Hold Out Until Help Arrives

The Battle of Arkansas Post [Battle of Fort Hindman] a part of the Vicksburg Campaign was fought January 9^th through 11^th 1863 near the mouth of the Arkansas River.

The Confederate Army had an earthwork fort near Arkansas Post a bluff on the Arkansas River, built to prevent river passage to Little Rock, Arkansas.  The fort had a great view and was named Fort Hindman in honor of Confederate General Thomas C Hindman.  The fort was held by about 5,000 infantry from Arkansas and Texas under command of Confederate Brigadier General Thomas J Churchill.

Union political Major General John A McClernand ordered Major General William T Sherman Corps joined with his into the Army of the Mississippi, totaling about 33,000 men.  On January 4^th 1863 McClernand ordered this force with navy support to move on Arkansas Post.

Union boats beginning landing troop about 3 miles below Arkansas Post at Notrebe’s Plantation on January 9^th 1863.  These men moved up the river toward Fort Hindman.  Sherman’s Corps took the Confederate trenches forcing them back into the Fort.  By eleven on the morning of January 10^th 1863 all the Union troops were on land.  Churchill made a request for reinforcements when he saw the overwhelming size of the Union force advancing on him.  From his superior Churchill was told to “hold out till help arrived or until all dead.”  The Union troops split to make a flanking movement, but were unable to do so because of swamps and impassible roads.  With McClernand’s troops moving on the Fort, the Union Navy’s gunboats commanded by Rear Admiral David D Porter pounded the Fort from 400 yard away.  This bombardment inflicted heavy damage on the Confederate guns.

The next morning McClernand’s troops deployed in an arc around Fort Hindman.  The infantry attacked at about 1pm.  At the same time the Union gunboats also moved into attack.  By 4:30 when McClernand was planning a massive assault, the Confederates began to show surrender flags.  As the Fort fell Porter accepted the surrender of Confederate Colonel John Dunnington who was in charge of the Confederate artillery.

The defeat of the Confederates at Arkansas Post took away a quarter to the deployed military force west of the Mississippi River.  Confederate losses were about 5,500 men.  Union losses were numbered at 1,047.

A Military Man

General Andrew Jackson Smith who was a Union Corps commander was born April 28th 1815.

Andrew Jackson Smith was born April 28th 1815 in Bucks County Pennsylvania. He attended the United States Military Academy and graduated 36th out of 45 in 1837. Smith saw service in the Mexican American War, and saw action in the Oregon and Washington territories. He moved up the ranks and was a Major by 1861.

When the Civil War started Smith was made Colonel of the 2nd California Volunteer Cavalry. In 1862 he had moved east to command the Union cavalry of the Department of Mississippi and had the rank of Brigadier General. He would be assigned to the Army of Tennessee and took part in the capture of Arkansas Post. Smith commanded a division in the Vicksburg Campaign. He was brevetted Brigadier General for defeating Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Battle of Tupelo July 14th 1864. He then joined forces with Major General George Henry Thomas when Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood threatened Nashville, Tennessee. Smith was in command of the 16th Corps in the final campaign in Mobile Alabama in 1865.

Smith resigned his commission and became a Colonel of the United States 7th Cavalry in 1866, serving in West. In April 1869 Smith retired from the military. He became the Postmaster of St Louis, Missouri thanks to an appointment from Ulysses S Grant. Smith died in St Louis January 30th 1897 and is buried there.

Cut Off and Forced To Surrender

The Battle of Arkansas Post [aka the Battle of Fort Hindman] fought near the mouth of the Arkansas River as part of the Vicksburg Campaign began on the evening of January 9th 1863, and ended on this date, January 11th 1863.

Beginning on the evening of January 9th 1863 Union boats unloaded troops near Arkansas Post. The troops moved up the river toward Fort Hindman, where Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s corps forced the Confederates to retreat to the fort and its rifle pits. Than on January 10th1863 Naval Officer Rear Admiral David D Porter moved his ships in to bomb the Fort, pulling back as dark fell.

On January 11th Union artillery began firing on the fort from across the river, shutting down the Confederate guns from the fort, allowing the Union to move into position for attack. Porter’s ironclads began shelling the fort and passed by in front, cutting off any chance the Confederates had of retreat. Do to this envelopment the Confederate forces surrendered that afternoon.

Although this was a Union victory it did not contribute to capturing Vicksburg, and resulted in a high number of Union casualties [1,047 wounded and 134 killed]. This did eliminate an impediment to shipping on the Mississippi River for the Union government.