Okolona in Clark County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Skirmishes at Okolona / Fighting at Elkins' Ferry
Photographed By Mark Hilton, June 25, 2022
1. Skirmishes at Okolona Marker
Inscription.
Skirmishes at Okolona, also, Fighting at Elkins' Ferry. .
Skirmishes at Okolona. Gen. Frederick Steele’s Union army left Little Rock on March 23, 1864, for a planned invasion of Texas, but it was April 2 before they faced organized Confederate attacks. Gen. Joseph Shelby attacked the Union wagon train at Terre Noire Creek on the 2nd, then hit Steele’s troops at Okolona the next day. Fighting raged for several hours amid a furious thunderstorm before Shelby broke away and fell back to Antoine. A post-war account by Shelby’s adjutant claims a Union shell hit a hive and it was bees, not gunfire, that drove the Confederates from the field.,
Fighting at Elkins' Ferry. Union forces arrived at Elkins’ Ferry on the Little Missouri River late on April 2, 1864, sending cavalry across to establish a picket line. Gen. John Marmaduke’s Confederate cavalry skirmished with them on the 3rd, leading the Federals to send infantry and artillery reinforcements across the river. Marmaduke attacked in force with 1,600 horsemen on April 4 and drove the Federals back toward the river, but troops from Iowa and Wisconsin crossed the river to bolster the Union line. Marmaduke fell back toward defensive earthworks on Prairie D’Ane.
Skirmishes at Okolona
Gen. Frederick Steele’s Union army left Little Rock on March 23, 1864, for a planned invasion of Texas, but it was April 2 before they faced organized Confederate attacks. Gen. Joseph Shelby attacked the Union wagon train at Terre Noire Creek on the 2nd, then hit Steele’s troops at Okolona the next day. Fighting raged for several hours amid a furious thunderstorm before Shelby broke away and fell back to Antoine. A post-war account by Shelby’s adjutant claims a Union shell hit a hive and it was bees, not gunfire, that drove the Confederates from the field.
Fighting at Elkins' Ferry
Union forces arrived at Elkins’ Ferry on the Little Missouri River late on April 2, 1864, sending cavalry across to establish a picket line. Gen. John Marmaduke’s Confederate cavalry skirmished with them on the 3rd, leading the Federals to send infantry and artillery reinforcements across the river. Marmaduke attacked in force with 1,600 horsemen on April 4 and drove the Federals back toward the river, but troops from Iowa and Wisconsin crossed the river to bolster the Union line. Marmaduke fell back toward defensive earthworks on Prairie D’Ane.
Erected 2015 by Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission; Clark County Historical
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Association; Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. (Marker Number 124.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 23, 1864.
Location. 34° 0.078′ N, 93° 20.265′ W. Marker is in Okolona, Arkansas, in Clark County. Marker is on South Main Street (Arkansas Route 51) south of East 4th Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Okolona AR 71962, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. Skirmishes at Okolona / Fighting at Elkins' Ferry Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2022, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 262 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 26, 2022, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
