Jenkins' Ferry State Park - Arkansas
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The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry - Arkansas
During the spring of 1864, two Union armies targeted the Southern
city of Shreveport, Louisiana. Outnumbered Confederate forces
swarmed to the defense of the city and the Red River Campaign
ended in disaster for both of the invading armies.
General Frederick Steele, commander of the Union force that
pushed south from Little Rock and Fort Smith, had reservations
about the campaign from the beginning, but was given direct orders
to participate. Running low on supplies and having suffered bloody
defeats at the Battles of Marks' Mill and Poison Spring, however, he
gave up the effort and began a withdrawal to Little Rock from
Camden, Arkansas, on April 26, 1864.
Heavy rains turned roads into quagmires and as Steele approached
Jenkins' Ferry, he found the Saline River out of its banks. His army
sloshed through the floodwaters and began trying to put a pontoon
bridge across the river. On April 29, 1864, however, General Kirby
Smith's Confederate troops closed in on the Federals from behind.
The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry was a bloody ordeal fought in flooded
white oak swamps by exhausted, cold and hungry men. Smith
launched three hammering but uncoordinated attacks against
Steele's desperate men. The fighting was severe, but the Federal
troops were finally able to make it across the river and destroy their
bridge behind them.
With no pontoons of their own, the Confederates could not get
across the Saline and were forced to end their pursuit of Steele's
column. The weary Federal troops escaped and the last battle of the
Arkansas phase of the Red River Campaign came to an end.
In 1960, the state of Arkansas created the 67-acre Jenkins' Ferry
State Park to commemorate the bloody battle. The park preserves
the site of Steele's pontoon bridge and looks across the river at the
actual battlefield, which is a vast floodplain swamp. Interpretive
panels provide information on the history of the park and the Battle of
Jenkins' Ferry. A stone monument also stands in the park.
Jenkins' Ferry State Park is located on Arkansas Highway 46 about
12 miles south of Sheridan.
city of Shreveport, Louisiana. Outnumbered Confederate forces
swarmed to the defense of the city and the Red River Campaign
ended in disaster for both of the invading armies.
General Frederick Steele, commander of the Union force that
pushed south from Little Rock and Fort Smith, had reservations
about the campaign from the beginning, but was given direct orders
to participate. Running low on supplies and having suffered bloody
defeats at the Battles of Marks' Mill and Poison Spring, however, he
gave up the effort and began a withdrawal to Little Rock from
Camden, Arkansas, on April 26, 1864.
Heavy rains turned roads into quagmires and as Steele approached
Jenkins' Ferry, he found the Saline River out of its banks. His army
sloshed through the floodwaters and began trying to put a pontoon
bridge across the river. On April 29, 1864, however, General Kirby
Smith's Confederate troops closed in on the Federals from behind.
The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry was a bloody ordeal fought in flooded
white oak swamps by exhausted, cold and hungry men. Smith
launched three hammering but uncoordinated attacks against
Steele's desperate men. The fighting was severe, but the Federal
troops were finally able to make it across the river and destroy their
bridge behind them.
With no pontoons of their own, the Confederates could not get
across the Saline and were forced to end their pursuit of Steele's
column. The weary Federal troops escaped and the last battle of the
Arkansas phase of the Red River Campaign came to an end.
In 1960, the state of Arkansas created the 67-acre Jenkins' Ferry
State Park to commemorate the bloody battle. The park preserves
the site of Steele's pontoon bridge and looks across the river at the
actual battlefield, which is a vast floodplain swamp. Interpretive
panels provide information on the history of the park and the Battle of
Jenkins' Ferry. A stone monument also stands in the park.
Jenkins' Ferry State Park is located on Arkansas Highway 46 about
12 miles south of Sheridan.
| Copyright 2008 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |
| The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry A monument to those who lost their lives at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry stands at Jenkins' Ferry State Park in Arkansas. |
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| Jenkins' Ferry State Park Interpretive panels help visitors understand the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry and its role in the Red River Campaign. |
| The Saline River at Jenkins' Ferry The Saline River was overflowing its banks at the time of the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. Union troops held back three attacks while trying to cross here. |
The Battle of
Massard Prairie
Massard Prairie
by Dale Cox
The first full-length account of
the 1864 Confederate attack on
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
the 1864 Confederate attack on
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
$19.95
Proceeds benefit the Cane Hill Battlefield Driving Tour Project