Battle of Pine Bluff

Battle of Pine Bluff
Part of the American Civil War
Date October 25, 1863(161 years ago) (1863-10-25) Location Pine Bluff, Arkansas 34°13′47″N92°00′12″W / 34.22972°N 92.00333°W / 34.22972; -92.00333 Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Powell Clayton	John S. Marmaduke
Units involved
Post of Pine Bluff	Marmaduke's Division
Strength
550 cavalry and militia, 300 freedmen, 9 guns	2,000 cavalry, 12 guns
Casualties and losses
16 dead and 40 wounded or missing	41 dead, wounded or missing
Pine Bluff class=notpageimage| Location in Arkansas

The Battle of Pine Bluff was fought on October 25, 1863, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. The Post of Pine Bluff, a U.S. garrison commanded by Colonel Powell Clayton, successfully defended the town against attacks led by Confederate Brigadier-General John S. Marmaduke's cavalry division. Much of the fighting took place near the Jefferson County Courthouse, which the Confederates tried unsuccessfully to set ablaze. The Union victory ensured Pine Bluff was occupied by Federal troops until the end of the Civil War. ^[1]

Background

Map of Pine Bluff Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

After the capture of Little Rock on September 10, 1863, Federal troops occupied several towns along the Arkansas. Confederate Brigadier-General John S. Marmaduke, commanding a cavalry division, decided to test their strength at Pine Bluff. On Sunday, October 25, Marmaduke attacked the Post of Pine Bluff, a U.S. garrison commanded by Colonel Powell Clayton of the 5th Kansas Cavalry. ^[1]

Battle

At 8 a.m. , Marmaduke's 2,000 Confederate cavalry approached Pine Bluff from three sides. The 550 federal cavalrymen and Missouri militia, supported by 300 freedmen, barricaded the court-house square with cotton-bales and positioned the cannon to command the adjacent streets. Marmaduke's Division made several attacks upon the square, then attempted to set the county court-house on fire. They were unsuccessful and withdrew to Princeton, Arkansas. ^{[1] [2]}

See also

• List of American Civil War battles
• Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1863

References

1. The Conservation Fund (1998). Kennedy, Frances H. (ed.). The Civil War Battlefield Guide (2nd ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin. p.  233. ISBN   0-395-74012-6. OCLC   917572471. OL   3494237W.
2. Banasik, Michael E., ed. (2000). "Appendix F: The Battle of Pine Bluff (October 25, 1863)". Reluctant Connoneer: The Diary of Robert T. McMahan of the Twenty-fifth Independent Ohio Light Artillery. Unwritten Chapters of the Civil War West of the River. Vol. II. Iowa City, Iowa: Camp Pope Bookshop. pp. 309–314. ISBN   1-929919-01-8. LCCN   00-105377. OCLC   45105391. OL   6798910M.

Further reading

• Christ, Mark K. (October 19, 2016). "Action at Pine Bluff". Encyclopedia of Arkansas . Little Rock: CALS . Retrieved September 3, 2021.
• Christ, Mark K. (2010). "Chapter 7: "The Federals Fought Like Devils": The Battle of Pine Bluff". In Urwin, Gregory J. W. (ed.). Civil War Arkansas, 1863: The Battle for a State. Campaigns & Commanders. Vol. 23. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 224–244. ISBN   978-0-8061-4087-2. LCCN   2009017622. OCLC   320352031. OL   23218465M.
• Watts, J. Carter (n.d.). Battle of Pine Bluff, October 25, 1863. Pine Bluff: Jefferson County Historical Museum.

External links

• Media related to Battle of Pine Bluff at Wikimedia Commons
• Battle of Pine Bluff at the Historical Marker Database