[1] "In late January 1863, Confederate Major General Joseph Wheeler, commanding two brigades of cavalry, took position on the Cumberland River at Palmyra to disrupt Union shipping.

Unable to disrupt Union shipping and realizing that he and his men could not remain in the area indefinitely, Wheeler decided to attack the garrison at Dover, Tennessee, which informers reported was small and could easily be overwhelmed.

The Confederates mounted a determined attack using artillery fire with great skill, but were repulsed with heavy losses.

The Confederates had failed to disrupt shipping on the Cumberland River and capture the garrison at Dover.

This Confederate failure left the Union in control in Middle Tennessee and a bitter Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest denounced Wheeler, a favorite of General Braxton Bragg, saying he would not serve under him again.