page_title: Battle of Morristown
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Morristown / Battle
context_page_description: The Battle of Morristown was a battle of the American Civil War fought in present-day Hamblen County, Tennessee on October 28, 1864. Union forces under General Alvan C. Gillem attacked Confederate forces under General John C. Vaughn who were defending Morristown, Tennessee. Vaughn's Confederates were routed and Gillem's forces pursued them into nearby Russellville, Tennessee.
context_section_description: In preparing his defenses, Vaughn deployed his Confederate forces into two lines. The first line, dismounted, ran west of the town for around a mile long. The second line, also about a mile long, was east of the town and was most likely flanked on both sides with artillery. One section of artillery was stationed where Morristown College (now Heritage Park) used to be.
  Gillem's Union brigade arrived at the battlefield around 9 o'clock in the morning coming from the west. On his approach to Morristown, he was engaged by about 100 Confederates under the command of Col. James Rose (namesake of Morristown's Rose Center.) They were sent by Vaughn to scout the size of the Union army. This forced Gillem's forces to deploy as Col. Rose returned to Vaughn to report the superior Union force. Upon nearing the first Confederate line, Gillem's artillery deployed itself to the his right flank and opened fire on the Confederate left, whose artillery promptly returned fire. A brigade of Gillem's Union cavalry charged the center and the right of the first Confederate line under fire. There, they slammed into the Rebels and began to push them back. The Confederate left, seeing the charge develop on their right, used dismounted forces from the first line and cavalry from the second line to attack the Union right. Despite initially pushing the Union line back, the Confederates failed to break through. 
  The first line on the Confederate right then collapsed and were chased by Union cavalrymen. The Union cavalry pushed into the town itself, where they were counter charged by mounted Confederates. The Union forces on the right then began moving to get behind the Confederate's far left, south of the town. A Union cavalry charge was launched at points all along the Confederate line and the Rebels buckled under the pressure, with the final line giving way. It is believed that the second line first broke on the far left. Union cavalrymen were already to their rear and moving quickly to cut off any retreat. The Confederates artillery battery was captured east of town. The town itself was capture along with Col. Rose, whose horse was shot down. The Confederates at first tried to have an orderly withdraw, but pressure from the Union forces turned it into a full-blown route towards Russellville, Tennessee. Vaughn even admitted in his official report, "I regret to say that my command was stampeded at Morristown this morning." They were heavily pursued by Union forces until the Confederates, freshly reinforced, made a stand at Russellville. The Union forces had successfully pushed Vaughn out of Morristown.
caption: Union general Alvan C. Gillem.
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