The Battle of Whitney's Lane was a small, but psychologically important, land battle of the American Civil War fought on 19 May 1862 in north central Arkansas. The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... State nickname: The Natural State Other U.S. States Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Governor Mike Huckabee Official languages English Area 137,732 km² (29th)  - Land 134,856 km²  - Water 2,876 km² (2. ...

Strategic Situation

Union Situation

In early 1862 Union Major General Samuel R. Curtis had successfully invaded northwest Arkansas and defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Soon after that battle most Confederate forces in Arkansas were withdrawn across the Mississippi River, leaving the state almost defenseless. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Samuel R. Curtis (1805 - December 26, 1866) was an American military officer, most famous for his role in the American Civil War. ... Battle of Pea Ridge Conflict American Civil War Date March 6-8, 1862 Place Benton County, Arkansas Result Union victory The Battle of Pea Ridge (also known as The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern) was a land battle of the American Civil War which occurred on 7 March 1862 at Pea... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge 16,200 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ...

Curtis intended to press his invasion with the hope of reaching the capital city of Little Rock and knocking the state out of the war. There is also a Littlerock, California. ...

Confederate Situation

The Confederate outlook in the spring of 1862 was grim. Most of its armed forces had been withdrawn and no commander with field experience was in charge. General John Selden Roane was put in charge of Arkansas forces and Major General Thomas C. Hindman was placed in overall command of the Trans-Mississippi Department. On his arrival Hindman found that he had no troops and only fifteen pounds of gunpowder with which to defend the state. John Selden Roane (8 January 1817 - 8 April 1867) was a Confederate Brigadier General during the American Civil War. ... Thomas Carmichael Hindman (28 January 1828 - 27 September 1868) was a United States Representative from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... The Trans-Mississippi Department, also known as the Trans-Mississippi Theater or Trans-Mississippi District, was the Confederate military designation for the geographic area of operations west of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. ...

Maneuvering to Battle

Union Movements

General Curtis began his movement from northwest Arkansas in early April. He moved his 17,000-man army back into Missouri to take advantage of better transportation routes and headed east. He established his base of supply at Rolla, Missouri. Curtis reached West Plains, Missouri on 29 April and turned southwards into Arkansas. In addition to his large force, Curtis was assigned an additional 5,000 men under Brigadier General Frederick Steele. Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ... Alternate uses: see Rolla (disambiguation). ... West Plains is a city located in Howell County, Missouri. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

During the first part of May, Curtis and Steele encountered numerous logistical difficulties. Poor weather, difficult terrain, and lack of consistent resupply slowed their progress. But by 9 May Curtis's large, but ill-supplied, force had emerged from the Ozark foothills onto flat ground at Searcy and was poised to strike deep into central Arkansas and seize Little Rock itself as soon as supplies were gathered. While encamped at Searcy, Curtis and overall commander General Henry W. Halleck began to correspond about the upcoming federal administration of Little Rock. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... Ozark redirects here. ... Searcy is a city located in White County, Arkansas. ... Henry Wager Halleck (1815 - 1872) was an American soldier and politician. ...

Confederate Movements

Confederate Generals Hindman and Roane set to work immediately in cobbling together a defense to meet the approaching Union Army. Hindman stopped elements of the 12th Texas Cavalry that were bound for the eastern theaters and ordered troops who had made it as far as Memphis, Tennessee to turn around. Some attempts at recruiting local volunteers were made with little success. The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None Area 696,241 km² (2nd)  - Land 678,907 km²  - Water 17,333 km² (2. ... City nickname: The River City or The Bluff City Location in the state of Tennessee County Shelby County, Tennessee Area  - Total  - Water 763. ...

On 10 May Hindman sent out Texas cavalry as scouts to determine the federal position. The scouts encountered numerous refugees fleeing the Union Army. The refugees reported that the Union forces numbered about 30,000 men, mostly German immigrants. Hindman had approximately 1,200 Texas horsemen with which to confront them. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War. ...

Hindman ordered cotton stores near Searcy destroyed, and Governor Henry Massey Rector prepared government offices for evacuation. Meanwhile small advance parties from the Union Army clashed with the Texas scouts between Searcy and Little Rock and several Union troops were killed or captured. Henry Massey Rector (1 May 1816 - 12 August 1899) was a Democratic Governor of the State of Arkansas. ...

By May 19th several companies of the Texan cavalry had reached Searcy Landing and awaited an opportunity to take on an overwhelming opponent.

The Battle

Union General Curtis continued to be concerned with logistical problems as his supply line was unable to provide the necessities for his army. Curtis ordered Colonel Peter J. Osterhaus to send out a foraging party to nearby farms; this party consisted of seven companies of mixed infantry and cavalry from the 17th Missouri Infantry and the 4th Missouri Cavalry. These companies crossed the Little Red River and proceeded to two farms along Whitney's Lane. The Little Red River is a river in north-central Arkansas. ...

The movement of these seven companies was reported to Colonel Emory Rogers by scouting parties. Rogers was in command of approximately 150 Texas cavalry troopers and local volunteers. 300 additional Confederate troops were on the way but Rogers determined to attack the Union party even though he was outnumbered. He divided his forces into two groups of Texans and one of Arkansans and ordered a mounted charge down the lane.

The initial charge overran Company H of the 17th Missouri and they dissolved under fire, retreating toward Company F who were attempting to set up a defensive position in a woodline. The combined force fought bravely for a couple of minutes as more and more Confederates came up to press them. The untrained and undisciplined Texans and local volunteers attacked furiously and in some cases ignored Union soldiers' attempts to surrender. Within a short time Company F had dissolved as well.

Meanwhile, Company G and some Union cavalry moved forward and traded volleys with the Confederate horsemen. Major Eugene Kielmansegge of the 4th Missouri Cavalry ordered the rest of the available Union troopers to charge the Confederates. Company C of the 4th Missouri Cavalry plowed into the attackers and succeeded in driving them back into the woods between the foraging detail and the rest of the federal army. Other federal cavalry continued to arrive at the position. Kielmansegge, having concentrated his forces, set up a defensive position and continued to trade fire with the Confederates as they prepared for another attack.

Meanwhile, other companies of the 17th Missouri had heard firing from the base camp across the Little Red River and marched out to relieve the foraging party. Confederate Major Rogers ordered his men to retreat to the southwest and most did, though the Arkansans and some Texans remained on the field and attacked the relief column before withdrawing. The 300 expected Confederate reinforcements arrived on the field just after the retreat had been sounded and joined in the retreat.

The Aftermath

The battle at Whitney's Lane had lasted one hour and resulted in 51 Union casualties and approximately 10 Confederate casualties. The 17th Missouri Infantry lost only 68 men during the entire war; approximately one third of those were at Whitney's Lane.

The battle was little more than a skirmish, but the psychological and strategic effects of the conflict were far more than what was reflected by the number of casualties.

For both Confederate soldiers and civilians in Arkansas the battle provided a huge psychological lift at a critical time. Arkansas newspapers trumpeted the battle and praised its participants. These articles lifted the despair that had gripped the state and provided the Confederates with a new sense of optimism and hope.

Even though their losses were small compared to the size of their force the results of the battle proved disheartening for the Union. Union troops were still suffering from lack of supplies and some soldiers reported losing confidence in the abilities of their officers. Within a few days the Confederate cavalry were harassing the Union supply line from the rear making their logistics problems even worse. In combination with this, Confederate theater commander Hindman launched a clever disinformation campaign aimed at convincing the leaders of the Union forces that new units were pouring into Little Rock from Texas.

By 31 May Curtis began to rethink his position in the face of the Confederate activity. On 2 June Curtis held a council of war, and the federal commanders agreed to a retrograde movement back toward the Ozark foothills. By the end of June, Curtis had abandoned the campaign against Little Rock entirely and moved to Helena, Arkansas in order to establish a new supply line at the Mississippi River. May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining, as the last day of May. ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... Helena is a city located in Phillips County, Arkansas. ...

The actions of the 12th Texas Cavalry and a handful of local volunteers at Whitney's Lane had played a large part in forestalling what would have almost certainly been a successful attack on Little Rock in 1862, and kept Arkansas in the war for more than a year longer.