This is why I love this site! We might be the only two people in the world interested in this topic but it's nice to have a forum for discussion. I think that, obviously,roads being what they were in southern Arkansas in 1864 Steele was most likely forced to move his 11,500 men, possibly on all three of the routes you described in your earlier post. The qustion would be which road was in the best shape to move his wagons and artillery? And how did he deploy, subsquently, his infantry and calvary? in the Forsyth book "The Camden Expedition of 1864" the only points of refrence the author makes to the movement are the Terre Rouge Swamp and Cypress Bayou (?) that forced Steele to divide his army in pieces presenting Price with the opportunity to crush Steele but he only sent a single brigade in an un-coordinated attack. The only roads he mentions are the lower and middle Washington-Camden roads and I don't know what those present day roads are. Also as I understand it Steele had already decided to turn towards Camden before he recieved word of Banks defeat at Mansfield, probably because he was having such a terrible time moving and provisioning his army, not so much because Price was a great tactician. I think a more able commander would possibly have done greater damage to Steele in the swampy country SE of Moscow (Prescott) and later at Jenkins Ferry but the Confederates were apparently having just as tough time moving in that country as Steele was in trying to escape. sometimes we forget that commanders were fighting conditions more than the enemy and I think all in all Steele deserves alot of credit for his march down to Prarie Deanne to Camden back to Little Rock a move he never wanted to make in the first place. He was lucky to escape with his army and do as well as he did. In my imiagination I see my g-g grandmother with two small chidren hearing the cannonade from Prarie DeAnne and then huddeling in Harmony Methodist Church with other refugees from places like Moscow village, Mt. Pisgah and Sutton while her husband was off in Louisanana with the Confederates, but who knows? Both my ancestors are buried at the churchyard at Harmony along with other relatives, some of who also served the Confederacy. Thanks for the fascinating discussion.