58 



AEMY OPERATIONS. 



the number of their captured as evidence of 

 their valor. Any act .of cruelty to prisoners, 

 or those offering to deliver themselves as such, 

 on the part of the soldiers of this army, coming 

 to the knowledge of the General commanding, 

 will be punished with the extreme penalty of 

 the law." 



The following is Gen. Halleck's despatch to 

 Washington, announcing this battle : 



ST. Louis, March 10, 1S62. 

 To Maj.-Gen. McClellan: 



The'army of the Southwest, under Gen. Curtis, after 

 three days' hard lighting near Sugar Creek, Arkansas, 

 has gained a most glorious victory over the combined 

 forces of Van Dorn, McCulloch, Price, and Mclntosh. 

 Our killed and wounded are estimated at one thousand. 

 That of the enemy still larger. Guns, flags, provi- 

 sions, &c., captured in large quantities. Our cavalry 

 is in pursuit of the flying enemy 



H. W. HALLECK, Major-General. 



The Confederate force retired south of the 

 Boston Mountains unpursued by Gen. Curtis, 

 to obtain reinforcements and to recover from 

 their loss. Me.mtime reinforcements were 

 sent to Gen. Curtis from Kansas and Missouri. 

 He fell back to Keetsville, and remained through 

 the month. On the 5th of April, it being sup- 

 posed that Gen. Price was moving on Spring- 

 field, Missouri, Gen. Curtis began a march in 

 that direction. On that day he advanced eigh 

 teen miles and on the next twenty, to the junc- 

 tion of Flat Rock with James river. Failing in 

 an attempt to cross the James, the force moved 

 to Galena, where a crossing was effected in a 

 rain storm. On the next day, the 9th, Bear 

 Creek, thirteen miles, was reached, and on the 

 10th Forsyth, eighteen miles, where the army 

 was concentrated. The high water of the 

 river delayed active operations. Gen. Price, 

 with a body of mounted men, was encamped 

 about five miles south and on the other side of 

 the river. On the 16th of April an expedition 

 was sent out under Col. McCrellis to destroy 

 some saltpetre works located eight miles below 

 the Little North Fork, south side of "White 

 river. It was entirely successful. About ten 

 thousand pounds nearly prepared for transpor- 

 tation were destroyed. The army next moved 

 to West Plains, eighty -seven miles, thence to 

 Salem, Arkansas, which is southeast of For- 

 syth, Mo., and distant one hundred and seven- 

 teen miles. Thence it advanced to Batesville, 

 crossed the White river, and took the route to 

 Little Rock, the capital of the State. It ad- 

 vanced to Searcy, fifty miles from Little Rock, 

 where an order was received from Gen. Halleck 

 to send ten regiments by a forced march to Cape 

 Girardeau and thence to Corinth. The army 

 then fell back to Batesville, which is the capi- 

 tal of Independence county and the most im- 

 portant town in the northeastern part of the 

 State. It is situated on the White river about 

 four hundred miles from its mouth. The river 

 is navigable to this point for small steamers. 

 Such was the scarcity of supplies that the nrmy 

 suffered severely. An expedition was fitted 

 out in June from Memphis to descend the Mis- 



sissippi to the mouth of Arkansas and thence 

 up the White river to Batesville. (See page 

 66.) It was unsuccessful. Supplies were sub- 

 sequently sent by laud from Missouri, which 

 reached Gen. Curtis about the 1st of July. 

 His position during this period was critical, and 

 excited much apprehension, as he was known 

 to be nearly destitute of provisions, far distant 

 from the sources of supply, and surrounded in 

 the midst of a wilderness by foes. From 

 Batesville he now advanced to Jacksonport at 

 the confluence of the White and Black rivers, 

 theuce passing through Augusta and Clarendon 

 he reached Helena on the Mississippi river, one 

 hundred and seventy-five miles from Bates- 

 ville. 



It was reported soon after that Confederate 

 troops under Gen. Price were crossing the Mis- 

 sissippi at a point between Napoleon and Vicks- 

 burg, and Gen. Curtis started with a body of 

 troops on transports to make an exploration. 

 The steam ferry boat at Napoleon, upon the 

 approach of Gen. Curtis, was withdrawn up the 

 Arkansas river, whither he followed 'and cap- 

 tured it with fifteen other ferry and flat boats. 

 A large number of boats were destroyed on the 

 Arkansas by this expedition, which soon after 

 returned to Helena. Gen. Curtis was then ab- 

 sent until the close of September, when he was 

 appointed to command the department of Mis- 

 souri, containing the States of Missouri and 

 Arkansas and the adjacent Indian Territory, 

 with his headquarters at St. Louis. Helena 

 continued to be occupied by the Federal troops, 

 but active military operations were suspended. 

 This closed the campaign of Gen. Curtis. 



After the departure of Gen. Curtis from He- 

 lena on the 15th of November, an expedition 

 under Gen. Alvin P. Hovey, consisting of eight 

 thousand infantry and cavalry, started for the 

 White river ; but in consequence of new bars 

 which had formed, and the low stage of the 

 water, it entirely failed of the object intended, 

 and returned. The command of the post was 

 then taken by Gen. Steele, who had arrived with 

 a division of troops. Subsequently Gen. Hovey 

 was sent upon an expedition from Helena into 

 Mississippi to cooperate with Gen. Grant on 

 his advance into that State. The particulars 

 of this expedition are stated in connection with 

 the campaign of Gen. Grant. 



The subsequent military operations in Arkan- 

 sas exerted no special influence on the conduct 

 of the war. They may bo briefly stated in this 

 place. The Confederate forces in the State, in 

 October, were estimated to consist of five thou- 

 sand men under Gen. Hindman, posted five 

 miles north of Little Rock ; five thousand men 

 under Gen. Roan, posted fifty miles southeast 

 of Little Rock at White Sulphur Springs, near 

 Pine Bluff on the Arkansas river; at Cross 

 Hollows in the northwestern part of the State, 

 between four and five thousand men, chiefly 

 conscripts under Gen. Rains ; Gen. Holmes, in 

 chief command, was at Little Rock with two 

 thousand men; Gen. McBride was at Bates- 



