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.
Abbreviations used Military rank
Maj. Gen. = Major General Brig. Gen. = Brigadier General Col. = Colonel Lieut. Col. = Lieutenant Colonel Maj. = Major Capt. = Captain 1st Lieut. = First Lieutenant
Other
(k) = killed in action (w) = wounded (c) = captured
Artillery
10lb PR = 10-pounder Parrott rifle 12lb How = M1841 12-pounder howitzer 14lb JR = 14-pounder James rifle 3-in OR = 3-inch Ordnance rifle 6lb Gun = M1841 6-pounder field gun 6lb Rifle = M1841 6-pounder field gun (rifled) Mtn How = M1841 mountain howitzer
Union forces Union Army: Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele Present aggregate (Aug. 18, 1863): 13,000, 57 guns (18 guns with Davidson), 14,500 including True's brigade. Present for duty (Sept. 10, 1863): 10,477 Present aggregate (Aug. 18, 1863): 13,207, 49 guns Present for duty (Aug. 18, 1863): 4,652 cavalry, 4,493 infantry, 288 artillery, 9,433 total Casualties: 18 killed, 118 wounded, 1 missing Cavalry Escort: Company D, 3rd Illinois Cavalry Regiment, 1st Lieut. James K. McLean Kane County, Illinois Cavalry, 1st Lieut. Eben C. Litherland
+Union Army: Little Rock Expedition Division Brigade Unit Commander First (Cavalry) DivisionBrig. Gen. John W. Davidson6,000 cavalry and 18 guns First BrigadeCol. 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 BrigadeCol. John Montgomery Glover 10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment Col. Dudley WickershamLieut. Col. James Stuart 1st Iowa Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lt. Col. Daniel AndersonMaj. Joseph W. Caldwell 3d Missouri Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. T. G. BlackCapt. J. H. Reed Reserve BrigadeCol. 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. MixMaj. Gustavus A. Eberhard ArtilleryCapt. Julius L. Hadley Battery K, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery (4 x 3-in OR, 2 x 12lb How) 1st Lieut. T. S. Clarkson Battery M, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery (4 x Mtn How) Capt. Gustav Stange Howitzer Battery, 2d Missouri Cavalry 1st Lieut. G. F. Lovejoy (w) 25th Ohio Battery (2 x 3-in OR, 4 x 6lb Rifle) 1st Lieut. E. B. Hubbard Second DivisionCol. William E. McLeanCol. Adolph Englemann First BrigadeCol. 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 BrigadeCol. 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 DivisionBrig. Gen. Samuel Allen Rice First BrigadeCol. 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 BrigadeCol. 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 BrigadeCol. Powell Clayton 1st Indiana Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. Thomas N. Pace 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Lieut. Col. Wilton A. Jenkins Independent Infantry Independent BrigadeCol. 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) Capt. Thomas F. Vaughn Independent Artillery Artillery BrigadeCapt. 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) 1st Lieut. Melvil C. Wright Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery (4 x 10lb PR) Capt. Stillman O. Fish 5th Ohio Battery (2 x 6lb Gun, 2 x 14lb JR) 1st Lieut. John D. Burner 11th Ohio Battery (2 x 6lb Gun, 2 x 12lb How, 1 x 6lb Rifle) Capt. Frank C. Sands
Confederate forces 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. On September 6, 1863, Brig. Gen. Marmaduke mortally wounded Brig. Gen. Walker in a duel. Col. Dobbins assumed command of Walker's division. Marmaduke placed Dobbins under arrest on September 10 for disobedience of orders and command devolved upon Col. Newton. Price later suspended Dobbins's arrest. Present for duty: 7,749. About 6,500 were north of the Arkansas River and 1,250 south of the river. Aggregate present (September): 10,665, 32 guns. Present for duty: 8,532. Casualties: 12 killed, 34 wounded, 18 missing. +Confederate Army: Little Rock Expedition Division Brigade Unit Commander Marmaduke's Cavalry DivisionBrig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke Shelby's BrigadeLieut. 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) Capt. Joseph Bledsoe Marmaduke's BrigadeCol. 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 DivisionBrig. Gen. Lucius M. WalkerCol. Archibald S. DobbinsCol. Robert C. Newton Dobbin's BrigadeCol. A. S. DobbinsCol. 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 BrigadeCol. George W. Carter 21st Texas Cavalry RegimentThe 21st Texas Cavalry was picketing the Arkansas River and missed the fighting. 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 DivisionBrig. Gen. Daniel M. Frost McRae's BrigadeBrig. 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 BrigadeBrig. 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) Capt. C. B. Tilden Fagan's BrigadeBrig. 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 BrigadeCol. John B. Clark Jr. 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment Col. Charles S. Mitchell 9th Missouri Infantry Regiment Lieut. Col. M. W. Buster 8th Missouri Infantry Battalion Lieut. Col. Richard H. Musser 1st Missouri Field Battery (2 x 6lb Rifle, 2 x 6lb Gun) Capt. S. T. Ruffner
See also List of orders of battle
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