Battle of Cane Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Cane Hill Engagement at Cane Hill
Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
Date November 28, 1862 (1862-11-28) Location near Cane Hill, Arkansas Result Union tactical victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
James G. Blunt William F. Cloud	John S. Marmaduke Joseph O. Shelby
Strength
5,000	2,000
Casualties and losses
41–44	45–c. 80

The Battle of Cane Hill was a fight during the American Civil War. It happened on November 28, 1862, in northwestern Arkansas, near a town called Cane Hill. Union troops, led by General James G. Blunt, had moved into this area. To stop them, General Thomas C. Hindman of the Confederate Army sent a force under John S. Marmaduke to Cane Hill.

General Blunt attacked on November 28. He quickly broke through Marmaduke's first line of defense. A smart move by Joseph O. Shelby, who led a "rear guard" (a group protecting the retreat), allowed the Confederates to set up a second position on Reed's Mountain. But Blunt's soldiers, helped by their cannons, also broke this line. Blunt's Union troops chased the retreating Confederates until it got dark. This battle was an important step leading to the bigger Battle of Prairie Grove that happened the next month.

Why the Battle Happened

After pushing a Confederate army out of northwestern Arkansas in 1862, Union General Samuel Ryan Curtis was put in charge of the Department of the Missouri. He then formed a new army called the Army of the Frontier. This army had three main parts, or divisions. They were led by James G. Blunt, James Totten, and Francis J. Herron.

The Confederate forces in the area were led by Thomas C. Hindman. Even though he was replaced as the main commander of the region, Hindman still led a strong army made up of different Confederate groups.

In early November, two Union divisions were near Springfield, Missouri. Blunt's division was further south, near Bentonville, Arkansas. A Confederate cavalry (horse soldiers) group under Emmett MacDonald reached Cane Hill. Blunt sent a small force, led by Colonel William F. Cloud, to deal with MacDonald. After a short fight, MacDonald's horsemen left.

After Cloud's group moved out, Hindman sent General John S. Marmaduke with 2,000 cavalrymen to take Cane Hill back. Union spies soon found out about this. Cane Hill was a high, flat area, like a small plateau, within the larger Ozark Plateau. This high ground was a good place for Marmaduke to set up his defenses. When Marmaduke learned that Blunt was coming, he got ready for battle. He also sent his supply wagons away to a safer place.

The Battle Begins

When Blunt heard that Marmaduke was at Cane Hill, he moved south with 5,000 men to face him. Marmaduke tried to stop Blunt by sending a group led by Colonel Joseph O. Shelby forward. This group included Quantrill's Raiders, and they were supposed to block the road where Marmaduke thought Blunt would come. Marmaduke's force also included another group led by Colonel Charles A. Carroll.

However, Blunt came from a different road than Marmaduke expected. This gave the Union troops an element of surprise. The battle started with a short fight between cannons. Then, Blunt's soldiers attacked, with Cloud's group leading the charge and doing the most damage. The Confederates had to leave their first position.

Union Advantages in the Fight

Besides having more soldiers, Blunt also had much better equipment. Blunt had 30 cannons with his army. Shelby had only four cannons, and Carroll had two. A large part of the Confederate soldiers also had only shotguns, while the Union soldiers had much better weapons. These advantages helped the Union break the Confederate line.

Confederate Retreat and Rear Guard

When Carroll's group started to fall apart, Shelby quickly organized a "rear guard." This was a special group meant to slow down Blunt's army while the rest of the Confederates retreated to a better spot. Shelby split his group into smaller parts. He then placed them one after another along the path of retreat.

As Blunt chased the Confederates, his troops would run into one of Shelby's small groups. This group would fight Blunt's stronger force for as long as possible. Once they couldn't hold the position anymore, they would retreat. Then Blunt would reach the next group. This plan worked well enough for the Confederates to set up a second main defensive line. The rough ground also made it harder for the Union army to chase them quickly.

Final Stands and Retreat

Marmaduke tried to form a second line, but he had to give up after another short cannon fight. Blunt's cannons were much stronger than Marmaduke's. After falling back from that spot, Marmaduke set up another defensive line at Reed's Mountain.

Reed's Mountain was a known high point with open slopes, which was good for placing cannons. Again, Union cannon fire caused a lot of damage to the Confederate line. Blunt also ordered his soldiers to attack, including the 11th Kansas and the Third Indian Home Guard. The Confederates started to run out of ammunition for their cannons and their horse soldiers. One Confederate cannon was even damaged and couldn't be used anymore.

The Confederates were forced to retreat from Reed's Mountain too. Blunts troops chased them. Again, the rough ground along the retreat path slowed the Union chase. Finally, darkness ended the fighting for the day.

What Happened After

Map of Cane Hill Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The exact number of soldiers hurt or killed on each side is not fully known. One historian says Blunt lost 8 killed and 36 wounded, making 44 total. Marmaduke lost 10 killed and at least 70 wounded or missing, making at least 80 total. Other sources say Blunt had 41 total casualties and Marmaduke had 45.

Blunt said he won the battle. However, Marmaduke's army managed to escape in fairly good shape. Because of this, the Confederates saw the battle as only a small setback. Blunt stayed in the Cane Hill area after the battle. Marmaduke retreated to Van Buren, Arkansas.

While Blunt was camped at Cane Hill, the other two divisions of the Army of the Frontier were still near Springfield, Missouri. That was about 100 miles away. Blunt was deep in enemy land, and his supply lines were weak. It would take a long time for help to reach him.

Because Blunt was alone, Hindman decided to move his army north to attack Blunt at Cane Hill. He wanted to do this before Herron could arrive with the other two Union divisions. However, Herron made his two divisions march very fast. The Union reinforcements reached Blunt around the same time Hindman's army did. This led to the Battle of Prairie Grove. In this battle, the combined forces of Herron and Blunt fought Hindman to a standstill. But because Hindman ran out of ammunition and couldn't get more soldiers, he had to retreat. This gave the Union control of northwestern Arkansas.

Images for kids

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  Map of Cane Hill Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.