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.
