At 4:00 a.m. on the morning of July 13, the Union garrison was attacked by a force of 2,500 cavalry led by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in what was to be called the First Battle of Murfreesboro. Because of decisions made by Col. Lester, the various Union forces were camped in different locations. The 9th were attacked furiously by Forrest's forces. At three different times during the fighting, the 9th sent messengers to Col. Lester and the 3rd Minnesota requesting reinforcements. Each time, the request was denied, even though the 3rd Minnesota were not under attack. After 8 hours of intense fighting, and suffering casualties of one-third of the fighting force, the 9th surrendered to Forrest. Col. Duffield was wounded twice during the battle and never returned to the regiment.