Battle of Brownsville, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Brownsville
Part of the American Civil War
Date August 25, 1863 Location Lonoke County, Arkansas 34°48′55″N 91°52′46″W / 34.81528°N 91.87944°W / 34.81528; -91.87944 Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Washington Geiger	John Marmaduke
Strength
c.5,200	c.1,300

The Battle of Brownsville was a fight during the American Civil War. It happened on August 25, 1863. The battle took place near what is now Lonoke, Arkansas. Union soldiers fought against Confederate soldiers.

Union forces were led by Colonel Washington Geiger. Confederate troops were under Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke. The Union army was trying to capture Little Rock. This city was the capital of Arkansas.

Confederate leaders wanted to stop the Union advance. General Marmaduke's men tried to hold a position. Another Confederate general, Lucius M. Walker, was supposed to help. But Walker did not join the fight. This left Marmaduke's smaller force alone.

Colonel Geiger's Union soldiers pushed the Confederates back. Marmaduke tried to form a new line of defense. But he had to retreat again. The Union troops chased them until nightfall. The Union army continued its push towards Little Rock. They captured the city on September 10.

Why the Battle Happened

In the middle of 1862, Union troops took control of Helena, Arkansas. Helena was a town held by the Confederates. On July 4, 1863, Confederate soldiers attacked Helena. But the Union defenders fought them off.

Later that month, Union troops were free to fight elsewhere in Arkansas. This was after a big victory at the Siege of Vicksburg. On August 10 and 11, about 6,000 Union soldiers left Helena. They had 16 cannons with them. Their goal was to march on Little Rock. Major General Frederick Steele led these Union forces.

The main Confederate commander in the area was Major General Sterling Price. He had taken over from another general who was sick.

Steele's army reached Clarendon, Arkansas, on August 17. There, they met up with Union cavalry. These horse soldiers were led by Brigadier General John W. Davidson. Many of Steele's men were sick, over 1,000 of them.

Steele moved his main base to DeValls Bluff. He sent Davidson's cavalry across the White River. Their job was to find the Confederates. Meanwhile, General Price sent Confederate cavalry to Brownsville. This group included soldiers led by General Marmaduke. They were to join General Walker's men.

Brownsville was a small village. It was about 30 miles (48 km) east of Little Rock. It was also on a main road to the city. General Walker was in charge of both groups of Confederate cavalry. But Marmaduke and Walker did not get along well. They had argued during the fighting at Helena.

The Battle of Brownsville

The Confederates had a plan for the battle. General Walker and some men would hide in a forest. General Marmaduke would form a line of soldiers in front. Marmaduke's job was to trick the Union troops. He would try to draw them into an ambush.

Marmaduke's front line had about 1,300 men. These included soldiers from a famous group called Shelby's Iron Brigade. They also had one cannon and parts of another artillery unit.

On the morning of August 25, a Union cavalry group advanced. This group was led by Colonel Washington Geiger. They met the Confederates at the edge of a grassy field. The Union troops had more soldiers. They outnumbered the Confederates by about four to one. They also had eight times more cannons.

Colonel Geiger brought two groups of his soldiers forward. They began to attack. The Confederate cannons started firing at the Union cavalry. The Union army also brought up their own cannons.

A small group of Union cavalry charged with their swords. This attack made the Confederates run away. A Confederate officer named John Quincy Burbridge was captured. General Marmaduke's men fell back about 6 miles (10 km) to the west. They tried to set up a new defense line.

A Union cavalry unit from Missouri tried to cross the field. But Confederate cannon fire made them confused. General Davidson brought up more Union cannons. They fired at the new Confederate position.

The Confederates could not get their line organized. They had to retreat again from this second spot. Colonel Geiger's men chased them for over 7 miles (11 km). They stopped only when night came. Then, they went back to Brownsville.

General Walker's men never came to help Marmaduke. This made the bad feelings between the two generals even worse. The battle did slow down the Union advance. General Davidson had to wait for his foot soldiers to catch up.

What Happened Next

The day after the fight at Brownsville, General Price gave new orders. He told Marmaduke and Walker to go to Bayou Meto. On August 27, Davidson's Union soldiers attacked the Confederates there. This was the Battle of Bayou Meto. The Confederates again slowed the Union army. But they had to retreat even closer to Little Rock.

General Steele and his foot soldiers reached Brownsville on September 2. The arguments between Marmaduke and Walker became very serious. On September 6, they fought a duel. General Walker was killed in this duel.

Davidson's men fought another small battle on September 7. Union troops crossed the Arkansas River on September 10. Davidson's men fought the Confederates in the Battle of Bayou Fourche. General Price then left Little Rock. The Confederates moved to Camden and Arkadelphia.

Little Rock was the fourth Confederate state capital to be captured by Union forces. Taking the city made the Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department even more cut off. They were now very isolated from the rest of the Confederacy.