African American Troops Held This Ground

African American Troops Held This Ground. . , The 2nd Arkansas of African Descent manned the earthwork located here during the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863. The 2nd was a new regiment, organized in Helena just three months earlier. They had never experienced combat., Union Forces Prepare , In the first hours of the battle, the 2nd Arkansas of African Descent arrived to help the 35th Missouri Infantry and the 1st Missouri Artillery defend the Lower Little Rock Road. It was daylight before the 2nd got into position, and at first it seemed as though the fight would take place elsewhere. , The Confederates Attack , Soon afterward, however, Confederate Colonel William H. Brooks pushed his men forward on the Little Rock Road. The 35th Arkansas Infantry brushed aside the Union skirmishers and the fight began in earnest. Two men of the 2nd Arkansas A.D. went down under a hail of Confederate fire. The regiment returned fire holding their position., The Confederates Retreat , The Southern artillery fired at least twelve rounds from different positions. Each time they unlimbered to fire, the 1st Missouri Battery and the guns of the U.S.S. Tyler silenced them. Colonel Brooks pulled back, ending the fight at about six o'clock., "They took it calm and cool" , Minos Miller, a young officer with the 2nd Arkansas A.D. later reported, "Our black boys behaved well, they were placed in a position where they could be fired upon they took it calm and cool." The raw regiment had become veterans., [Photo captions] , Right, Lt. Abraham Seachrist, 2nd Arkansas Infantry of African Descent. Above, an unidentified African American soldier.