Thunder across the Arkansas Prairie: Shelby's Opening Salvo in the 1864 Invasion of Missouri

• Published in: The Arkansas historical quarterly 2007-04, Vol.66 (1), p.43-56
• Main Author: Porter, Scott A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Armed forces; Artillery; Civil wars; Forts; Guns; Invasions; Judgment; Men; Prairies; Prisoners of war; Rail lines; Rail stations; Soldiers; State government; Supplies; War
• ISSN: 0004-1823; 2327-1213

With 24,000 thousand horses requiring fodder spread out among Federal posts at Little Rock, Pine Bluff, DeValls Bluff, Batesville, Fort Smith, Van Buren, Clarksville, Lewisburg, Norristown, Fayetteville, Brownsville, Helena, and Roseville, these hayfields were an essential resource for Steele.4 Price knew this, and shortly after receiving instructions from Kirby Smith, he ordered Shelby to make an attack, when in his judgment he should deem it advisable, upon DeVaIl's Bluff and the railroad between Little Rock and the White River in possession of the enemy. The immediate and tangible fruits of my expedition are 577 prisoners, including 1 field officer and 11 line officers; over 200 Federals killed and wounded; ten miles of railroad track destroyed completely-the ties torn up and burned, the iron heated and bent, telegraph destroyed, bridges and trestle-works ruined; 3,000 bales of hay destroyed by fire; 20 hay machines chopped to pieces; 5 forts razed to the ground; 500 stand of small-arms distributed to my unarmed men; many fine horses captured; 12 barrels of salt brought off the field and given to a command suffering for it, besides supplying many needy soldiers with blankets, shoes, boots, hats, and clothing.