March on Little Rock

On July 4, 1863, the Confederates under General Holmes made a brilliant effort to capture Helena. They hurled themselves upon the federal defenses in assault after assault. Some of the outer works were taken, but were lost in a counter-attack by the rallying Union forces. Back and forth the tide of battle surged from early in the morning till about noon. But at last the overwhelming odds against the Confederates gave the victory to the Union command. General Holmes fell back to Searcy, and later to Little Rock.

Holding the state’s capital then became the great purpose of the war in Arkansas. The Union Army, which had been put under the command of Gen. Frederich Steele, early in August 1863, marched out of Helena bent on taking Little Rock. There were skirmishes every few days all along the line of the federal advance.

General Holmes, because of illness, had turned over his command in Arkansas to General Price. His little army was pitifully small for its task of holding the official center of the state. Governor Flanagin issued a proclamation calling every available man to the defense. But there were few to respond. The fighting sons of Arkansas had gone in thousands to the gray battle lines reaching from the Mississippi to Richmond. General Price could muster only about 8,000 men to meet the attack on Little Rock.