APRIL 1, 1864:
The
Battle of Fitzhugh’s Woods. As Union
troops move south through Arkansas toward northern Louisiana Confederate forces
attempt to stop them. A nasty (if small-scale) firefight breaks out in a patch
of forest known as Fitzhugh’s Woods, when a small Confederate force attacks a
much larger Union force. Although the Federals are initially brought up short,
they reply in force. The Confederates lose 100 men to the Union’s 15 dead and
15 wounded. The Battle of Fitzhugh’s Woods does great damage to Confederate
morale and Confederate recruitment in Arkansas stops almost entirely until
Summer comes in.
