Vaught's Hill TN014
1863-03-20 to 1863-03-20 · TN · Middle Tennessee Operations [February-April 1863] · frozen result: Union · NPS summary (as listed)
During the inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a Union brigade-sized reconnaissance force, under Col. Albert S. Hall, left Murfreesboro on March 18. Circling to the northeast, Hall encountered Confederate Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan's cavalry command which caused him to fall back to a position east of Milton. Pursuing Hall, Morgan's men caught up with him on the morning of the 20th, at Vaught's Hill. Dismounted, Morgan struck at both Union flanks, even to the point of encircling Hall's hilltop position. Hall conducted a perimeter defense and withstood all Confederate attacks, which lasted till after 2:00 pm. Morgan continued to bombard the Yankees until 4:30 pm, when he broke off the engagement, after learning that Union reinforcements were en route from Murfreesboro. Union forces continued to strengthen their position in Middle Tennessee.
Command responsibility (ledger v2)
US: Albert S. Hall
Grade A under rule 2; echelon brigade.
A cited passage states the command.
Colonelarnold-cwsac-commanders, battle TN014, belligerent US, fullname Albert S. Hall; column rank · snapshot
6c587c298717…a Union brigade-sized reconnaissance force, under Col. Albert S. Hallarnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN014; column description · snapshot
952b5d08402a…Confederate: John Hunt Morgan
Grade A under rule 2; echelon unknown.
A cited passage states the command.
Brigadier Generalarnold-cwsac-commanders, battle TN014, belligerent Confederate, fullname John Hunt Morgan; column rank · snapshot
6c587c298717…Confederate Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan's cavalry commandarnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN014; column description · snapshot
952b5d08402a…Side strength (ledger v3)
US: grade A, 1,300 (1,240–1,370)
compiled_dependencederivation_unknownsingle_inputwhole_engagement_leakage
| Input | Class | Printed | Basis | Bound | Codes | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| us-cw | A | 1,300 | reported_engaged | derivation_unknown |
Confederate: grade A, 3,500 (3,330–3,680)
compiled_dependencederivation_unknownsingle_inputwhole_engagement_leakage
| Input | Class | Printed | Basis | Bound | Codes | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cs-cw | A | 3,500 | reported_engaged | derivation_unknown | 3,500arnold-cwsac-forces, battle TN014, belligerent Confederate; column description · snapshot a462f6be964b… |
Dossier claims
Draft dossier, revision . Claims are extraction records with their quoted passages, not historical adjudication. JSON
information
supportedunresolved Cist says Hall fell back on hearing Morgan was advancing; NPS says Morgan broke off after learning Union reinforcements were coming.
Summaries of what each commander learned; no inspected message log.
hear- ing that Morgan was advancing on him he retired toward Miltoncist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…after learning that Union reinforcements were en route from Murfreesboro.nps-tn014-v1, Description · snapshot
eae997bc39d4…logistics
unknownunresolved
No battle-specific supply, ammunition or transport return was inspected. Retrospective descriptions are not readiness measures.
objectives
supportedunresolved NPS calls Hall's force a brigade-sized reconnaissance; Cist says it was sent after Morgan.
Stated purposes from a summary and an interested history; no inspected orders.
sent from Murfreesboro after Morgan.cist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…outcome
supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. Cist says Morgan withdrew after about four hours, repulsed at all points; NPS says the bombardment continued until 4:30 p.m.
Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.
being repulsed at all points and in every assault, with- drew from the fieldcist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…Morgan continued to bombard the Yankees until 4:30 pmnps-tn014-v1, Description · snapshot
eae997bc39d4…disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 435 total (US 62; CS 373); the live NPS field reads 188 total (US 38; CS 150;). Cist gives Morgan's loss as some ninety-five killed, 350 wounded and 20 prisoners.
Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap.
435 total (US 62; CS 373)arnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN014; column casualties_text · snapshot
952b5d08402a…a loss of some ninety-five killed, three hundred and fifty wounded, and twenty prisoners.cist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…responsibility
supportedunresolved Cist says Morgan tried to turn first the right and then the left of Hall's command before a dismounted frontal assault; NPS says Hall held a perimeter defense.
Attack sequence from an interested history and a summary; the frozen commanders Morgan and Hall do not receive automatic sole credit.
Morgan endeavored first to turn the right and then the left of Hall's commandcist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…He then dismounted the main portion of his command and ordered an attack to be made on the front.cist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…strength
unknownunresolved
No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. Imported numerical estimates remain unchanged; this pass does not validate them as simultaneous opening forces.
supportedunresolved The frozen force text gives approx. 1,300 Union and approx. 3,500 Confederate, with matching structured bounds, and the live field agrees: 4800 total (US 1300; CS 3500;). Cist names Hall's command as the second brigade of Reynolds's division without a count.
Agreement within the NPS/CWSAC family is not independent corroboration; no matched opening strength is adopted.
2nd Brigade, 5th Division, XIV Army Corps (a combined force of infantry, artillery, and cavalry comprising detachments from six units; approx. 1,300) [US]; Morgan's Cavalry Division (approx. 3,500) [CS]arnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN014; column forces_text · snapshot
952b5d08402a…3500arnold-cwsac-forces, battle TN014, belligerent Confederate; column strength_min · snapshot
a462f6be964b…the second brigade of Reynolds's divisioncist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.143 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…terrain
supportedunresolved NPS describes Hall's hilltop position and perimeter defense; Cist says Hall posted his command on high ground near Milton.
Position description; no map verification or numerical terrain effect.
posted his command on some high ground near that placecist-middle-tennessee-selections-v1, p.144 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
768a323dd451…Open questions
- Hall's and Morgan's reports, returns and casualty reconciliation remain deferred.
- NPS/CWSAC is one family. Cist is an interested retrospective Union staff history; Jordan and Pryor is a retrospective Confederate history for most of whose statements Forrest's prefatory note accepts responsibility, and is not independent of Forrest. Where both are used they are separate families. Reports and newspapers cited inside either book are not additional families.
- No automatic commander attribution, causal campaign score, morale/readiness number or battle/campaign double counting.