Attack on Memphis’ Irving Block Prison. Union forces fail to reach the prison.
Today at 4 a.m. Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry raiders make a daring raid on Memphis, Tennessee, a town controlled by some 6,000 Federal forces. Galloping down the streets of Memphis, the Rebel forces set about looking for Union generals stationed in Memphis, in order to capture them, while freeing Confederate prisoners from Irving Block Prison.
For two hours the raiders disrupt the city, yet in the end they fail in their mission, as the hunted generals escape and cavalrymen never reach the prison due to stiff Union resistance. Retreating, Forrest cuts telegraph wires and takes with him some 500 prisoners and a stash of Union supplies.
In the face of the excitement of the day, some worship services are canceled.
Meanwhile in Georgia, many Baptist churches from the Macon area northward cancel weekend services due to the nearby presence of Federal forces.
