ARMY OPERATIONS. 



59 



twelve hundred infantry, with four pieces of 

 artillery, to Pine Bluffs for supplies for the 

 army. The expedition was under the command 

 of Lieut.-Col. Drake, of the 3Gth Iowa. On 

 the 25th, an attack was made on the train, 

 within six miles of the Saline River, by a caval- 

 ry force under Maj.-Gen. Fagan, which result- 

 ed in the capture or wounding of all the offi- 

 cers, nearly all the men of whom two hun- 

 dred and fifty were killed and wounded four 

 brass guns, and the wagon trains. 



On the 26th Gen. Steele determined to 

 evacuate Camden, and before daylight of the 

 27th the army had crossed, the pontoon bridge 

 was secured, and the Wasbita River put between 

 him and the forces of the enemy. The army 

 was pushed forward over bad roads, and on 

 the 23th camped at Princeton crossing, and on 

 the next evening at the Saline crossings, Jen- 

 kins Ferry. During the night the enemy show- 

 ed themselves in the rear. Whether they were 

 in force, or only sufficient to harass by caval- 

 ry attacks untif Gen. Kirby Smith's main force 

 could intercept the march to Little Rock, was 

 uncertain. Dispositions were, however, made 

 by Gen. Steele to resist a large force. The bad 

 condition of the roads, and the heavy rain 

 which commenced, and the darkness, prevent- 

 ed the crossing of the Saline during the night. 

 The pontoon bridge, however, had been laid, 

 and a small portion of the force passed over. 

 The remainder of the army encamped in the 

 bottom lands of the river, to which it descend- 

 ed from a considerable elevation about four 

 miles west of the stream. Gen. Salomon's divi- 

 sion camped about two miles from the hill, and 

 the line which it was to hold in the morning 

 was protected on the left by the Saline and 

 swampy bottom lands, and on the right by a 

 bayou skirting the base of the uplands. In the 

 morning the rain poured in torrents. The ar- 

 tillery, the trains, and men were to cross over 

 the river. Soon after daylight skirmishing 

 commenced in the rear, and a general engage- 

 ment soon succeeded. The enemy consisted of 

 all their forces in southwestern Arkansas, with 

 some from Louisiana, under Gens. Smith, Price, 

 Walker, Churchill, and others. Under Gen. 

 Steele, the commands of Gens. Salomon, Thay- 

 er, Rice, Ingleman, and Col. Benton were en- 

 gaged. The battle continued about seven 

 hours, and resulted in the repulse of the ene- 

 my, and a loss to Gen. Steele of seven hundred 

 in killed and wounded, although several stands 

 of colors were captured and three pieces of ar- 

 tillery. The loss of the enemy in killed and 

 wounded was also severe. The effect of the 

 battle was not only to secure a safe retreat to 

 Little Rock for Gen. Steele, where he arrived 

 on the 2d of May, but also to relieve, for some 

 time, that portion of Arkansas, and also Mis- 

 souri, from the presence of the enemy. The fol- 

 .owing is Gen. Steele's address to his troops : 



HEADQCAETZES DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS, i 

 LITTLE ROCK, May 9. f 



To you troops of the Vth army corps, who par- 

 ticipated in the recent campaign designed to co- 



operate with Gen. Banks' movement against Shreve- 

 port, the Major-General Commanding tenders his ear- 

 nest and grateful thanks. Although you were com- 

 pelled to fall back without seeing the main object of 

 the expedition accomplished, you will have the satis- 

 faction of knowing that you have beaten the enemy 

 wherever he has met you in force, and extricated 

 yourselves from the perilous position in which you 

 were placed by the reverses of the cooperating col- 

 umn. This let loose upon you a superior force of the 

 enemy, under one of their best generals, causing the 

 loss o'f your trains and the total interruption of your 

 communications, rendering it impossible for you to 

 obtain supplies. You have fallen back over rivers 

 and swamps, while pressed by a superior force of the 

 enemy. This you have done successfully, punishing 

 the enemy severely at the same time. 



The patience with which you have endured hard*- 

 ships and privations, and your heroic conduct on the 

 battle-field, have been brought to the notice of the 

 Government, and will furnish a page in the history 

 of this war of which you may well be proud. 



F. STEELE, Maj.-Gen. Commanding. 



For further details of military affairs under 

 Gen. Steele, see ABKAXSAS. 



The withdrawal of the forces of Gens. Sher- 

 man and A. J. Smith from Ticksburg to engage 

 in the Red River expedition, afforded an oppor- 

 tunity for the irregular command of Gen. For- 

 rest, with other detached forces of the enemy 

 in Northern Mississippi and Southwestern Ten- 

 nessee, to concentrate for an attack on the 

 Federal posts in West Tennessee and Ken- 

 tucky. Accordingly, on March 23d. Gen. For- 

 rest left Jackson, Tennessee, with about five 

 thousand men, marching north to Union City. 

 Jackson is a station on the railroad from Cairo 

 and Columbus to New Orleans, and about one 

 hundred and seven miles from Cairo, and sixty 

 miles from Union City, another station on the 

 same railroad, where the line to Paducah and 

 the one to Hickman commence. On the next 

 day he arrived before Union City and summoned 

 Col. Hawkins, with four hundred and fifty men 

 of the llth Tennessee Union cavalry, to sur- 

 render. The surrender of the place was made 

 after resisting an assault, and also two hun- 

 dred horses and five hundred small arms. This 

 surrender was opposed by the officers under 

 Col. Hawkins' command, and only one man 

 had been injured when it was made. A force 

 under Gen. Brayman, from Cairo, advanced 

 within six miles for its defence ; but on learn- 

 ing that it had surrendered, Gen. Brayman re- 

 tired. Gen. Forrest next occupied Hickman, 

 and then moved immediately north with Bu 

 ^ford's division of his forces, direct from Jackson 

 *to Paducah. This place was occupied by Col. S. 

 G. Hicks, 40th Illinois regiment, with six hun- 

 dred and fifty-five men. Col. Hicks retired into 

 Fort Anderson and there made a stand. SK 

 by the gunboats Peosta and Paw -Paw, belong- 

 ing to the command of Capt. Shirk of the navy. 

 Gen. Forrest then sent the following demand 

 for a surrender : 



HEADQUAETEES FOBEEST'S CAVALP.T COE; 



PADUCAH, Marc'a 25, ln'4. \ 



To Col. Hicl-s, commanding Ftdtralforces at Paducah : 

 Having a force amply sufficient to carry your worka 

 and reduce the place, in order to avoid the unneces- 

 sary effu sion of blocd, I demand a surrender of the 



