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Re: Jeff Davis's capture
In Response To: Re: Jeff Davis's capture ()

I will leave the battle of Elkhorn Tavern to the expertise of Professor Shea.

However, in his pursuit of Van Dorn (before Van Dorn abandoned Arkansas and took his army to Mississippi)to Batesville and Jonesboro, Curtis overstretch his supply lines to the point that he blundered an excellant oppertunity to capture the entire State of Arkansas, or at least little Rock and the Lower Arkansas River Valley. The lost of which would have caused the Confederates to have had to abandon everything north of the Arkansas Louisiana Border.

He was held at bay in his advance on Little Rock by bluffs and a thin cavalry screen. His "taking of Helena" was against no opposition. And was in fact a desperate manuver to regain a supply point to feed his army. He launched several attempts (at least 9 expeditions) from Helena to capture Little Rock during the summer of 1862 and failed in each attempt. This was at a time when there was no real organized Confederate army in Arkansas. He launched two attempts to capture Arkansas Post overland from Helena once in October and again in November of 1862, while Fort Hindman was being built, and once again failed in both of those attempts also.

History is in the eye of the beholder. And I will grant you that Curtis was pretty good as long as he was behind the fortifications and big guns of Helena and the Gunboats on The Mississippi. But, during the summer of 1862 he was outfoxed at every turn he made to break out of Helena and progress any closer to the state capitol than the White River by a band of rag tag volunteers armed with squirrel rifle and doublebarreled shotguns than didn't have any ammunition for even those weapons.

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Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
That is correct. *NM*
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
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Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
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Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture
Re: Jeff Davis's capture