April 30, 1864---The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry

APRIL 30, 1864:       

The Battle of Jenkins’ Ferry. Union troops trying to cross the Saline River are violently attacked by Confederate forces in one of the bloodiest battles for its size during the war.

Although the Red River is still all but a waterless ditch, the Saline is in flood, leaving the Union troops no escape route with their backs to the river. 10,000 Confederate troops essentially drive 12,000 Union troops into the water; much equipment, foodstuffs, weapons, and other gear and supplies are left behind as the Union troops flounder in the river. An unknown number drown. The supply train is stuck in the mud anyway.

It is a foggy, wet morning, and the mist combined with gunsmoke blinds most men who are firing wildly, often hitting their own men. Casualties on both sides total more than 1,000 each, with several hundred dead. U.S.C.T. men charge a Confederate line and begin bayoneting Rebels while shouting, “Remember Poison Spring!” Both sides lose a General officer in the battle.

Once across the river, Union artillery begins to blast Confederate positions which become untenable. The mired wagons are left behind as the Confederates withdraw. Considered a Union victory because the Yankees attained their goal of crossing the river without being pursued, Jenkins’ Ferry is a place where everything went wrong for everyone. The Red River Campaign is all but over.

April 29, 1864---The Union outlaws unions

APRIL 29, 1864:        

General William D. Rosecrans U.S.A. issues General Order Number 65, banning labor unions in Missouri. The union members are arrested by Union troops.

Admiral David Dixon Porter remains aground in the Red River.

April 28, 1864---The Battle of Princeton, Arkansas

APRIL 28, 1864:         

The Battle of Princeton, Arkansas. Confederate troops cross the Ouachita River with difficulty and engage Union troops at Princeton, Arkansas. Intelligence gathered from the resulting firefight confirms that the Union has abandoned Camden. 

April 27, 1864---A Confederate olive branch

APRIL 27, 1864:          

Confederate Commissioners are sent to Canada by Jefferson Davis, who wants the Canadians to act as intermediaries and hosts of a Peace Conference between the warring States of America. For reasons unknown nothing comes of the plan. 

April 26, 1864---The U.S.S. CRICKET

APRIL 26, 1864:        

The Red River Campaign continues to degenerate into a tragicomedy of errors. The U.S.S. CRICKET, Admiral Porter’s flagship, is stranded on a sandbar in the midst of the low-running Red River. It cannot pick up troops and ferry them away; indeed, it can’t move at all. Confederates onshore use the CRICKET for target practice, hitting it 38 times. A massed attempt to take the ship and capture Admiral Porter fails, when Union troops beat back a 1200-man Confederate force tasked to seize the CRICKET.

April 25, 1864---The Battle of Marks' Mill

APRIL 25, 1864:         

The Battle of Marks’ Mill, Arkansas. Southern troops hit Union forces along the Red River from three directions at once. In this battle, which dragged on all day, the Union lost 1,800 men, mostly captured; about 200 U.S.C.T. were killed upon capture. The Confederates lost 300 killed, wounded and missing. In the aftermath of the battle, the Union abandoned its position at Camden, Arkansas, and began withdrawing troops from the area. Although the Union column at Marks’ Mill was essentially destroyed in the action, other Union forces in the region were able to reorganize without harassment from the Confederates, and were able to maintain Union hegemony over Arkansas.