At 3:30, Forrest's 2nd Tennessee Cavalry assaulted the bridge across the Tishomingo. Although the attack failed, it caused severe confusion among the U.S. troops, and Sturgis ordered a general retreat. With the Tennesseans still pressing, the retreat bottlenecked at the Tishomingo bridge and a panicked rout developed instead. During the retreat, Black Union troops inflicted heavy losses on Forrest's troops, a turn of events seen as revenge for the Fort Pillow massacre of Black Union troops by Confederates under Forrest, which allowed Sturgis to escape and plan further raids. Sturgis' forces fled wildly, pursued across six counties on their return to Memphis before the exhausted Confederate attackers retired.
At 3:30, Forrest's 2nd Tennessee Cavalry assaulted the bridge across the Tishomingo. Although the attack failed, it caused severe confusion among the U.S. troops, and Sturgis ordered a general retreat. With the Tennesseans still pressing, the retreat bottlenecked at the Tishomingo bridge and a panicked rout developed instead. During the retreat, Black Union troops inflicted heavy losses on Forrest's troops, a turn of events seen as revenge for the Fort Pillow massacre of Black Union troops by Confederates under Forrest, which allowed Sturgis to escape and plan further raids. Sturgis' forces fled wildly, pursued across six counties on their return to Memphis before the exhausted Confederate attackers retired.