Advancing from Florence, Alabama toward Nashville, Tennessee, two Confederate cavalry divisions under William Jackson and Abraham Buford marched up the old military road to screen the army’s advance. Arriving outside Lawrenceburg on the morning of November 22, 1864, they encountered three Union cavalry brigades under the command of General Edward Hatch. Hatch placed his command just north of Lawrenceburg but posted a picket south of town consisting of units from Colonel Dat us Coon’s brigade. Accounts of the fighting range from severe skirmishing to primarily an artillery duel. This action was largely a standoff with Confederates moving to the west and north of town to threaten the Union right flank. However, late in the day, Confederate artillery with help from the cavalry, including Frank Armstrong's brigade, forced Hatch to retreat east toward Pulaski, ending the fight.