The Battle of Elkins' Ferry
At Elkins' Ferry, the Confederates were given the best opportunity to force General Frederick Steele to either find an alternate route across the Little Missouri River or at least to make him cross under fire. Gen. John S. Marmaduke made a show with Col. Colton Greene’s brigade after Lt. Col. Francis Drake forced Col. William J. Preston to withdraw. After deploying Greene’s brigade in line of battle just north of the Cornelius’ Farm, Marmaduke called a halt to the proceedings. When the sun set on April 3, 1864, Steele held Elkins' Ferry, now he had to get his army and his all-important supply train across the river. In the early hours of April 4, Greene’s brigade slammed into the Union line, now under the command of Col. William E. Mclean. Marmaduke arrived on the field with a section of artillery and Col. James C. Monroe’s 1st Arkansas. The Confederates nearly broke the Union right flank. Gen. Samuel Rice with two more regiments of infantry stopped the Confederate advance and stabilized the line. By noon the Battle of Elkins' Ferry was over; Steele had his crossing point.
The Battle of Prairie D'Ane
After the retreat from Elkin’s Ferry, Marmaduke began constructing fortifications on Prairie D'Ane as Gen. Sterling Price left Camden in support. The Confederates believed Steele was heading toward Washington, the Confederate capital of Arkansas; Steele, however, planned to head for Camden in search of supplies for his men. All that stood between him and his goal were the Confederates at Prairie D'Ane. Price brought with him Fagan’s Cavalry Division, which included Col. William Crawford’s Brigade and Gen. Thomas P. Dockery’s Brigade. In addition DeMorse’s Texas Brigade and Tandy Walker’s Choctaw Brigade came from the Indian Territory. Price had about 7,000 cavalry at Prairie DeAnn. Steele’s command was bulky and slow and was made even more so with the addition of Thayer’s Army of the Frontier. One account gives Steele’s strength at approximately 13,000, others place it at 2,000, and yet another 10,400 cavalry and infantry. Steele placed Gen. Frederick Salomon’s Third Division in the vanguard and it was Salomon who met Shelby and Dockery on Prairie D'Ane. The Confederate skirmishers had been pushed back steadily all afternoon, giving ground slowly. The Federal artillery outnumbered their Confederate counterparts, but the Southern cannons continued to fire after dark. The dismounted Confederate cavalry was no match for the Union infantry. For three hours, until night fell, Shelby held. In the end, the overwhelming Union numbers of men and artillery forced the Confederates from the field. In a rare night battle Shelby attacked the Union position. Steele’s army had seized the high ground and was threatening the main Confederate position. Shelby sent out 400 men as skirmishers and ordered his artillery to pound the Union positions, which they did until midnight. The next day neither side did much. Eventually, the Federals were ordered forward and engaged Price’s men in some light skirmishing. At the end of the day, Steele’s men returned to their original position. During the night, Price pulled his men out of the fortifications and retreated to better defend Washington. On the morning of the 12th, the Union forces advanced on the position the Confederate had abandoned the night before and discovered Price was gone. Now all Steele had to do was to convince Price that his plan had worked while moving most of his army toward Camden, where he planned to obtain supplies. With a cavalry screen between him and Price, Steele turned his army east and made for Camden.
The Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is considered to be the final fighting at Prairie DeAnn. Thayer’s Army of the Frontier drew the duty of protecting Steele’s rear and wagons while crossing the Terre Rouge Swamp. Price, now aware of Steele’s plan, sent Marmaduke and Shelby racing ahead to get in front of Steele. He then sent Dockery and General Samuel B. Maxey with Gano’s Texas Brigade and Walker’s Choctaw Brigade to hit the rear of the fleeing Federals. The Confederates pushed the surprised Union soldiers and captured a section of artillery. With the way to the Federal supply train now open, Dockery made a dash for it. Col. John Edwards rallied his 18th Iowa Infantry and stubbornly resisted the Confederate onslaught. Edwards’ dogged Iowans were soon joined by the 1st Arkansas (US) and the1st Kansas Colored Infantry. As the fighting grew hotter, more of Thayer’s Army of the Frontier joined the fray. The Federals recaptured the artillery and the 2nd Indiana Battery began to make the Confederates pay. With order restored, Thayer gathered his soldiers at the edge of the prairie and drove off the Confederates. Thayer’s cavalry then pursued the defeated Confederates four or five miles before returning to the column.