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Battle of Prairie Grove, Fayetteville or Illinois Creek, Arkansas
in the American Civil War

Online Books:
The Battle of Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862, by Samuel Jones, 1910

Address to the Troops, CSA Trans-Mississippi Department, 1862 (Prairie Grove)
 

Union Battle Summary

Prairie Grove, Ark., Dec. 7, 1862. Army of the Frontier. After the battle of Cane Hill on Nov. 28, the Confederate forces under Gen. T.C. Hindman united with the command of Brig.-Gen. J.S. Marmaduke at Lee's creek, where the latter had retreated. On Dec. 2, Brig.-Gen. J.G. Blunt, commanding the Army of the Frontier, sent for Brig.-Gen. F.J. Herron to bring up his command, consisting of the 2nd and 3rd divisions, to reinforce the Union army at Cane Hill. Herron at once started from Elkhorn and his advance reached Blunt about 10 p.m. on the 6th. This advance consisted of detachments of the 2nd Wis., 1st Ia., 10th Ill., and 8th Mo. cavalry regiments, about 1,600 men in all. During the night, owing to the negligence of an officer sent to watch the Cove Creek road, Hindman was able to move part of his troops north, passing to the east of Blunt's position on the Fayetteville road. His object was to get between Blunt and Herron and prevent them from forming a junction. Blunt immediately came to Herron's aid over a road leading to Cane Hill mills, east of the Fayetteville road. Herron, with but six regiments of infantry, three batteries and about 500 cavalry, had been attacked by the entire Confederate force at 7 a.m., but managed to drive it back across Illinois creek to Prairie Grove, where he planted his batteries and opened fire. Between 1 and 2 p.m. Blunt came in on Herron's right and stationed his artillery so as to sweep the woods from which the Confederate infantry was firing. From 3 p.m. until dark the musketry firing was uninterrupted. Twice the Union infantry charged the enemy's battery and captured it, but both times the guns were recaptured by the superiority of numbers. When darkness fell, the firing ceased on both sides. The Union troops slept on their arms, expecting a renewal of the engagement in the morning, but during the night the Confederates stealthily retreated southwest across the Boston mountains, leaving Blunt and Herron in possession of the field. The Union casualties were 175 killed, 813 wounded and 263 captured or missing. The Confederate loss was 164 killed, 817 wounded and 336 captured or missing. Blunt's forces in the battle numbered 7,000; those of the enemy 28,000.

Source: The Union Army, Volume 6, Cyclopedia of Battles, 1908

 

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