Union Gen. James
Wilson lead his 13,000 man Cavalry Corps southward through Alabama in an effort
to destroy any remaining industrial capability of the Confederacy. Upon
defeating Confederate forces in Selma, he headed east toward the mills and
armories in Columbus, Georgia. His goal was to move quickly through
Georgia and into the Carolinas.¹
On April 16th, Colonel LaGrange dispatched a battalion of the 2nd Indiana Cavalry commanded by Capt. Roswell Hill from their camp outside of Auburn,
Alabama. They were followed by the 4th Indiana under Lt. Col Horace P.
Lamson, and Capt. Moses Beck's 18th Indiana Battery. The total forces
under LaGrange was about 3,750 soldiers.² Their orders were to
clear rebel resistance along the railroad, destroy the tracks, and seize the
bridges in West Point. There, they would wait for LaGrange's arrival, who
followed with the 7th Kentucky and the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry regiments.³
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Sources:
¹ Randall Allen, "A Most Voluntary Gathering," The
Battle of West Point, Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society, 1997, pp.
23.
² Donald J. Downs, "Last Fort or Redoubt
Battle of the War Between the States? It Could Easily Have Been," pp.
3
³ Randall Allen, "A Most Voluntary Gathering," The
Battle of West Point, Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society, 1997, pp.
24.
