Overview
The Battle of Arkansas Post developed from Union efforts to control the Mississippi River during the Civil War. After victories at the Battle of Fort Henry and the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862, Union leaders focused on seizing control of the river. Federal forces captured New Orleans and Memphis, but Confederate defenses at Vicksburg continued to block complete Union control.
In December 1862, Ulysses S. Grant launched his first attempt to capture Vicksburg. He sent William T. Sherman and about 30,000 soldiers down the Mississippi River to attack the city from the north. From December 26–29, Confederate forces defeated Sherman at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
After the defeat, John A. McClernand took command of Sherman’s forces and combined them with troops he had raised for an expedition against Vicksburg. Instead of attacking Vicksburg immediately, McClernand targeted Fort Hindman near Arkansas Post. Confederate forces had used the fort as a base for disrupting Union traffic on the Mississippi River.
On January 9, 1863, McClernand’s troops, roughly 33,000, advanced toward Fort Hindman. Sherman’s troops drove the outnumbered Confederates back into the fort. On January 10, David D. Porter’s naval fleet bombarded the Confederate defenses.
On January 11, Union artillery joined the bombardment and silenced the remaining Confederate guns. Porter moved upstream to block a retreat as McClernand prepared his infantry for an assault. Confederate soldiers started raising white flags around 4:30 p.m., and the garrison eventually surrendered.
The Union destroyed Fort Hindman and captured weapons, ammunition, and supplies. Although the victory contributed little to the Vicksburg Campaign, it removed a Confederate position that threatened Union shipping on the Mississippi River.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Fort Hindman.
- Date: January 9–11, 1863.
- Location: Arkansas County, Arkansas.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: John A. McClernand, David D. Porter.
- CSA Commanders: Thomas J. Churchill.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Arkansas Post.
- Campaign: Vicksburg Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 1,061, including 134 killed, 898 wounded, and 29 captured or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Mississippi, including the 13th and 15th Corps, and nine U.S. naval ships.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 33,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 5,500, including 709 killed and wounded and 4,791 captured.
- Forces Engaged: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades of the Fort Hindman garrison.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 5,500.
Significance
The Battle of Arkansas Post is important to American History because it eliminated a Confederate position that threatened Union shipping on the Mississippi River. Confederate forces had used Fort Hindman as a base for disrupting Union river traffic, including the capture of a Federal steamer in late December 1862. General John McClernand’s victory destroyed the fort and resulted in the capture of nearly 4,800 Confederate soldiers, representing almost one-fourth of the Confederate forces stationed in Arkansas.
History
After the Union’s successes at the Battle of Fort Henry and the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862, Union leaders turned their attention to the Mississippi River. If the Federals could gain control of the Mississippi, they could deny the Confederacy easy access to supplies from the Gulf of Mexico and territories in the American West. Admiral David Farragut captured the port city of New Orleans on May 18, 1862, closing down Confederate access to the Gulf. In June, the Union tightened its grip on the Mississippi when Federal forces captured the river city of Memphis, Tennessee. Nonetheless, the South still controlled traffic on much of the river because of its strong fortifications at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Geography
Vicksburg sits on the eastern side of the Mississippi, south of the mouth of the Yazoo River. Once known as “The Gibraltar of the Confederacy,” the city rests on a high bluff overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bend in the river. The bluff upon which the city sits made it nearly impossible to assault from the river. Farragut made two attempts to do so in May and June 1862, but both failed. To the north, nearly impenetrable swamps and bayous protected Vicksburg. To the east, a ring of forts mounting 172 guns shielded the city from an overland assault. The land on the Louisiana side of the river, opposite Vicksburg, was rough, etched with poor roads and many streams.
Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
In July 1862, President Abraham Lincoln recalled General Henry Halleck to Washington and promoted him to the chief of all Union armies, leaving Major General Ulysses S. Grant in charge of operations in the western theater. In December, Grant divided his Army of the Tennessee into two wings and launched his first attempt to capture Vicksburg. Grant ordered Major General William T. Sherman, commanding the right wing of his army, to travel down the Mississippi River and attempt to assault Vicksburg from the north. Sherman engaged Confederate forces led by Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton and Brigadier General Stephen D. Lee from December 26–29, 1862, however, just 13,000 Confederate defenders badly defeated Sherman’s 30,000 Federals at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
McClernand’s Expedition
After the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Major General John A. McClernand replaced Sherman as commander of the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee. McClernand was a Democratic politician from Southern Illinois who raised a brigade of volunteers at the beginning of the Civil War and served under Grant during the early Union victories in Tennessee. McClernand was also an ambitious man who was well-connected with fellow Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln. In October 1862, McClernand used his political influence to gain authorization from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to raise an army for an expedition against Vicksburg. Because he had more seniority than Sherman, McClernand annexed Sherman’s command, combined it with the army he raised, and renamed it the Army of the Mississippi.
Attack on Fort Hindman
After assuming Sherman’s command, McClernand launched an attack on Fort Hindman, near Arkansas Post, rather than assault Vicksburg, as he had told Stanton he would do. The Confederates constructed Fort Hindman, on the Arkansas River, in 1862 to discourage an attack on the Arkansas capital at Little Rock, and to serve as a base for disrupting Union traffic on the Mississippi River. Grant and other Union generals did not consider the fort and Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill’s 5,500-man garrison enough of a threat to distract them from their main objective of capturing Vicksburg. In late December 1862, however, Confederates operating out of Fort Hindman captured a Federal steamer on the Mississippi. McClernand, eager for a victory of any sort, considered that enough provocation to divert the 33,000 soldiers under his command, plus Flag Officer David D. Porter and his Mississippi naval fleet, to subdue the fort.
On January 9, 1863, thousands of Union soldiers began disembarking from troopships and advanced up the Arkansas River toward Fort Hindman. Led by Sherman, the Federals quickly overran the outnumbered Confederates, forcing them back into the fort. The next day, Porter’s naval fleet moved into position and bombarded the fort. On January 11, McClernand’s artillery joined in with another barrage, silencing the defenders’ remaining big guns. As the infantry prepared for an attack, Porter’s fleet moved upstream to prevent a Confederate retreat. Hoping for reinforcements, Churchill ordered the Confederate garrison to defend the fort at all costs, but when McClernand’s infantry advanced, some Confederates realized that their situation was hopeless. At about 4:30 in the afternoon, defenders on one side of the fort began raising white flags of surrender. Unaware of the white flags, soldiers on the other side of the fort fired on Federals who exposed themselves in response to the flags of truce. Eventually, those inside the fort resolved the confusion, and they raised white flags on both sides.
Outcome of the Battle of Arkansas Post
Losses at the Battle of Arkansas Post were moderate. The Federals suffered a little over 1,000 casualties, including 134 killed. On the Confederate side, 709 soldiers perished, and nearly 4,800 surrendered, almost one-fourth of the total Confederate armed forces stationed in Arkansas. In addition, the Union soldiers commandeered Confederate arms, ammunition, and other supplies before razing Fort Hindman. The Battle of Arkansas Post contributed little toward the success of the Vicksburg Campaign, but it eliminated a minor impediment to Union shipping on the Mississippi River.
After the battle, McClernand informed Sherman and Porter that he intended to mount an excursion up the Arkansas River to assault Little Rock. Grant, however, was unimpressed with McClernand’s victory and considered it a diversion from the real task at hand. He countermanded McClernand’s plans and ordered him to rejoin the Union campaign against Vicksburg. McClernand complied and served as a corps commander throughout the rest of the campaign after Grant disbanded the Army of the Mississippi and returned its troops to the Army of the Tennessee.
Timeline
- 1861 — President Abraham Lincoln pressured Union commanders in the West to invade the South.
- 1862, February 16 — The Union promoted Ulysses S. Grant to Major General following his victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.
- 1862, May 18 — Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans, cutting off a major Confederate connection to the Gulf of Mexico.
- 1862, June — Union forces captured Memphis, Tennessee, strengthening Federal control of the Mississippi River.
- 1862, July — President Abraham Lincoln recalled Henry Halleck to Washington and left Ulysses S. Grant in charge of Union operations in the Western Theater.
- 1862, October — John A. McClernand received authorization from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to raise an army for an expedition against Vicksburg.
- 1862, December — Grant divided the Army of the Tennessee and launched his first attempt to capture Vicksburg.
- 1862, December 26–29 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
- 1862, December — Confederate forces operating from Fort Hindman captured a Federal steamer on the Mississippi River.
- 1863, January 9 — Union troops landed and advanced toward Fort Hindman, forcing Confederate troops back into the fort.
- 1863, January 10 — David D. Porter’s Union naval fleet bombarded Fort Hindman.
- 1863, January 11
- Union artillery silenced the remaining Confederate guns, and advancing Federal infantry forced the Fort Hindman garrison to surrender.
- Union forces captured Fort Hindman and nearly 4,800 Confederate soldiers.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Arkansas Post (1863) — The Battle of Arkansas Post was fought from January 9–11, 1863, when Union forces under John A. McClernand and David D. Porter attacked Fort Hindman in Arkansas. Union troops drove Thomas J. Churchill’s outnumbered Confederates into the fort, while Porter’s naval fleet bombarded their defenses. Union artillery silenced the Confederate guns on January 11, and advancing Federal infantry forced the garrison to surrender. The victory eliminated a threat to Union shipping on the Mississippi River but contributed little to the Vicksburg Campaign.
Alignment
The Battle of Arkansas Post is part of the following AP US History sections:
