The Battle at Ditch Bayou
It is the morning of June 6, 1864. Rain has created a muddy mess. To
your left are four cannon. To
your
right are 600 cavalrymen and two more cannon. These men serve under
Confederate Colonel Colton Green. To your front is Ditch Bayou, and 700
yards beyond that 3,000 troops under Union Major General A.J. Smith.
Among them is the 8th Wisconsin with its mascot, Old Abe, the War Eagle.
As the Union troops advance, the cannon thunder with grape and
canister. The seasoned troops close the gaps in their line and keep
coming. They pour volley after volley toward your position. However,
most of the Confederate troops are hidden in trees while the Union
soldiers are caught in the open.
The battle rages for six hours. The mile long Federal line reaches
the edge of the bayou. They have suffered high casualties, 132 killed,
wounded, or missing. Federal losses would be higher had the black powder
smoke not created a protective fog.
Finally ammunition dwindling, the Confederates make an orderly
withdrawal and march past Lake Village. They have only four killed and
33 wounded. The Union troops bury their 33 dead on the battlefield and
carry their wounded into town. Some of the seriously wounded men suffer
for months until they die in a hospital.
This was the largest battle to occur in Chicot County and the last
significant battle on Arkansas soil.
The Casualties at Ditch Bayou June 6, 1864
The battle at Ditch Bayou was a Federal effort to drive Confederates
away from the Mississippi
River,
where the Confederates had been harassing Union shipping. Even though
the Confederates were outnumbered here, they were able to inflict heavy
damage to their enemy. They had the advantage of six cannons, the
protection of heavy timber and knowledge of the area.
Muddy conditions caused the Northern infantry to attack across an
open field without artillery support. After crossing the field under
heavy fire, they discovered that they were trapped in the open field and
were separated from the Confederates by Ditch Bayou. Union losses were
33 killed, 98 wounded, and one missing. Notice that their heaviest
casualties were directly opposite the Confederate artillery. |