Virgil,

Sugartree Creek flows into Richland Creek near White Bridge Road as it did back then.

All of the books that I have on the Tennessee Campaign (seven) shows the initial CS dispositions west of the city as being only Rucker's Cavalry Brigade and Ector's Infantry Brigade (under Coleman) and both retreat when the Union cavalry advances. Wilson's troopers get to Belle Meade in their southward wheeling motion and capture Chalmers' wagons posted there and are counter-attacked by Confederate cavalry and the fighting takes place literally in the plantation's front yard. Wilson prevails and continues the wheeling movement to the five redoubts along the Confederate left.

The main line of the CS left is held by AP Stewart's Corps which includes the rest of French's Division (of which Ector/Coleman is a part) and is reinforced by Ed Johnson's as the Federals swamp the redoubts.

Now Sugartree Creek flows into the area south of Redoubt Three and north of Redoubt Four. Sward's map incorrectly calls this Richland Creek. Sears' Brigade was posted north of this between Redoubts Three and Two. Sears was almost the right of line for Stewart's Corps - only one more brigade of the corps was to his right before Loring's Corps line began heading east.

From the sources I read Sear's Brigade, reduced to just a few hundred men, did not stand long enough and were swept away in the general fall back of Stewart's Corps which pretty much collapsed as the redoubts got overrun. But who knows - a flag may have been lost there. The 36th Illinois got one at Redoubt One but that was north of Sear's position probably from the CS battery but the unit history claims it as the 20th Alabama, whose flag is in Alabama today and was not captured in the 1864-1865 campaign (Augusta Depot)..

Greg Biggs