Helena in Phillips County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Battery A

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 26, 2017

1. Battery A Marker

Inscription. Union forces entrenched on this hill held off repeated assaults by Confederate troops under CSA General Marmaduke on the morning of July 4, 1863, in their attack on Helena. CSA General Marsh Walker's Cavalry Brigade, consisting of the 5th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment under Col. R.C. Newton and Dobbins' Arkansas Cavalry under Col. A. S. Dobbins, failed to join the attack on Battery A from Sterling Road. Marmaduke and Walker withdrew their commands shortly before noon.

Erected 1963 by the Arkansas Civil War Centennial Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Features • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 4, 1863.

Location. 34° 32.172′ N, 90° 35.505′ W. Marker is in Helena, Arkansas, in Phillips County. It is on Adams Street east of Beech Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 715 Adams Street, Helena AR 72342, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Arkansas Delta,

in Crowley’s Ridge,

in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain,

and in the Quapaw Homeland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Battery B (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fight at the Levee (approx. 0.4 miles away); Patrick Ronayne Cleburne (approx. 0.4 miles away); “Let him sleep now with his brave companions” (approx. 0.4 miles away); Remembering the Fallen

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); A Grand Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); William Patterson (approx. half a mile away); Service with Distinction (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Civil War batteries of Helena. (Submitted on August 31, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Battery A Marker at very corner. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 26, 2017

2. Battery A Marker at very corner.

General Marmaduke, General Walker & Colonel Dobbins (L-R) image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

3. General Marmaduke, General Walker & Colonel Dobbins (L-R)

After the Battle of Reed's Bridge on August 26, 1863, General Marmaduke accused Walker of imperiling Marmaduke's men by being absent from the field in the face of the enemy. Walker felt that he had been unjustly accused of cowardice and challenged Marmaduke to a formal duel. On September 6, Walker and Marmaduke squared off on the north bank of the Arkansas River near Little Rock. Both fired and missed. Marmaduke then recocked and fired a second time, mortally wounding Walker in the right side, just above the beltline. Lucius M. Walker died at 5 p.m. the next day.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 419 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 31, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.