Battle of Chalk Bluff

Battle of Chalk Bluff
Part of the American Civil War
DateMay 1 – 2, 1863
Location
Near Chalk Bluff, northwest of St. Francis
(present-day Clay County, Arkansas)
36°28′38.14″N 90°9′31.79″W / 36.4772611°N 90.1588306°W / 36.4772611; -90.1588306
Result Confederate pyrrhic victory[1]
Belligerents
 Confederate States  United States
Commanders and leaders
Confederate States of America Brig. Gen. J. S. Marmaduke United States Brig. Gen. Wm. Vandever
Units involved
Marmaduke’s Division Second Division, Army of the Frontier
Strength
2,000 10,000
Casualties and losses
30 killed
60 wounded
120 missing
total of 210 men
23 killed
44 wounded
53 captured
total of 120 men
Chalk Bluff is located in Arkansas
Chalk Bluff
Chalk Bluff
Location within Arkansas

The Battle of Chalk Bluff (May 1 – 2, 1863), also known as the Skirmish at Chalk Bluff, was a military engagement of the American Civil War. The battle was fought near Chalk Bluff, northwest of St. Francis (present-day Clay County, Arkansas), where U.S. Brigadier General William Vandever, commanding the Second Division of the Army of the Frontier, was repulsed in an attempt to prevent Confederate General John S. Marmaduke's Division from crossing the St. Francis River. Though a Confederate victory, Marmaduke suffered considerable casualties and his momentum had been checked, forcing him to abandon his second expedition into Missouri.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Chalk Bluff". American Battlefield Protection Program. National Park Service. n.d. Retrieved August 22, 2017.