Federal use of the Tennessee River to…

Federal use of the Tennessee River to offload supplies at Johnsonville, then ship them by rail to Nashville, is one of the critical supply lines in Tennessee.

Lieutenant General Richard Taylor had ordered Forrest on a cavalry raid through Western Tennessee to destroy that supply line.

The first of Forrest's men had begun to ride on October 16; Forrest himself had begun moving north on October 24 and reached Fort Heiman on the Tennessee River on October 28, where he had emplaced artillery.

On October 29 and October 30, his artillery fire causes the capture of three steamers and two gunboats.

Forrest has repaired two of the boats, Undine and Venus, to use as a small flotilla to aid in his attack on Johnsonville.

On November 2, Forrest's flotilla is challenged by two Union gunboats, Key West and Tawah, and Venus is run aground and captured.

Federals dispatch six more gunboats from Paducah, Kentucky, and on November 3 they engage in artillery duels with strong Confederate positions on either end of Reynoldsburg Island, near Johnsonville.

The Federal fleet has difficulty attempting to subdue these positions and are occupied as Forrest prepares his force for the attack on Johnsonville.