The Battle of Elkin's Ferry was fought on April 3 and April 4, 1864, in Clark

Clark County, Arkansas

Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,995. The county seat is Arkadelphia.The Arkadelphia Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Clark County.-Geography:...

 and Nevada counties in Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 as part of the Camden Expedition

Camden Expedition

The Camden Expedition was a military campaign in southern and central Arkansas during the American Civil War. It involved Union forces stationed at Little Rock and Fort Smith under the command of Major General Frederick Steele...

 of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Opposing forces

Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

  Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele

Frederick Steele

Frederick Steele was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for his successful campaign to retake much of secessionist Arkansas for the Union cause.-Early life:Steele was born in Delhi, New...

 had the 3rd Division of the VII Corps

VII Corps (ACW)

Two corps of the Union Army were called VII Corps during the American Civil War.-VII Corps :This corps was established 22 July 1862 from various Union troops stationed in southeastern Virginia. The corps' main combat action occurred in the spring of 1863, when it faced Confederate troops of James...

 and two cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 brigades (about 8,500 men) under his command. Confederate

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

  Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke

John S. Marmaduke

John Sappington Marmaduke was a career military man and a West Point graduate. He is known for his service as a Confederate Major general during the American Civil War...

 had three cavalry brigades (about 7,500 men) under his command.

During the Camden expedition, the Union forces had to ford the Little Missouri River

Little Missouri River (Arkansas)

The Little Missouri River, or Little Mo, is a waterway that runs from the Ouachita Mountains of southwest Arkansas into the rolling hills area in the surrounding countryside.- Overview :...

 because all of the bridges were impassable. The Union forces reached Elkin's Ferry before the Confederates, but on April 3 were attacked by Brig. Gen. Joseph O. "Jo" Shelby's

Joseph O. Shelby

Joseph Orville Shelby was a noted Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.-Early life and education:...

 cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

.

Battle

On April 4, Marmaduke's cavalry attacked the Union forces as they were trying to cross the river. The Union forces were able to fend off both of these attacks and then cross the river.

Losses on both sides in the Battle of Elkin's Ferry were light, with 30 Union soldiers slightly wounded, 50 Confederates wounded, and 18 Southerners killed. On the evening of April 4, Shelby's brigade joined Marmaduke, and together they withdrew 16 miles south to Prairie D'Ane

Battle of Prairie D'Ane

The Battle of Prairie D'Ane was fought April 9–13, 1864, in Nevada County, Arkansas as part of the Camden Expedition of the American Civil War.-Opposing forces:...

the following morning.