Battle of Marks' Mills
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Other Names: Action at Marks’ Mills
Location: Cleveland County, Arkansas
Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864)
Date: April 25, 1864
Principal Commanders: Lt. Col. Francis Drake [US]; Brig. Gen. James B. Fagan [CS]
Forces Engaged: 1,800 [US]; 8,000 [CS]
Casualties and losses: 1,793 total (US 1,500; CS 293)
Result(s): Confederate victory
Brief Description:
A Union force escorted 240 wagons from Camden to Pine Bluff to pick up supplies and transport them back to Maj. Gen. Fred Steele's army. At first the Union escort rebuffed Rebel attempts to halt them. Then the Confederates moved in on the Union rear and front, causing a rout. The Rebels captured most of the men and all of the supply wagons. Thus, Steele gave up all thoughts of uniting with Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks on the Red River and realized that he had to save his army. The loss of additional men and wagons, as well as the further depletion of Federal supplies in Camden, seriously challenged Steele's position and combined with the arrival of Lt. Gen. Kirby Smith's command to force Steele to abandon Camden on April 26, 1864, and march northward toward Little Rock.