In April 1862, after the Battle of Shiloh, Confederate Col. John Hunt Morgan planned a raid through Tennessee and Kentucky to sever Union supply lines. Morgan led the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry from Corinth, Mississippi, into Tennessee and engaged with several Federal detachments, attracting the attention of Union Gen. Ebenezer Dumont, who quickly assembled a mounted force to intercept them. After missing their quarry near Shelbyville, Dumont's advance under Col. Frank L. Wolford finally caught up with Morgan's rear guard on May 4, but broke off the action after inconclusive skirmishing.
