The End Of Winter Campaigning

A part of the Knoxville Campaign, the Battle of Bean’s Station was fought December 14^th 1863 in Grainger County, Tennessee.

Confederate General James Longstreet had his troops ahead of the Union forces, and decided to circle back and capture Bean’s Station.  He set up his three columns and artillery so they would catch the Union troops between them as they approached Bean’s Station.  Skirmishing broke out about two in the morning on December 14^th 1863.  The Union troops under the command of Brigadier General J M Shackleford held their line until after nightfall, at which time they retreated through Bean’s Gap and onto Blain’s Cross Roads.  Longstreet followed them in the morning, but found the Union force was strongly entrenched at Blain’s Cross Road.  The Confederates retired into their winter camp and that ended the Knoxville Campaign.

The casualties in the battle were about 700 Confederates and 900 Union soldiers.