1. The Confederate Army was demorialzed by recent defeats at Arkansas Post, Helena and Vicksburg.
2. Sterling Price was more concerned with his army surviving to fight with Kirby Smith in the Red River defense than in defending Little Rock.
3. Sterling Price never seriously considered defending Little Rock, he was pre-occupied with a retreat route.
4. His fortifications in North Little Rock were obviously easily circumveneted and not strategaly sound .
5. Price was only outnumbered about 3-to-1. Those numbers are not unfamiliar to Confederates and not that alarming if you are taking a defensive position.
6.Price could have taken a position south of the river, contested the river crossing strongly, fought the yankees through the streets of Little Rock and then taken a strong position in Pulaski Heights and made the yankees pay, like the great General Robert E. Lee did at Fredericksburg.
I welcome your comments.
David Shelby Knight