Battle of Pine Bluff

1863 battle of the American Civil War

Battle of Pine Bluff

Part of the American Civil War
| Date| October 25, 1863 (160 years ago) (1863-10-25)

|

Location|

Jefferson County, Arkansas

34°13′47″N 92°00′12″W﻿ / ﻿34.22972°N 92.00333°W﻿ / 34.22972; -92.00333
Result|  Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)|  Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Powell Clayton|  John S. Marmaduke
Units involved
Post of Pine Bluff|  Marmaduke's Division
Strength
550 cavalry and militia,
300 freedmen,
9 guns|  2,000 cavalry,
12 guns
Casualties and losses
16 dead and 40 wounded or missing|  41 dead, wounded or missing

Pine Bluff

class=notpageimage|

Location within Arkansas

The Battle of Pine Bluff, also known as the Action at Pine Bluff, was an engagement fought on October 25, 1863 in Jefferson County, Arkansas during the American Civil War. The Post of Pine Bluff, a United States garrison commanded by Colonel Powell Clayton, successfully defended the town against attacks led by Confederate Brigadier-General John S. Marmaduke's cavalry division. Much of the fighting took place near Jefferson Courthouse, which the Confederates tried unsuccessfully to set ablaze. The Union victory ensured Pine Bluff was occupied by U.S. forces until the end of the war.[1]

## Background[edit]

Pine Bluff Battlefield

After the capture of Little Rock on September 10, 1863, Union forces occupied several towns along the Arkansas. Confederate Brigadier-General John S. Marmaduke, commanding a cavalry division, decided to test their strength at Pine Bluff. On Sunday, October 25th, Marmaduke attacked the Post of Pine Bluff, a U.S. garrison commanded by Colonel Powell Clayton of the 5th Kansas Cavalry.[1]

## Battle[edit]

At 8 a.m., Marmaduke's 2,000 Confederate cavalry approached Pine Bluff from three sides. The 550 Federal cavalrymen and Missouri militia, supported by 300 freedmen, barricaded the courthouse square with cotton-bales and positioned the cannon to command the adjacent streets. Marmaduke's Division made several attacks upon the square, then attempted to set the county courthouse on fire. They were unsuccessful and withdrew to Princeton, Arkansas.[1][2]

## See also[edit]

* List of American Civil War battles
* Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1863

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c The Conservation Fund (1998). Kennedy, Frances H. (ed.). The Civil War Battlefield Guide (2nd ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin. p. 233. ISBN 0-395-74012-6. OCLC 917572471. OL 3494237W.
2. ^ Banasik, Michael E., ed. (2000). "Appendix F: The Battle of Pine Bluff (October 25, 1863)". Reluctant Connoneer: The Diary of Robert T. McMahan of the Twenty-fifth Independent Ohio Light Artillery. Unwritten Chapters of the Civil War West of the River. Vol. II. Iowa City, Iowa: Camp Pope Bookshop. pp. 309–314. ISBN 1-929919-01-8. LCCN 00-105377. OCLC 45105391. OL 6798910M.

## Further reading[edit]

* Christ, Mark K. (October 19, 2016). "Action at Pine Bluff". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Little Rock: CALS. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
* Christ, Mark K. (2010). "Chapter 7: "The Federals Fought Like Devils": The Battle of Pine Bluff". In Urwin, Gregory J. W. (ed.). Civil War Arkansas, 1863: The Battle for a State. Campaigns & Commanders. Vol. 23\. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 224–244. ISBN 978-0-8061-4087-2. LCCN 2009017622. OCLC 320352031. OL 23218465M.
* Watts, J. Carter (n.d.). Battle of Pine Bluff, October 25, 1863. Pine Bluff: Jefferson County Historical Museum.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Battle of Pine Bluff at Wikimedia Commons
* Battle of Pine Bluff at Historical Marker Database

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Arkansas in the American Civil War

Combatants|

* Confederacy
* Union

Campaigns|

* Little Rock
* Shelby's Raid
* Camden
* Missouri

Battles|

| 1862|

* Pea Ridge
* Whitney's Lane
* St. Charles
* Hill's Plantation
* McGuire's Store
* Cane Hill
* Prairie Grove
* Van Buren

|

1863|

* Arkansas Post
* Fayetteville
* Chalk Bluff
* Helena
* Brownsville
* Bayou Meto
* Devil’s Backbone
* Ashley's Mills
* Bayou Fourche
* Pine Bluff

1864|

* Mount Elba
* Terre Noire Creek
* Elkin’s Ferry
* Prairie D'Ane
* Poison Spring
* Marks’ Mills
* Jenkins’ Ferry
* Old River Lake
* Massard Prairie
* Fort Smith
* Ashley's Station

1865|

* Dardanelle
* Ivey's Ford

Aftermath|

* Reconstruction
* Indian Council at Fort Smith
* Fourth Military District
* Brooks–Baxter War
* Cemeteries
* Camp Nelson
* Camp White Sulphur Springs
* Fayetteville
* Helena

* American Civil War portal
* Arkansas portal
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