Battle of Kingston

The Battle of Kingston (November 24, 1863) saw Major General Joseph Wheeler with two divisions of Confederate cavalry attempt to overcome the Union garrison of Kingston, Tennessee, led by Colonel Robert K. Byrd. The Confederates mistakenly believed that the Kingston garrison was weak, but in fact, it comprised a brigade of infantry and a regiment of mounted infantry. When Wheeler's cavalrymen began probing the Union position, they discovered that its defenders were too numerous, and the position was too strong. The Confederate cavalry withdrew to rejoin Lieutenant General James Longstreet's forces in the Siege of Knoxville, but Wheeler himself returned to the Army of Tennessee near Chattanooga.

Battle of Kingston
Part of the American Civil War
Battle of Kingston in the Knoxville Campaign
Date November 24, 1863 Location Kingston, Tennessee 35°52′51″N 84°30′31″W Result Union victory[1]
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Robert K. Byrd	Joseph Wheeler
Units involved
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio	Armstrong's Division William T. Martin's Division
Strength
1 infantry brigade 1 mounted infantry regiment	2 cavalry divisions (minus 5 regiments)
Casualties and losses
20	50

Notes

1. Hess 2013, p. 118.

References

• Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 3. Secaucus, N.J.: Castle. 1987 [1883]. ISBN 0-89009-571-X.
• Boatner, Mark M. III (1959). The Civil War Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: David McKay Company Inc. ISBN 0-679-50013-8.
• Cox, Jacob D. (1882). "Atlanta". New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
• Hess, Earl J. (2013). The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-995-8.
• Official Records (1890). "A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: Volume XXXI, Part I". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 14, 2022.