On the 17th March 1862, the Confederate forces engaged the Union Army in a battle near the town of Henridge. On the left flank of the battle Major-General Bragg's Confederate division attempted to clear the Braxton-Henridge Turnpike of a Union division under Brigadier-General Wallace. With the battle joined further east on the previous day, Bragg was detached to try and cross the turnpike and out-flank the Union main army defending Henridge. However, Wallace had already detached three brigades to defend the area, and as the Confederate Division formed up, the Union defence was bolstered by the arrival of two more brigades, those of Buckland and Taylor.
The Union force lined the turnpike and as two more brigades arrived, Wallace felt confident of a strong defence using the long thick stone wall to hold his centre and resting his flanks on the Gibson Homestead on his left, defended by Tuttle's Brigade, and Griffon Farm on his right flank, held by Sweeney's Brigade. McDowell's Brigade lined the stonewall in the Union centre as Taylor and Buckland fed their men into the line. The only thing lacking in the Union force was artillery, with only two batteries having been sent from the Henridge defences. But Wallace justifiably felt he was in a strong position, and even suggested to his commanders that they may be in a position to launch a counter thrust against the enemy.
Bragg on the other had had alot of open ground to cover before his men could reach the distant stonewall, now bristling with Union guns. He did however have an advantage in guns, with five batteries along the front, and better troops at his disposal. However both he and his brigade commanders knew the enemy position would be a bloody one to attack and steeled themselves for a day of bloody fighting.
The battle opened with shelling of the Union line from the Confederate guns, to little effect, and the only movement from the rebel forces was the advance of Shaver and Deas towards the Gibson Homestead. Shave made good headway, but Deas' Brigade seemed to get bogged down negotiating the edge of the woods and the ground cluttered with guns and troops. On the opposite flank, the Confederate Brigades of Russell and Johnston did little, other than redress their ranks. In the centre of the rebel lines Anderson's Brigade remain in position while Cleburne too remained stationary.
On the Union side, little moved on their right flank, and their guns fired into the stationary rebel soldiers. On the right flank, both Taylor and Buckland began moving their troops with Taylor looking to counter the rebel advance towards the Gibson Homestead position. The only other advance was Tuttle's 7th Iowa advancing without support into the apple orchard and began engaging 2nd Arkansas with musket fire. Without support their position looked increasingly dangerous.
The Confederate guns signal the start of the battle with a salvo at Union units on the road.
Gibson Homestead, defending by Tuttle's Brigade as Taylor's men march up the turnpike.
Artillery, attached to Shaver's Brigade, shells the Gibson Homestead.With little going on the centre, all attention became fixed on the proceedings around the Gibson Homestead. While a vicious firefight raged in the apple orchard, Taylor's Union troops struggled to get into decent positions to draw up their battlelines. However opposite them Deas once again moved sluggishly and Shaver's advance looked in danger of being unsupported against the Union defence. On the Confederate far left Russel and Johnston made a small advance to the Pawtucket Farm and halted. once again being shelled by the Union guns. In the centre, the Union troops of Buckland and McDowell saw Cleburne and Anderson turn their lines to the right and their brigades formed into march columns heading for the break in the woods that led towards the Gibson Homestead.
From the Union line it looked like the rebels were about to commit two more entire brigades to the attack on the Union left wing. In response to this Taylor began to move his men into a blocking line, and Buckland removed men from the turnpike wall to occupy Devils Copse and support Taylor.
Shaver's Brigade move into the attack!
Tuttle's Brigade defend Gibson Homestead.
Johnston's Brigade move up to Pawtucket Farm.
Fighting rages around the apple orchard. 
The scene at Gibson Homestead as Taylor moves into position hearing of the likely threat from two more rebel brigades.
The Confederate Battle line.
The Union line reorganises as Cleburne and Anderson's Rebels turn towards Gibson Homestead.
As Taylor forms up, troops from Buckland's Brigade occupy Devils Copse to their rear, all Union attention is focussed on preempting the Rebel reinforcement of the attack on Gibson Homestead.With Taylor committed to the defence of the Gibson Homestead, and Buckland also moving to that flank in anticipation of two more Confederate Brigades arriving, things seemed positive for the Union defence. However things were not what they seemed...
Suddenly, the Confederate centre once again changed formation, turned back into line and charged across the open field! Cleburne's Brigade took the lead, closely followed by Anderson. With the Union troops sheltering back from the wall due to artillery fire, the Rebels rushed the open ground. With Buckland's Brigade partly committed to a move to the left, things began to get confused for the Union. At the same time, both Shaver and Deas advanced to attack the Gibson Homestead and on the Union far right flank, Russell and Johnston both stormed forward at a terrific pace. The sudden advanced shocked the Union defence and without warning the entire Confederate line advanced. With the Union reserves committed in the wrong place things looked serious.
Cleburne's feint to turn to the left had worked...
The entire Confederate army closes with the enemy...Close fighting now raged along the line. Sweeney's Brigade at Griffon Farm had to fall back when their supporting artillery was over-run. Despite firing canister at pointblank into the advancing Texans, nothing had happened. Someone, it seemed in panic, had forgot to load the canister round! Whatever the cause, the Texans took no losses and overran the guns. They now took position along the battery defences and poured fire into Sweeney's men. For the rest of the day, Sweeney's troops would manage to hold both Russell's and Johnston's brigades with only a little help from McDowell.
In the centre the fighting raged over the wall. Cleburne launched assault after assault, indulged in a series of close range firefights and both sides took heavy losses. With Buckland's brigade split, McDowell tried to plug the gaps in the wall, but he also had to try and support Sweeney to stop his force being over-run. He too would fight for the rest of the day but unable to effect little impact on the battle. Cleburne locked Buckland's Brigade in a desperate fight.
At Gibson Homestead, both Deas and Shaver moved into the assault. Several of Tuttle's units were forced back and inch-by-inch they gave ground slowly, but losses mounted among Shaver's Brigade.
Things remained on a knife edge for both sides as losses rose.
The fighting at Griffon Farm. 
Cleburne and Anderson assault the turnpike in the centre.
The fighting around Gibson Homestead.
The battle lines at the critical point... Both sides knew that the turning point of the battle was near. At Griffon Farm, Sweeney held off Russell, but Anderson managed to force back some of McDowells men and Confederates crossed the wall. As they did so, Sweeney turned a unit and caught the rebels in the flank, causing them to halt. Once more in the battle Sweeney was unwilling to give in, despite being outnumbered and now cut-off from McDowell and hope of support.
In the centre Cleburne and Buckland slugged it out with McDowell desperately trying to relive the pressure on both Buckland and Sweeney, but with one of his units retiring, he was hard pressed to help.
At Gibson Homestead, Tuttle was eventually pushed out of the complex, but Shaver had taken serious losses, so Deas took over the assault against Taylor. As he engaged the enemy, the tipping point was reached...
Deas' 4th Louisiana struck Taylor's 57th Illinois head on, and after a brief but bloody fight the 57th broke and fled. At the sight of this another of Taylor's units broke and fled, and suddenly his entire brigade crumbled and fled the battlefield!
Now the Confederates piled on the pressure. Deas' fresh troops pushed pass Shaver whose men kept Tuttle pinned down, both brigades having suffered heavy losses. At the same time, Cleburne forced back Buckland's troops and as his bloodied men retired, Anderson took over and assaulted over the wall as Cleburne waved them on and his men cheered. Buckland's brigade was now caught between Deas and Anderson, isolated from McDowell and Tuttle, though Tuttle's men were in no position to help. In short order Buckland's brigade also began to break up and soon fled the battlefield...
The moment before Taylor's brigade breaks...
The entire battlefield at the crucial moment...
Buckland's men, caught in Devils Copse between Anderson and Deas are shotdown, the survivors flee...
Anderson makes it on to the turnpike!With Buckland and Taylor's Brigades gone, little could be done for the Union side. Cleburne and Shaver had taken heavy losses but had screened Anderson and Deas whose troops were fresh and eager to fight. Tuttle's Brigade withdrew towards Henridge, in good order despite the heavy losses. Shaver's men, bloodied after the fighting, were content to occupy Gibson Homestead rather than persue.
At the opposite end of the battlefield, Sweeney still held out at Griffon Farm, but with the Union centre dissolving both he and McDowell withdrew towards Braxton Town in good order. The Confederates were content to let them go and had managed to cut the turnpike and with luck they would now allow the rest of the Confederate Army to outflank the Henridge defences.
Victory belonged to the Rebs...
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