Some time back a link had been posted to an excellent site by Vicki Betts at the University of Texas at Tyler that has transcribed numerous articles from Civil War newspapers including several from Arkansas. While reading articles from the Fort Smith New Era in 1864, I noticed a couple of articles by Union soldiers stating the Confederate casualties at Jenkins' Ferry. They had been held within Confederate lines and their reports are very similar. Both state seeing the "Medical Director's" report and while there is a discrepancy they are very similar. Both report the exact figure of 904. One states that the medical director listed 207 killed on the field with 904 wounded. The other states the total killed and wounded was 904- then states some other figures.

I've never seen a definitive statement of Confederate casualties in this battle and thought it might be of interest to some others here. Since the Confederate army held the battlefield they would have been in position to make a fairly accurate count of the killed and wounded. Many Confederate records are missing from this battle including the report of the medical director for the Confederate army. It appears that these men saw this report while assisting in the hospitals where Confederate surgeons were present. Since these figures aren't gross exaggerations that one would normally expect, it seems there is a ring of truth to their reports.

I am copying both articles below.

Allan