Little Rock campaign

Little Rock campaign
Little Rock campaign
Part of the American Civil War
Operational scope	Strategic offensive
Location	Central Arkansas; 34°43′19″N 92°12′05″W / 34.72194°N 92.20139°W
Commanded by	Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele
Objective	Capture of Little Rock
Date	August 1 – September 14, 1863
Executed by	"Arkansas Expedition"
Outcome	Union victory
	Little Rock Location of Little Rock within Arkansas

The Little Rock Campaign (August 1 – September 14, 1863), officially known as Advance of the Union forces upon Little Rock, Arkansas, was a campaign conducted by the Union Army in Arkansas during the American Civil War. The offensive was designed to capture Little Rock.

Union forces led by Major General Frederick Steele advanced from Helena, Arkansas, beginning on August 1, before joining cavalry commanded by Brigadier General John W. Davidson at Clarendon on August 15. Steele sent Davidson to move against the Confederates, while he pulled his infantry to establish a base at DeValls Bluff. Davidson's men fought with Confederate cavalry commanded by brigadier generals Lucius M. Walker and John S. Marmaduke at Brownsville on August 25 and Bayou Meto on August 27 before the Confederates withdrew closer to Little Rock.

The overall Confederate commander, Major General Sterling Price, aligned most of his 8,000-man army in fortifications north of the Arkansas River, while some cavalry defended river crossings south of Little Rock. Meanwhile, Steele, who had received reinforcements that brought the total Union strength to about 15,000, arrived at Brownsville with his infantry on September 2. Marmaduke killed Walker in a duel on September 6, and Davidson's men drove Confederate cavalry commanded by Robert C. Newton across the Arkansas River in a skirmish at Ashley's Mills. On September 10, Davidson's men crossed the Arkansas River while the Union infantry moved along the north bank of the river. While Marmaduke and Davidson fought the Battle of Bayou Fourche later that day, Price had Little Rock abandoned; the Confederates were out of the city by 5:00 pm. With the fall of Little Rock, the Union controlled most of Arkansas. The failed Camden Expedition in March 1864 was the last major Union offensive in Arkansas, and Price's Missouri Expedition in late 1864 was the last major campaign in the region. Confederate troops in the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on June 2, 1865.