Reed's Bridge Battlefield Heritage Park

In late summer of 1863, Union Major General Frederick Steele had been steadily advancing his Union forces across eastern Arkansas toward the Capital of Little Rock. His troops had only faced one fierce engagement around Brownsville on August 25 but were still being harassed by Confederate cavalry and partisan attacks. On August 26, one of his scouting probes had clashed and was turned back by Confederate forces toward Reed's Bridge on Bayou Meto. Steele sent Brigadier General John W. Davidson and his cavalry to attack the defending Confederate forces at Reed's Bridge.

Brigadier General John W. Davidson's cavalry advanced and engaged Confederate Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke's forces defending Reed's Bridge. Outnumbered, the Confederate defenders fell back over the bridge and to the other side of the Bayou, setting fire to the bridge along the way. Davidson ordered his cavalry to charge and take the burning bridge, but his forces were met with heavy resistance. Confederate Brigadier General Marmaduke's troops defended from across the Bayou Meto and with the support of artillery, successfully ended the charge and caused major Union casualties.

Fighting between Union and Confederate troops continued along the banks of the bayou for the rest of the day. Marmaduke requested several times during the day for reinforcements from his superior Brigadier General Lucius M. Walker, but was denied each time. As sun set, General Davidson and his Federal troops left the battlefield and returned to Brownsville. Although a victory, General Marmaduke was ordered to retreat his forces to Little Rock. Marmaduke sought a removal from General Walkers command and was transferred, the denial of reinforcements from Walker would later have Marmaduke challenges his former superior to a dual in which Marmaduke fatally wounds Walker.

The Battle of Reed's Bridge resulted in forty-five Union casualties, but the Confederate losses were not reported. The site is now a Heritage Park and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 2002. Reed's Bridge Battlefield Heritage Park includes a recreation of a 1860's ere homestead, a walking trail that has narrative historical markers highlighting the Little Rock Campaign during the American Civil War. It is open all week from 8am-7pm and Holidays may differ and reservations are made through the Jacksonville Military Museum.

“Action at Bayou Meto.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas, 19 Mar. 2019, encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/action-at-bayou-meto-518/.

“Reed's Bridge Battlefield Heritage Park.” Reed's Bridge Battlefield Heritage Park | Arkansas.com, www.arkansas.com/jacksonville/points-interest/reeds-bridge-battlefield-heritage-park. 

“Chickamauga - Reed's Bridge - September 18, 1863.” American Battlefield Trust, 16 Sept. 2019, www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/chickamauga-reeds-bridge-september-18-1863.