Battle of Bayou Fourche order of battle

The Battle of Bayou Fourche (September 10, 1863) saw Union forces under the overall command of Frederick Steele clash with Confederate forces led by Sterling Price near Little Rock, Arkansas. The only fighting occurred when Steele's cavalry commanded by John W. Davidson crossed to the south side of the Arkansas River and compelled the Confederate cavalry under John S. Marmaduke to abandon its defensive position behind Bayou Fourche. Price's outnumbered forces evacuated Little Rock and withdrew south to Arkadelphia. The Union occupation of Little Rock was the final action in a campaign that started on August 18 when Steele's troops marched west from DeValls Bluff.[1]

Black and white photo shows a heavily-bearded man staring directly into the camera. He wears a dark, double-breasted military uniform with general's stars on the shoulder tabs.
Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele, USA
Black and white print shows a clean-shaven man wearing a gray double-breasted military uniform with three general's stars on the collar.
Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, CSA
The battle pitted Steele's Union troops against Price's Confederates.

Abbreviations used

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Military rank

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Other

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Artillery

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Union forces

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Union Army: Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele[2]

  • Present aggregate (Aug. 18, 1863): 13,000, 57 guns (18 guns with Davidson), 14,500 including True's brigade.[1]
  • Present for duty (Sept. 10, 1863): 10,477[2]
  • Present aggregate (Aug. 18, 1863): 13,207, 49 guns[3]
  • Present for duty (Aug. 18, 1863): 4,652 cavalry, 4,493 infantry, 288 artillery, 9,433 total[3]
  • Casualties: 18 killed, 118 wounded, 1 missing[2]
  • Cavalry Escort:[2]
Union Army: Little Rock Expedition[2]
Division Brigade Unit Commander
First (Cavalry) Division
Brig. Gen. John W. Davidson
6,000 cavalry and 18 guns
 
Davidson
First Brigade
Col. Lewis Merrill
2nd Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (Merrill's Horse) Maj. Garrison Harker
7th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. John L. Chandler
8th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Col. Washington F. Geiger
Second Brigade
Col. John Montgomery Glover
10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment Col. Dudley Wickersham
Lieut. Col. James Stuart
1st Iowa Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lt. Col. Daniel Anderson
Maj. Joseph W. Caldwell
3d Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. T. G. Black
Capt. J. H. Reed
Reserve Brigade
Col. John. F. Ritter
13th Illinois Cavalry Regiment Maj. Lothar Lippert
3rd Iowa Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Maj. George Duffield
1st Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Capt. J. W. Fuller
32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment (mounted) Lieut. Col. Edward H. Mix
Maj. Gustavus A. Eberhard
Artillery
Capt. Julius L. Hadley
Battery K, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery (4 x 3-in OR, 2 x 12lb How)[4] 1st Lieut. T. S. Clarkson
Battery M, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery (4 x Mtn How)[4] Capt. Gustav Stange
Howitzer Battery, 2d Missouri Cavalry[5] 1st Lieut. G. F. Lovejoy (w)[5]
25th Ohio Battery (2 x 3-in OR, 4 x 6lb Rifle)[6] 1st Lieut. E. B. Hubbard
Second Division
Col. William E. McLean
Col. Adolph Englemann
First Brigade
Col. William H. Graves
18th Illinois Infantry Regiment Col. Daniel H. Brush
43rd Illinois Infantry Regiment Maj. Charles Stephani
54th Illinois Infantry Regiment Col. Greenville M. Mitchell
61st Illinois Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Simon P. Ohr
106th Illinois Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Henry Yates
12th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Dwight May
Second Brigade
Col. Oliver Wood
126th Illinois Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Ezra M. Beardsley
40th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Samuel F. Cooper
3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment Col. Christopher C. Andrews
22nd Ohio Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Homer Thrall
27th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment Col. Conrad Krez
Third Division
Brig. Gen. Samuel Allen Rice
 
Rice
First Brigade
Col. Charles W. Kittredge
43rd Indiana Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. John C. Major
36th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Francis M. Drake
77th Ohio Infantry Regiment Col. William B. Mason
Second Brigade
Col. Thomas H. Benton Jr.
29th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Robert F. Patterson
33rd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Cyrus H. Mackey
28th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment Maj. Calvert C. White
Independent Cavalry Independent Brigade
Col. Powell Clayton
1st Indiana Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. Thomas N. Pace
5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. Wilton A. Jenkins
Independent Infantry Independent Brigade
Col. James M. True
49th Illinois Infantry Regiment Col. Phineas Pease
62nd Illinois Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Stephen M. Meeker
50th Indiana Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. Samuel T. Wells
27th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment Col. James Isham Gilbert
Springfield Illinois Light Artillery (6 x 14lb JR)[7] Capt. Thomas F. Vaughn
Independent Artillery Artillery Brigade
Capt. Mortimer M. Haden
3rd Iowa Independent Battery Light Artillery
(4 x 6lb Gun, 3 x 12lb How, 1 x 3-in OR, 1 x 10lb PR)[8]
1st Lieut. Melvil C. Wright
Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery (4 x 10lb PR)[9] Capt. Stillman O. Fish
5th Ohio Battery (2 x 6lb Gun, 2 x 14lb JR)[10] 1st Lieut. John D. Burner
11th Ohio Battery (2 x 6lb Gun, 2 x 12lb How, 1 x 6lb Rifle)[10] Capt. Frank C. Sands

Confederate forces

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Confederate Army: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price

  • On July 23, 1863, the department commander Lieut. Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes became ill and was superseded by Price.[11]
  • On September 6, 1863, Brig. Gen. Marmaduke mortally wounded Brig. Gen. Walker in a duel. Col. Dobbins assumed command of Walker's division.[12]
  • Marmaduke placed Dobbins under arrest on September 10 for disobedience of orders and command devolved upon Col. Newton. Price later suspended Dobbins's arrest.[13]
  • Present for duty: 7,749. About 6,500 were north of the Arkansas River and 1,250 south of the river.[1]
  • Aggregate present (September): 10,665, 32 guns. Present for duty: 8,532.[3]
  • Casualties: 12 killed, 34 wounded, 18 missing.[2]
Confederate Army: Little Rock Expedition[5][2]
Division Brigade Unit Commander
Marmaduke's Cavalry Division
Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke
 
Marmaduke
Shelby's Brigade
Lieut. Col. Benjamin F. Gordon
5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. B. F. Gordon
6th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Col. Gideon W. Thompson
10th Missouri Cavalry Battalion Maj. Benjamin Elliott
2nd Missouri Field Battery (2 x 6lb Gun, 2 x 10lb PR)[14] Capt. Joseph Bledsoe
Marmaduke's Brigade
Col. William L. Jeffers
8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. S. J. Ward
3rd Missouri Cavalry Regiment Maj. L. A. Campbell
4th Missouri Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. W. J. Preston
11th Missouri Cavalry Battalion Lieut. Col. M. L. Young
Prairie Gun Battery, Missouri Artillery 1st Lieut. T. J. Williams
Walker's Cavalry Division
Brig. Gen. Lucius M. Walker
Col. Archibald S. Dobbins
Col. Robert C. Newton
 
Walker
Dobbin's Brigade
Col. A. S. Dobbins
Col. R. C. Newton
1st Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (Dobbin's) Maj. S. Corley (k)
Capt. M. M. Bateman
5th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment Col. R. C. Newton, Maj. J. P. Bull
6th Arkansas Field Battery Capt. C. B. Etter
Carter's Brigade
Col. George W. Carter
21st Texas Cavalry Regiment[15][note 1] Lieut. Col. Dewitt C. Giddings
Morgan's Texas Cavalry Squadron Maj. Charles L. Morgan
Johnson's Spy Company, Texas Cavalry Capt. Alf Johnson
Denson's Company, Louisiana Cavalry Capt. William B. Denson
10th Texas Field Battery Capt. Joseph H. Pratt
Price's Division
Brig. Gen. Daniel M. Frost
 
Frost
McRae's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Dandridge McRae
32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. L. C. Gause
36th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. J. E. Glenn
39th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. R. A. Hart
3rd Arkansas Field Battery Capt. John G. Marshall
Parsons's Brigade
Brig. Gen. M. Monroe Parsons
7th Missouri Infantry Regiment Col. L. M. Lewis
8th Missouri Infantry Regiment Col. S. P. Burns
9th Missouri Infantry Regiment Col. J. D. White
10th Missouri Infantry Regiment Col. A. C. Pickett
9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion Maj. L. A. Pindall
3rd Missouri Field Battery (4 x 6lb Gun)[16] Capt. C. B. Tilden
Fagan's Brigade
Brig. Gen. James F. Fagan
6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. Alexander T. Hawthorn
34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. W. H. Brooks
35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Col. J. P. King
37th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Maj. T. H. Blacknall
7th Arkansas Field Battery Capt. W. D. Blocker
Clark's Brigade[3]
Col. John B. Clark Jr.
8th Missouri Infantry Regiment[17] Col. Charles S. Mitchell
9th Missouri Infantry Regiment[18] Lieut. Col. M. W. Buster
8th Missouri Infantry Battalion[18] Lieut. Col. Richard H. Musser
1st Missouri Field Battery (2 x 6lb Rifle, 2 x 6lb Gun)[19] Capt. S. T. Ruffner

See also

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Notes

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Footnotes
  1. ^ The 21st Texas Cavalry was picketing the Arkansas River and missed the fighting.
Citations

References

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  • Bailey, Anne J.: TWENTY-FIRST TEXAS CAVALRY from the Handbook of Texas Online (April 11, 2011). Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  • Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 3. Secaucus, N.J.: Castle. 1987 [1883]. ISBN 0-89009-571-X.
  • Dimitry, John; Harrell, John M. (1899). Confederate Military History: Louisiana and Arkansas. Vol. 10. Atlanta, Ga.: Blue & Gray Press.
  • McGhee, James E. (2008). Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865. Fayetteville, Ark.: University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-55728-870-7.
  • Swain, Craig (2018a). "Summary Statement, 3rd Quarter 1863, Iowa's Batteries". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • Swain, Craig (2018b). "Summary Statement, 3rd Quarter 1863, Ohio Independent Batteries, Part 1". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • Swain, Craig (2018c). "Summary Statement, 3rd Quarter 1863, Ohio Independent Batteries, Part 2". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • Swain, Craig (2019a). "Summary Statement, 4th Quarter 1863, 1st Missouri Artillery". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • Swain, Craig (2019b). "Summary Statement, 4th Quarter 1863, 2nd Missouri Artillery". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • Swain, Craig (2015). "Summary Statement, December 31 1862, Independent Illinois Batteries and "Others"". To the Sound of the Guns.
  • "The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 22, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports". University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History: United States War Dept. 1888. Retrieved July 26, 2013.