Fight at Rogersville

Fight at Rogersville. August 29, 1862.

"On the 29th I made a reconnaissance of the enemy with my whole command." Col. John Scott, 1st Louisiana Cavalry

, Gen. Mahlon Manson was south of Richmond when he received word that Confederate cavalry was to his south. Manson marched his brigade forward, placing his artillery on a rise and deployed his infantry on both sides of the Old State Road., Confederate Col. John Scott was about one-half mile north of here when he realized that there was a large Union force to his north. He quickly deployed his cavalry on the east side of the Old State Road., Lt. Edwin O. Lanphere's 1st Michigan Light Artillery fired on the Confederate cavalry. The Confederates responded with small arms fire and their two six-pounder howitzers but with little effect., Scott, unable to silence the Federal artillery and no doubt realizing that his 850 troopers faced a much larger infantry force, withdrew. Company E of the 55th Indiana pursued, capturing one howitzer and several prisoners., Manson and his Indiana infantrymen slept that night with an easy victory under their belts; a victory that may have mistakenly led them to believe that they could easily defeat the Confederates in their front.,

"I here deployed one company of my command...and sent them down the road toward Rogersville as skirmishers. They found the enemy in front retreating through Rogersville and pursued so closely that they captured and brought back to us one piece of the enemy's artillery, which had been used with but little effect, upon us but a short time previous." Col. John R. Mahan, 55th Indiana