Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7 , 1861 , in Mississippi County , Missouri . It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant , the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U . S . president ; Grant ' s troops in this battle were the " nucleus " of the Union Army of the Tennessee . On November 6 , Grant moved by riverboat from Cairo , Illinois , to attack the Confederate fortress at Columbus , Kentucky . The next morning , he learned that Confederate troops had crossed the Mississippi River to Belmont , Missouri . He landed his men on the Missouri side and marched to Belmont . Grant ' s troops overran the surprised Confederate camp and destroyed it . However , the scattered Confederate forces quickly reorganized and were reinforced from Columbus . They then counterattacked , supported by heavy artillery fire from across the river . Grant retreated to his riverboats and took his men to Paducah , Kentucky . The battle was relatively unimportant , but with little happening elsewhere at the time , it received considerable attention in the press . Background . At the beginning of the war , the critical border state of Kentucky , with a pro - Confederate governor but a largely pro - Union legislature , declared neutrality between the opposing sides . Pro - Confederates crossed into Tennessee to enlist , but the Union men openly formed a recruiting camp inside Kentucky . Using this as an excuse , Confederate Maj . Gen . Leonidas Polk violated the state ' s neutrality on September 3 , 1861 , by occupying Columbus , a key position on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River . Two days later Union Brig . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant seized Paducah . Grant , commanding the District of Southeast Missouri , requested permission from theater commander Maj . Gen . John C . Frémont to attack Columbus , but no orders came . For the next two months only limited demonstrations were conducted against the Confederates . Frémont learned the Confederates planned to reinforce their forces in Arkansas , and on November 1 he ordered Grant to make a feint toward Columbus to keep the Confederates there . Grant sent about 3 , 000 men under Col . Richard Oglesby into southeastern Missouri . Grant then learned that Confederate reinforcements were moving into Missouri to intercept Oglesby ' s column . He sent reinforcements and also ordered Brig . Gen . Charles F . Smith to move from Paducah into southwestern Kentucky to distract the Confederates . Grant chose to attack Belmont , a ferry landing and tiny hamlet of just three shacks , about 2 , 000 feet across the river from Columbus . Grant ' s Expeditionary Command numbered 3 , 114 officers and men , and was organized into two brigades under Brig . Gen . John A . McClernand and Col . Henry Dougherty , two cavalry companies , and an artillery battery . On November 6 , escorted by the gunboats USS " Tyler " and USS " Lexington " , Grant ' s men left Cairo on the steamboats " Aleck Scott " , " Chancellor " , " Keystone State " , " Belle Memphis " , " James Montgomery " , and " Rob Roy " . Confederate Maj . Gen . Leonidas Polk had about 5 , 000 troops guarding Columbus . When he learned of Grant ' s movements , he assumed that Columbus was their primary objective and that Belmont was a feint . He ordered 2 , 700 under Brig . Gen . Gideon J . Pillow to Belmont , retaining the rest to defend Columbus . When he reached Belmont , Grant found Camp Johnston , a small Confederate observation post , supported by an artillery battery . He decided to attack to keep the Confederates from reinforcing Maj . Gen . Sterling Price or Brig . Gen . M . Jeff Thompson of the Missouri State Guard , and to protect Oglesby ' s exposed left flank . Battle . At 8 : 30 a . m . on November 7 , Grant ' s force disembarked at Hunter ' s Farm , 3 miles north of Belmont , out of range of the six Confederate batteries at Columbus . ( The Columbus heavy water batteries featured 10 - inch Columbiad s and 11 - inch howitzer s and one gun , the " Lady Polk " , was the largest in the Confederacy , a 128 - pounder Whitworth rifle . ) He marched his men south on the single road , clearing the obstructions of fallen timber that formed an abatis . A mile away from Belmont , they formed a battle line in a corn field . The line consisted of the 22nd Illinois Infantry , 7th Iowa Infantry , 31st Illinois Infantry , 30th Illinois Infantry , and 27th Illinois Infantry , intermixed with a company of cavalry . The Confederate battle line , on a low ridge northwest of Belmont , from north to south , was made up of the 12th Tennessee Infantry , 13th Arkansas Infantry , 22nd Tennessee Infantry , 21st Tennessee Infantry , and 13th Tennessee Infantry . Grant ' s attack drove in the Confederate skirmish line and for the remainder of the morning , both armies , consisting of green recruits , advanced and fell back repeatedly . By 2 p . m . , the fighting became one - sided as Pillow ' s line began to collapse , withdrawing toward Camp Johnston . The orderly retreat began to panic when four Federal field pieces opened up on the retreating soldiers . A volley from the 31st Illinois killed dozens of Confederates , and the Union soldiers attacked from three sides and surged into the camp . The Confederates abandoned their colors and their artillery , and ran towards the river , attempting to escape . Grant was constantly at the front , leading his men . His horse was shot from under him , but he mounted an aide ' s horse and continued to lead . Grant ' s inexperienced soldiers became , in his own words , " demoralized from their victory . " Brig . Gen . McClernand walked to the center of the camp , which now flew the Stars and Stripes , and asked for three cheers . A bizarre , carnival - like atmosphere prevailed upon the troops , carried away by the joy of their victory , having captured several hundred prisoners and the camp . To regain control of his men , who were plundering and partying , Grant ordered the camp set on fire . In the confusion and blinding smoke , wounded Confederate soldiers in some of the tents were accidentally burned to death , causing returning Confederates to believe the prisoners had been deliberately murdered . The Federals began to march back to their transports , taking with them two captured guns and 106 prisoners . They were suddenly attacked by Confederate reinforcements brought over on the transports " Prince " and " Charm " who threatened to cut off Grant ' s retreat . These were the men of the 15th Tennessee Infantry , the 11th Louisiana Infantry , and mixed infantry under Pillow and Col . Benjamin F . Cheatham . As the Union men turned to face the Confederate reinforcements , the cannon " Lady Polk " fired into their ranks from Columbus and numerous other Confederate guns opened fire . The Union gunboats exchanged in a battle with the Confederate batteries . Grant said , " Well , we must cut our way out as we cut our way in . " When Grant reached the landing , he learned that one Union regiment was unaccounted for . Grant galloped back to look for it , but found only Confederate soldiers moving in his direction . He spun his horse and raced for the river , but saw that the riverboat captains had already ordered the mooring lines cast off . Grant wrote in his memoirs , " The captain of the boat that had just pushed out recognized me and ordered the engineer not to start the engine : he then had a plank run out for me . My horse seemed to take in the situation . He put his fore feet over the bank without hesitation or urging , and , with his hind feet well under him , slid down the bank and trotted on board . " While the riverboats were returning the missing Illinois regiment was seen marching upriver and the men were taken aboard . Aftermath . The Confederates viewed Belmont as a Southern victory , since Grant had staged a demonstration and been driven off . Union losses were 607 ( 120 dead , 383 wounded , and 104 captured or missing ) . Confederate casualties were slightly higher at 641 ( 105 killed , 419 wounded , 106 captured , and 11 missing ) . A noteworthy result of the battle was the combat and large unit command experience Grant gained . It also gave President Abraham Lincoln , who was desperate for his armies to attack the Confederates somewhere , a positive impression of Grant . Belmont Avenue in Chicago , Illinois , was named after this battle .