Col. Forbes and Company B returned to Newton Station to find that Grierson had already left. The colonel and his men then road eastward to find his commander, who had actually headed west. The very next day, hearing that the twon of Enterprise had no Confederates present, Forbes and his men road into town to find the small town was loaded with rebels. Wasting no time, Forbes road with a handkerchief raised to the Confederate headquarters and demanded the surrender of the town in the name of Grierson's Cavalry. Surprised by the suddenness of Forbes' appearance, the Confederates asked for an hour to think it over. In that time, the heavily outnumbered Company B and its commander fell back and fled. "We never knew officially what the Confederates' reply was," later Forbes wrote (Korn, 91).
This event is very important, for the Confederates in Enterprise reported to Pemberton that Grierson's men were spotted east of Newton Station, where in all actuality the main body was well west of that point. Grierson, instead of heading back to LaGrange, decided he'd be of better use to Grant if he moved towards Grant's main target at Grand Gulf (Korn, 91). Forbes' men finally returned to the main force on April 27, burning bridges behind them, cutting themselves off from the enemy. Unfortunately, the closer Grierson's force got to Grand Gulf, the more he was aware of the presence of enemy forces ordered to find this Yankee cavalry. "The enemy," wrote Grierson," were now on our track in earnest. We were in the vicinity of their stronghold, and, from couriers and dispatches which we captured, it was evident they were sending forces in all directions to intercept us" (Korn, 94). Knowing that time was running out, Grierson decided to break for the closest safe refuge from where he was: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, roughly 150 miles from where he was on April 29.
At the time Grierson started heading for Louisiana, his men were becoming extremely weary. Remember, they had only taken five days' worth of rations. Living off the land, sleeping very little, and covering 30 to 50 miles a day, both the horses and the men riding them were reaching their limits (Korn, 94). On the first of May, and only one day's ride from Baton Rouge, a small engagement ensued between three companies of Confederate cavalry and Grierson's force. Though the Federals were able to drive the Southern troopers off somewhat easily, the fight not without losses. Leaving their wounded behind in a plantation house, Grierson and his men swiftly left the area and continued on for their destination. There was no way they were going to rest that night.
