Qualla: Battle of Arkansas Post https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:04 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Arkansas Post https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post Battle of Arkansas Post: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post/ Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. Grant called it a "wild-goose chase." When he learned that General John McClernand had diverted 31,000 Union troops up the Arkansas River in January 1863, the future president fired off an angry dispatch to Washington. But the three-day battle that unfolded at Fort Hindman, near the ancient settlement of Arkansas Post, would prove Grant wrong. The Confederate garrison there had been raiding Union supply vessels on the Mississippi, and the fort's capture removed a persistent thorn from the side of the Vicksburg campaign. By the time the white flags of surrender appeared -- in circumstances so confused that some Confederate units kept fighting while others stacked arms -- nearly 5,000 Confederates had been captured and the Arkansas River Valley lay open to Union control.

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Image: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided | Public domain

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/9yp1-battle-of-arkansas-post-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Arkansas Post: A Politician's War https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post/ Photo credit Webster Brothers,[1] restored by Adam Cuerden, Public domain. The battle was born from ambition and rivalry. John McClernand, a former Illinois congressman turned general, had persuaded President Lincoln himself to authorize an independent expedition down the Mississippi. The Union high command -- Grant and General-in-Chief Henry Halleck --...

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Image: Webster Brothers,[1] restored by Adam Cuerden | Public domain

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/9yp1-battle-of-arkansas-post-a-politicians-war.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Arkansas Post: Iron and Timber on the River https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post/ Photo credit Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells"., Public domain. The Union fleet entered the White River on January 5, 1863, then slipped through a cutoff channel into the Arkansas -- a deception to preserve surprise. Three ironclad warships led the way: USS Baron DeKalb, USS Louisville, and USS Cincinnati, their armored hulls designed to abso...

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Image: Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells". | Public domain

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/9yp1-battle-of-arkansas-post-iron-and-timber-on-the-river.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Arkansas Post: White Flags in the Smoke https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post/ Photo credit Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells"., Public domain. The decisive assault came on January 11. At 1:00 pm, Porter's warships resumed their bombardment while Union infantry attacked along the entire Confederate line. Baron DeKalb fired 158 shots, Louisville 212, and Cincinnati 100. The naval fire silenced every Confederate gun except...

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Image: Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells". | Public domain

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/9yp1-battle-of-arkansas-post-white-flags-in-the-smoke.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Arkansas Post: The 'Wild-Goose Chase' Vindicated https://qualla.com/battle-of-arkansas-post/ Photo credit Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells"., Public domain. The toll was lopsided. Some 4,791 Confederates became prisoners -- roughly one-fourth of all Confederate soldiers then in Arkansas. Union casualties totaled 1,092, with 134 killed. McClernand captured 17 cannons and 3,000 infantry weapons. Sherman later recalled McClernand crowin...

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Image: Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel (book authors). Signed "J. Wells". | Public domain

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/p/1/battle-of-arkansas-post-wp/9yp1-battle-of-arkansas-post-the-wild-goose-chase-vindicated.mp3 0:06 5 full