Battle of Bayou Meto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Bayou Meto |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Confederate States |
 United States |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 John S. Marmaduke |
 John W. Davidson |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 45 or 46 | ||||||
The Battle of Bayou Meto, also called the Battle of Reed's Bridge, happened on August 27, 1863. It was fought near what is now Jacksonville, Arkansas, along the Bayou Meto River. This battle was part of the American Civil War.
During the war, Union soldiers left Helena, Arkansas, to attack Little Rock, the capital of the Confederate state of Arkansas. A part of the Union army, led by Brigadier General John W. Davidson, had already beaten Confederate cavalry led by Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke on August 25. That fight was called the Battle of Brownsville.
After losing at Brownsville, the Confederates moved back to the Bayou Meto. Union attacks on August 27 pushed Marmaduke's soldiers across the bayou. But the Union forces could not completely break the Confederate defense. Davidson then went back to Brownsville after the fighting. The Union army continued its advance on September 6. Little Rock surrendered on September 10, after another battle called the Battle of Bayou Fourche.
Tensions between two Confederate generals, Marmaduke and Walker, grew during the action at Bayou Meto. This led to a famous duel later where one general was killed. In 2002, a part of the battlefield was listed as the Bayou Meto Battlefield on the National Register of Historic Places.
Why the Battle Happened
In early 1863, the situation for the Confederates in Arkansas was not good. Union forces had won two big battles in northwest Arkansas in 1862. They also controlled Helena on the Mississippi River. In January 1863, the Confederates lost Arkansas Post. An attempt to take back Helena on July 4 failed badly.
The Union army wanted to control the Arkansas River. A Union victory at the Siege of Vicksburg freed up soldiers for fighting in Arkansas. Major General Frederick Steele took command of the Union forces at Helena. Steele began moving his army towards Little Rock, the state capital, on August 10 and 11.
Steele's soldiers reached Clarendon on August 17. There, they met up with cavalry led by Brigadier General John W. Davidson. Many of Steele's men were getting sick. So, Steele sent Davidson and his cavalry across the river. The rest of Steele's army moved to DeValls Bluff, which was thought to be a healthier spot.
On the Confederate side, Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes became ill. Major General Sterling Price took his place. Price ordered cavalry led by Brigadier Generals Lucius M. Walker and John S. Marmaduke to gather at Brownsville. This town was on the road to Little Rock. Walker and Marmaduke had fought at Helena, and they had a strong disagreement.
Price also ordered defenses to be built across the river from Little Rock. But he knew his position was only safe if the Union attacked straight on. This was unlikely, as the Arkansas River could be crossed easily in many places. The Confederate position at Fort Smith was also in danger. Price began moving supplies out of Little Rock and getting ready to leave.
On August 26, part of Davidson's army met Marmaduke near Brownsville. They pushed the outnumbered Confederates back in the Battle of Brownsville. The next day, Marmaduke and Walker moved back to the other side of the Bayou Meto River. This was about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Little Rock.
The Battle of Bayou Meto
The Confederate position at Bayou Meto was near where Jacksonville, Arkansas is today. A small fight happened there on August 26. But the main battle began the next day when Davidson advanced with his main force.
The fighting started when soldiers from the 10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment met Confederate troops about 5 miles (8 km) from the bayou. The Illinois cavalry made the Confederates retreat for 2 miles (3 km). Then, the rest of Colonel John Montgomery Glover's brigade joined the fight.
Marmaduke had his soldiers, including Shelby's Iron Brigade, set up between the Union troops and the bayou. A Union attack pushed the Confederates back to their defenses in front of the bayou. Marmaduke's men were then driven across the bridge by an attack from the 3rd Missouri Cavalry Regiment and the 32nd Iowa Infantry Regiment.
Once his troops were across Bayou Meto, Marmaduke had the bridge burned. A charge by the Union 1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment failed. Both sides then took positions along Bayou Meto. Davidson then brought up his artillery (cannons). Much of the rest of the battle was a back-and-forth cannon fight. A Confederate artillery officer was killed. This made Marmaduke focus his cannons on the Union guns, hoping to get revenge.
Even though they had fewer cannons, the Confederates were able to make the Union's shots less accurate. Part of the Confederate force had been cut off on the other side of the bayou early on. The 10th Illinois Cavalry forced them to cross the water. Davidson missed a chance to attack Marmaduke's weak right side. He then pulled back to Brownsville at sunset.
The Union force lost either 7 men killed and 38 wounded, or a total of 46 men during the battle. We don't know the full Confederate losses. But at least 2 men were killed, and several were wounded.
What Happened Next
Even though the Confederates won the battle, they left the field during the night of August 27 and 28. They moved to a new position less than 5 miles (8 km) from Little Rock. During the fighting, Marmaduke had sent a note to General Walker. He asked Walker to meet him at the battlefield, as Marmaduke could not leave his troops. Walker did not come or reply. The bad feelings between the two generals got worse. This led to Walker's death in the Marmaduke-Walker duel on September 6.
Steele joined Davidson at Brownsville on September 2. The Union army continued its advance on September 6. The next day, Steele reached the Arkansas River. There was a small fight called the Skirmish at Ashley's Mills. Davidson moved his cavalry across the river using pontoon bridges on the morning of September 10.
Marmaduke fought the Battle of Bayou Fourche against Davidson that day. This gave Price time to move his troops out of Little Rock. The city was surrendered to the Union by its local government at 7:00 PM. The Confederates had already left. They eventually moved to Arkadelphia. A part of the battlefield was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 2002. It is known as the Bayou Meto Battlefield.
