BATTLEFIELD ASSESSMENT

Guy’s Gap

June 25, 1863

Coffee

As part of the Tullahoma campaign, Union cavalry with Col. Robert Minty’s First Brigade moved in advance of Gen. Gordon Granger’s Reserve Corps of the Army of the Cumberland and engaged Confederates holding Guys Gap on June 6, 1863. The action was part of the overall plan of Gen. William S. Rosecrans to fix Confederate attention on Shelbyville while his forces to the north sought to cut-off the Confederates at Tullahoma. They withdrew from the area two days later allowing Granger’s corps to press through the gap toward Shelbyville unopposed.

HISTORICAL THEMES

Controlling Resources

Transformation in Warfare

PRESERVATION OPPORTUNITY INDEX

HIGH

A rating assigned for each battlefield to indicate relative opportunity and potential for successful site preservation.

SITE DETAILS

County

Coffee

Date

June 25, 1863

Preservation Opportunity

HIGH

Confederate Units

N/A

Union Units

5th Iowa Cavalry, 4th Michigan Cavalry, 1st, 2nd and 5th Tennessee Cavalry

Guy’s Gap

Account of Engagement

June 25, 1863 – Skirmish at Guy’s Gap

See June 25, 1863—Skirmish at (Old) Fosterville.

No circumstantial reports filed.

HDQRS. UNITED STATES FORCES, Ransom’s Farm, Guy’s Gap, Tenn., June 27, 1863—4.20 p. m.

GEN.: We have carried Guy’s Gap; met with no resistance to speak of. Our advance has reached the fortifications at Shelbyville.

I have ordered the Fifth and Sixth Kentucky Cavalry, with three regiments of infantry, from Murfreesborough to Christiana. I left two regiments, one each of infantry and cavalry, with nine pieces of artillery, at that place this morning.

I have not yet decided whether or not to push on to Shelbyville with the force I have here. I shall make my headquarters at Houston’s Spring, on Webb’s plantation, tonight.

I have not yet decided whether to send Stanley to Fairfield direct by the way of Bellbuckle or around by Millersburg, but shall decide in a few hours.

I did not receive your order to move until 6 o’clock this morning. We have a few prisoners. There were about 400 Confederates at this place this morning.

Will dispatch you again soon, the moment I hear from Shelbyville.

Very respectfully,

G. GRANGER, Maj.-Gen.

OR, Ser. I, Vol. 23, pt. I, pp. 533-534.

Help Preserve Our Nation's Civil War Heritage

Your support helps TCWPA preserve, interpret, and share the places where history happened for generations to come.

Discover More BattleFields

Snow Hill

On April 3, 1863, two Union brigades under Gen. Stanley advanced to this position to battle a Confederate Division commanded

Read More »

Sweetwater

On February 16, 1865, Confederate cavalry commanded by Brig. Gen. John C. Vaughn captured the Federal garrison at Sweet Water

Read More »

Somerville

On the morning of March 28, 1863 Confederate guerillas temporarily captured a train on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, between

Read More »