The Union had around 7,000 cavalry against Forrest's division of maybe 2,500.

Losses were light, about 100 Union and maybe 50 Confederates.

Against orders, Smith delayed ten days waiting for reinforcements, and did not move out until February 11. Destroying crops and railroad track along the way, Smith's force met almost no opposition, and, before long, over a thousand former slaves were traveling with them. Smith was supposed to rendezvous with Sherman at Meridian on the 10th, but he never got there.

Sherman left Meridian on the 20th, partly from apprehension over Smith's whereabouts. Smith neared West Point, 90 miles north of Meridian, on the 20th, and he fought with Confederate cavalry units at Prairie Station and Aberdeen. Smith, knowing that Nathan Bedford Forrest commanded the troops he was fighting, concerned about the fate of the former slaves with him, and not knowing how many of the enemy he faced, decided to concentrate at Prairie Station, and, on the morning of the 21st, he set out for West Point.

Shortly after dawn on the 21st, Col. Jeffrey Forrest's Confederate cavalry brigade engaged Smith. Withdrawing at times, Forrest drew Smith into a swamp west of the Tombigbee River. Other Rebel troops arrived and the fighting intensified. Smith was sure that this was a trap set for him, and, discerning that he was greatly outnumbered tactically, he ordered a retreat, leaving a rearguard.

The rearguard held off the Confederates for about two hours before withdrawing in good order. About the same time, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest arrived and ordered a pursuit. Skirmishing occurred the rest of the day. At sunup on the 22nd, the Rebels attacked Smith just south of Okolona on the prairie. More Confederate troops arrived, causing breaks in the Union battle line, precipitating a retreat. For most of the rest of the day, they engaged in a running battle for a distance of eleven miles, with both sides attacking and counterattacking. Col. Forrest was killed during one Rebel charge. The Yankees finally broke off the fighting and headed for Pontotoc.

Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the commander on the field, realized that his men were nearly out of ammunition and did not order a pursuit. Mississippi militia harassed Smith to the state line. Smith arrived in Collierville, Tennessee, near Memphis, on the 26th. Although Smith had caused much destruction during his expedition, Okolona forced him to retire before he could do more.

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Selected sources:
American Battlefield Protection Program, Heritage Preservation Services, National Park Service.