Battle of Bayou Fourche

Coordinates: 34°43′19.1″N 92°12′05.4″W / 34.721972°N 92.201500°W / 34.721972; -92.201500
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Battle of Bayou Fourche
Part of the American Civil War
DateSeptember 10, 1863 (160 years ago) (1863-09-10)
Location
Pulaski County, Arkansas
34°43′19.1″N 92°12′05.4″W / 34.721972°N 92.201500°W / 34.721972; -92.201500
Result Union victory
Belligerents
 United States (Union)  Confederate States
Commanders and leaders

United States Frederick Steele

Confederate States of America Sterling Price

Units involved
Army of Arkansas District of Arkansas
Bayou Fourche is located in Arkansas
Bayou Fourche
Bayou Fourche
class=notpageimage|
Location within Arkansas

The Battle of Bayou Fourche was fought on September 10, 1863, near

Major General Frederick Steele had begun an advance from Helena, Arkansas, west towards Little Rock in August. The Union campaign met light resistance aside from the Battle of Bayou Meto, while Confederate troops under Major General Sterling Price built fortifications on the other side of the Arkansas River from Little Rock
.

To avoid a direct assault on Price's fortifications, Steele split his troops into two wings. Steele and the infantry advanced along the north bank of the Arkansas River, while

Archibald Dobbins. Dobbins's men fell back to a body of water named Bayou Fourche, where Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke took command of the Confederate forces. The bayou separated the battlefield into two spheres of action, and Davidson advanced with troops on both sides of Bayou Fourche. After some fighting, the Confederates on the northern portion of the field were driven back and those south of the bayou retreated as well. Price had earlier decided to abandon Little Rock, and the city fell to the Union forces. The state government relocated to Washington, Arkansas, and Price withdrew his command to Arkadelphia
.

Background

Main article: Little Rock campaign

In early March 1862 during the American Civil War, Union forces defeated Confederate troops in northwestern Arkansas during the Battle of Pea Ridge, after which most Confederate troops were transferred out of Arkansas.[1] During the campaigning following Pea Ridge, Union troops captured the city of Helena, Arkansas, in July 1862.[2] The Confederates rebuilt a significant fighting force in Arkansas,[3] but were defeated at the Battle of Prairie Grove in December.[4] Despite these setbacks, control of the Arkansas River remained in Confederate hands at the close of 1862.[5] On January 11, 1863, Union forces captured Confederate-held Fort Hindman on the Arkansas River in the Battle of Arkansas Post,[6] which was about 25 miles (40 km) from the junction of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers.[7] However, instead of pushing up the Arkansas River, the troops were withdrawn to fight in the Vicksburg campaign.[8] Other Union troops stationed in Arkansas were also transferred to the operations against Vicksburg.[9] Confederate forces in Arkansas decided to attempt to draw off some of the pressure on Vicksburg with an assault on Helena.[10] The ensuing Battle of Helena was a bloody Confederate repulse on July 4 in which the Confederates suffered over 1,600 casualties. Vicksburg surrendered the same day.[11][12]

Battle of Bayou Fourche is located in Arkansas
Helena
Helena
Wittsburg
Wittsburg
Clarendon
Clarendon
Little Rock
Little Rock
Bayou Meto
Bayou Meto
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Significant sites in the Little Rock campaign

The fall of Vicksburg freed up Union troops for an offensive against the Arkansas River Valley and

flanks of Price's fortified position were covered by a swamp on one side and the Arkansas River on the other.[17]

Union

Department of Missouri.[21]

The Union units suffered badly from disease,[22] but met only minor resistance with the exception of the August 27 Battle of Bayou Meto.[23] After a pause beginning of September 2, the Union forces resumed their advance on September 6, reaching the Arkansas River the next day and winning the Skirmish at Ashley's Mills.[24] Steele decided not to directly assault Price's fortifications on the north side of the Arkansas River, instead planning on having his infantry advance along the north bank of the river while Davidson and the cavalry crossed the Arkansas River and forced the Confederates to abandon the fortifications by outflanking them.[25] Construction of a pontoon bridge across the river began on September 9.[23]

Battle

Further information:
Bayou Fourche order of battle
Map of Bayou Fourche Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.
Bayou Fourche Battlefield

The Confederate cavalry was greatly outnumbered by Davidson's men on the other side of the river, and were forced to thinly guard a long line of potential crossing sites

Pratt's Texas Battery fired on the pontoon bridge, but were driven off by Union artillery fire.[27] Confederate sharpshooters kept up fire on the bridge, but it was completed at about 10:00 am. Davidson feinted at another crossing about 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream, and drove the sharpshooters away with two infantry regiments and artillery fire.[28] By 11:00 am, Davidson's division was across the river. At around this same time, Price began withdrawing his men from the fortifications across the river from Little Rock.[29] At this stage of the campaign, Price had 7,749 men present for duty although only about 1,250 of them were opposing Davidson. Both wings of Steele's force combined to 10,477 men.[30]

Davidson's division consisted of three brigades,

Marmaduke-Walker duel; Dobbins refused to serve under Marmaduke and was placed under arrest by the latter although he was soon freed by Price. Newton temporarily took command of Dobbins's division.[37]

Map of the battle from Glover's report. North on the map is facing towards the upper right corner

The road the Union soldiers were traveling on forked near where Bayou Fourche entered the Arkansas River. The bayou ran between the two forks of the road. Glover sent the 10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment on the right fork to the north of the bayou, while the 1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment deployed on the left fork to the south of the bayou. When Merrill arrived, his brigade was ordered to the left wing. The terrain north of the bayou was wooded and was defended by three regiments and a battalion from Marmaduke's division under the command of Colonel William Jeffers. The ground bordering the Arkansas River was a sandy beach.[38] Jeffers's veteran troops included the 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment and Greene's Missouri Cavalry Regiment.[26] On the Union left, opposing Merrill, were Newton's Confederates; this part of the battlefield included a cornfield in front of the Confederate lines.[38] Newton's force was a mixture of Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana troops[26] and were positioned behind the bayou's west levee.[23] Merrill advanced the 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, which found the 1st Iowa engaged with Newton's Confederates.[39] The 7th Missouri Cavalry Regiment of Merrill's brigade was detached to support an artillery battery and did not participate in the battle.[26] Glover sent the 10th Illinois forward, along with Lovejoy's Missouri Battery, but the cavalry was repulsed after driving back Confederate skirmishers.[26] Lovejoy's battery was left without support and was overrun by a charge made by Jeffers's men.[40]

Glover changed his tactics and had the 10th Illinois and

25th Ohio Battery was deployed to counter the Confederate artillery fire, but the Ohio battery's fire produced little effect and the battery was withdrawn.[42] Bayou Fourche created communication problems for Glover and Merrill; at one point Merill's men came under fire from their rear and Merrill feared that his position was being flanked. Instead, after investigation, the fire turned out to be overshots from Glover's fight with Jeffers.[43]

At around 1:00 pm, Shelby's Iron Brigade reinforced the Confederate, under the command of Colonel Gideon W. Thompson. However, they came under enfilade fire from Steele's artillery across the river.[44] Confederate infantry reinforcements also arrived, but the effect of Steele's artillery fire prevented a counterattack from occurring. Glover's men broke through the Confederate line,[23] and swept into the rear of Newton's position; the Confederates withdrew.[33] Glover accused Merrill's men of advancing too cautiously, while Merrill claimed that his brigade's slow advance had been due to unfamiliarity with the terrain.[45] The Union lost 72 men during the battle; Confederate losses are not known.[23]

Aftermath

Price had ordered Little Rock abandoned after he learned that Davidson had crossed the river. Bridges, train cars, and the gunboat

Little Rock National Airport is near the site of the battlefield.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 22–23.
  2. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 27–28.
  3. ^ Christ 2010, p. 24.
  4. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 35–36.
  5. ^ DeBlack 1994, p. 59.
  6. ^ DeBlack 2003, pp. 79–81.
  7. ^ Christ 2010, p. 39.
  8. ^ Christ 2010, p. 94.
  9. ^ Christ 2010, p. 102.
  10. ^ DeBlack 1994, pp. 74–75.
  11. ^ DeBlack 1994, p. 84.
  12. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 139, 142.
  13. ^ Huff 1963, pp. 224–225.
  14. ^ Christ 2010, p. 6.
  15. ^ Huff 1963, p. 226.
  16. ^ Huff 1963, pp. 226–227.
  17. ^ DeBlack 1994, p. 90.
  18. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 150–151.
  19. ^ Huff 1963, p. 227.
  20. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 156–158.
  21. ^ Welcher 1993, pp. 659–660.
  22. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 156–157.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Christ, Mark K. (December 21, 2023). "Engagement at Bayou Fourche". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  24. ^ DeBlack 1994, p. 92.
  25. ^ a b Christ 2010, p. 176.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Fourche Bayou Battlefield". Division of Arkansas Heritage. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  27. ^ Christ 2010, p. 178.
  28. ^ Huff 1963, pp. 233–234.
  29. ^ DeBlack 1994, pp. 93–94.
  30. ^ a b Christ 2010, p. 179.
  31. ^ DeBlack 1994, p. 93.
  32. ^ Moneyhon 2021, p. 412.
  33. ^ a b c Huff 1963, p. 234.
  34. ^ Butler, Jerry (June 16, 2023). "Fourche Creek". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  35. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 179–180.
  36. ^ Kennedy 1998, p. 233.
  37. ^ Christ 2010, p. 180.
  38. ^ a b Christ 2010, pp. 180–181.
  39. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 180–182.
  40. ^ Christ 2010, p. 182.
  41. ^ Christ 2010, p. 183.
  42. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 183–184.
  43. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 184–186.
  44. ^ Christ 2010, p. 186.
  45. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 186–187.
  46. ^ Christ 2010, pp. 187–188.
  47. ^ Huff 1963, p. 235.
  48. ^ DeBlack 2003, pp. 96–97.
  49. ^ "Update to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields: State of Arkansas" (PDF). American Battllefield Protection Program. 2010. p. 16. Retrieved March 18, 2024.

Sources

Further reading

  • Burford, Timothy Wayne, and Stephanie Gail McBride. The Division: Defending Little Rock, August 25–September 10, 1863. Jacksonville, AR: WireStorm Publishing, 1999.
  • Christ, Mark K. "Here in the Wilds of Arkansas: Interpreting the 1863 Little Rock Campaign". MLS thesis, University of Oklahoma, 2000.
  • Huff, Leo E. "The Last Duel in Arkansas: The Marmaduke-Walker Duel". Arkansas Historical Quarterly 23 (Spring 1964): 36–49.
  • "'The Sting of Being an Exile': The Little Rock Campaign of 1863". Pulaski County Historical Review 61 (Spring 2013): 34–47.

External links
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