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Arkansas Post Print E-mail
Other Name: Fort Hindman
State: Arkansas
Location: Arkansas County
Campaign: Operations against Vicksburg (1862-1863)
Dates: January 9-11, 1863
Principal Commanders: union  Union States: Rear Adm. David D. Porter and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand
confederate  Confederate States: Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Churchill
Forces Engaged: union  Union States: Army of the Mississippi
confederate  Confederate States: Fort Hindman Garrison
Estimated Casualties: union  Union States: 1,047
confederate  Confederate States: 5,500
Total: 6,547 total
Results: Result(s): Union victory
Description:

From Fort Hindman, at Arkansas Post, Confederates had been disrupting Union shipping on the Mississippi River. Maj. Gen. John McClernand, therefore, undertook a combined force movement on Arkansas Post to capture it. Union boats began landing troops near Arkansas Post in the evening of January 9, 1863. The troops started up river towards Fort Hindman. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s corps overran Rebel trenches, and the enemy retreated to the protection of the fort and adjacent rifle-pits. Rear Adm. David Porter, on the 10th, moved his fleet towards Fort Hindman and bombarded it withdrawing at dusk. Union artillery fired on the fort from artillery positions across the river on the 11th, and the infantry moved into position for an attack. Union ironclads commenced shelling the fort and Porter’s fleet passed it to cutoff any retreat. As a result of this envelopment, and the attack by McClernand’s troops, the Confederate command surrendered in the afternoon. Although Union losses were high and the victory did not contribute to the capture of Vicksburg, it did eliminate one more impediment to Union shipping on the Mississippi.

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