Fallen Timbers | Apr 8, 1862

In the aftermath of the Union victory at Shiloh, Federal commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant eraltroops under Brig. General William T. Sherman and Brig. General Thomas J. Wood to ascertain the Confederates position. At a place called Fallen Timbers—so called for the abundance of dead trees that littered the area—they discovered a Confederate field hospital.  Sherman ordered his skirmishers to advance on the Confederate position.  In doing so, they encountered the Rebel rearguard under by Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest.  In his first encounter with Sherman, the "Wizard of the Saddle" charged headlong into the Yankee vanguard—far ahead of his own troops—where he was wounded and very nearly captured.  Forrest’s reckless aggression, however, paid off; the Federal forces fled in the direction of Pittsburg Landing, allowing the Confederates to escape.