the Gulf, XIX Corps Army of Western Louisiana Casualties 234 (estimated) 450 (estimated) The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... The Second Battle of Fort Sumter was fought from August 17 to September 9 of 1863 between Union and Confederate forces. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Christopher C. Augur Frank W. Powers William R. Miles Strength 1st Division, XIX Army Corps, Army of the Gulf  ? Casualties 150 100 The Battle of Plains Store or the Battle of Springfield Road was fought May 21, 1863 in East... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel P. Banks Franklin Gardner Strength XIX Army Corps, Army of the Gulf Confederate forces, 3rd District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Port Hudson Casualties 5,000 7,208 The Siege of Port Hudson occurred in the summer of... Gainesville, site of a crucial railroad junction and depot in north central Florida, was the scene of small-scale fighting during the Civil War. ... The Battle of Olustee was a battle in the American Civil War which took place near Lake City, Florida on February 20, 1864. ... The Battle of Natural Bridge was a battle during the American Civil War, fought near Tallahassee, Florida on March 6, 1865. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... General Nathaniel Banks served as Governor of Massachusetts and the Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives before becoming a General in the Union Army. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Richard Taylor Richard Taylor (January 27, 1826 – April 12, 1879) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... The Bayou Teche is a 125-mile long waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana. ... This Article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Prelude

While the other two Union XIX Corps divisions under Nathaniel Prentice Banks were comprising the expedition into west Louisiana crossed Berwick Bay towards Fort Bisland, Brigadier General Cuvier Grover's division went up the Atchafalaya River into Grand Lake, where they could either block a Confederate retreat, or force a retreat if the Confederates stayed and fought at Fort Bisland. The battle occurred two days after the Battle of Fort Bisland. XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... This Article does not cite its references or sources. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, approximately 170 mi (270 km) long, in south central Louisiana in the United States. ... Grand Lake is a lake in Oklahoma. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel P. Banks Richard Taylor Strength Department of the Gulf, XIX Corps Army of Western Louisiana Casualties 234 (estimated) 450 (estimated) The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard...

Battle

On the morning of April 13, 1863, Grover's division landed in the vicinity of Franklin and scattered Confederate troops attempting to stop them from disembarking. That night Grover ordered the division to cross Bayou Teche and prepare for an attack towards Franklin, Louisiana, at dawn. Meanwhile, however, Major General Richard Taylor reacted, feeling the obvious threat to his rear. He started withdrawing his forces from Fort Bisland, and his advance guard arrived quickly. On the morning of April 14, Taylor and his men were at Nerson's Woods, around a mile and a half above Franklin. As Grover's lead brigade marched out a few miles, it found Taylor's men on its right and skirmishing began. The fighting became intense; the Confederates attacked, forcing the Federal soldiers to fall back. The gunboat Diana arrived and anchored the Confederate right flank on the Teche. Still, Grover's men outnumbered the Confederates and when he paused to deploy his full force, Taylor withdrew rather than risk a pitched battle against superior numbers. Grover's men had taken the strategic position they sought. This victory, along with the one at Fort Bisland, two days earlier, assured the success of the expedition into west Louisiana. April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... The Bayou Teche is a 125-mile long waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana. ... Franklin is a small city located in St. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ...

References

• Ayres, Thomas., Dark and Bloody Ground : The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana, Cooper Square Press, 2001.
• Parrish, T. Michael, Richard Taylor, Soldier Prince of Dixie, University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
• Taylor, Richard, Destruction and Reconstruction : Personal experiences of the late war, Time-Life Books, 1983.
• National Park Service battle description