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Battles -
Battle Summaries
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| Battle Name: |
Monett’s Ferry |
| Other Names: |
Cane River Crossing |
| State: |
Louisiana |
| Location: |
Natchitoches Parish |
| Campaign: |
Red River Campaign (1864) |
| Dates: |
April 23, 1864 |
| Principal Commanders: |
Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks [US]; Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee [CS] |
| Forces Engaged: |
Red River Expeditionary Force (Banks’s Department of the Gulf) [US]; Bee’s Cavalry Division
[CS] |
| Estimated Casualties: |
600 total (US 200; CS 400) |
| Description: |
Near the end of the Red River Expedition, Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks’s army evacuated Grand
Ecore and retreated to Alexandria, pursued by Confederate forces. Banks’s advance party, commanded by Brig.
Gen. William H. Emory, encountered Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee’s cavalry division near Monett’s Ferry (Cane
River Crossing) on the morning of April 23. Bee had been ordered to dispute Emory’s crossing, and he placed his
men so that natural features covered both his flanks. Reluctant to assault the Rebels in their strong position, Emory
demonstrated in front of the Confederate lines, while two brigades went in search of another crossing. One brigade
found a ford, crossed, and attacked the Rebels in their flank. Bee had to retreat. Banks’s men laid pontoon bridges
and, by the next day, had all crossed the river. The Confederates at Monett’s Ferry missed an opportunity to
destroy or capture Banks’s army. |
| Results: |
Union victory |
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