I am no expert on the Little Rock campaign, but after reading Doyle's very interesting postings about Steele's motivations and movements, I wondered how the unfolding tactical situation would have looked from Price's perspective. When Steele unexpectedly crossed to the south side of the Arkansas in force, might it not have appeared to Price that the Federals were attempting to cut off his escape route to the south and bottle him up inside the capital city?

I mention this because "Old Pap" had an almost identical failure of nerve eighteen months before the Little Rock fiasco. In February 1862 he abruptly bailed out of Springfield in advance of Curtis's approach from Rolla. Price had no particular tactical reason for skedaddling, he simply panicked as the Federals steadily drew closer and closer. Curtis fully expected Price to put up a stiff fight to defend his Missouri "capital" and was astonished when he bugged out.

Could the same thing have happened in Little Rock? I offer this only as a half-baked suggestion.