The Battle of Elkin's Ferry (April 3 – 4, 1864), also known as Engagement at Elkin's Ferry, was fought in

Clark Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

counties in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

as part of the

Camden Expedition The Camden Expedition (March 23 – May 3, 1864) was the final Military campaign, campaign conducted by the Union Army in south Arkansas during the American Civil War, Civil War. The Offensive (military), offensive was designed to cooperate w ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Prelude

Major-General

Frederick Steele Major General Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was an American military officer who served in the Army in the Mexican-American War, Yuma War, and American Civil War. He is most noted for capturing the Arkansas state capi ...

had the 3rd Division of the Seventh Army Corps and two cavalry brigades (about 8,500 men) under his command, whereas Brigadier-General John Marmaduke had three cavalry brigades (about 7,500 men) under his command. During the Camden expedition, Federal forces had to ford the Little Missouri River because all of the bridges were impassable.

Battle

With all the bridges across the river destroyed, Steele ordered Brigadier-General

Frederick Salomon Frederick (''Friedrich'') Charles Salomon (April 7, 1826March 8, 1897) was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union Army officer and general during the American Civil War. He was an elder brother of the Civil War-era Wiscon ...

, commanding the Third Division, to take and hold a ford known as Elkin's Ferry on the afternoon of April 2, 1864. The 43rd Indiana was tasked with this objective, supported by elements of the 36th Iowa Infantry and the 2nd Missouri Light Artillery. Following a forced march, the 43rd arrived at the crossing after dark that evening, crossed the river, and set up defensive positions while awaiting the rest of Steele's army. Opposing the Federal advance was a division of three cavalry brigades under Marmaduke—about 7500 troopers altogether. Marmaduke ordered Brigadier-General

Joseph Shelby Joseph Orville "J.O." Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a Confederate officer who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. After the Confederacy surrendered, Shelby tried to swear fealty t ...

to attack the 43rd and take back the ford. Federal Colonel William McLean states what happened next:

Aftermath

Losses on both sides in the Battle of Elkin's Ferry were light, with 18 Confederate soldiers killed and 50 wounded, and with 30 Union soldiers wounded. On the evening of April 4, Shelby's brigade joined Marmaduke, and together they withdrew 16 miles south to Prairie D'Ane the following morning.

Battlefield preservation

The

American Battlefield Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization (501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, through the acquisition of battlefield lan ...

and its partners have acquired and preserved 442 acres at the Elkin's Ferry Battlefield.

Notes

References

* McLean, William E., ''Forty-Third Regiment Indiana Volunteers: An Historic Sketch of Its Career and Services'' (Terre Haute, C.W. Brown, 1903)

External links

Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
at the

American Battlefield Protection Program The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) is a United States federal government program created by the Secretary of the Interior in 1991, with the aim of preserving historic battlefields in the United States. In 1996, Congress signed into ...

Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
at

Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information abou ...

History of the American War, Volume 3, Henry Charles Fletcher, R. Bentley, 1866
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkin's Ferry, Battle Of 1864 in Arkansas April 1864 Battle of Elkin's Ferry Battles of the American Civil War in Arkansas Battles of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War Camden Expedition Conflicts in 1864 Battle of Elkin's Ferry Battle of Elkin's Ferry Little Missouri River (Arkansas) Union victories of the American Civil War