Confederates and Union Forces Skirmish

You are standing in the vicinity of where Confederate forces camped on Monday, September 7, 1863, when Union forces under Major General Frederick Steele advancing from Brownsville engaged the brigade of Colonel Robert C. Newton, C.S.A., driving his troops back to the river west of here toward Little Rock. Colonel Archibald S. Dobbins, C.S.A., Arkansas Cavalry, reported the Union troops faked a crossing at Buck's Ford to the south of Terry's Ferry in order to distract the defending Confederates from the actual crossing west of Ashley's Mills near Terry's Ferry up the river.

"...I had collected information in regard to the road leading by Shallow Ford and Ashley's Mills to the Arkansas, and the right of the enemy's works, which determined me to take that route .. On the 7th, we reached the Arkansas near Ashley's Mills [where] Davidson's cavalry, in advance, had a sharp skirmish with the enemy."
-Major General Frederick Steele
Union Army Commander

"The enemy advanced in greatly superior force, and Colonel Newton crossed the river about 8 miles below Little Rock...That night the enemy encamped at Ashley's Mills and Terry's Ferry. From that time until the evening of the 9th, there was continual skirmishing between my scouts and the enemy...
"On the evening of the 9th, the enemy moved down in considerable



force of cavalry and artillery to Buck's Ford, [and] built up campfires within sight of the ford. About 10 o'clock on that night,... the enemy were moving their artillery to Terry's Ferry, and were throwing out lumber as if they intended on building a bridge at that place... I...reported to Major General Price that the enemy were in front of me in heavy force of infantry, cavalry, and artillery... and that I would be unable to prevent their crossing..."
-Colonel Archibald S. Dobbins
Walker's Division Commander
Arkansas Cavalry, C.S.A.

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