Battle of Jenkins' Ferry

Battle of Jenkins' Ferry
Part of the American Civil War
DateApril 30, 1864 (1864-04-30)
Location
Hot Spring and Saline counties (present-day Grant County), Arkansas
34°12′45″N 92°32′51″W / 34.21250°N 92.54750°W / 34.21250; -92.54750
Result Union victory
Belligerents
 United States (Union)  Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Steele

E. Kirby Smith

Units involved
Department of Arkansas and 7th Army Corps Army of Arkansas
Strength
12,000 10,000
Casualties and losses
700 1,000
Jenkins' Ferry
Location in Arkansas

The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, also known as the Engagement at Jenkins' Ferry, was fought on April 30, 1864, in Hot Spring and Saline counties (present-day Grant County), Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Ending in a tactical Union victory, the Confederacy saw it as a strategic success as they prevented Frederick Steele from holding southwest Arkansas. Due to the chaotic nature of the battle, casualty figures vary.

Jenkins' Ferry was the decisive engagement of Steele's Camden Expedition (a part of the Red River Campaign) and E. Kirby Smith's last. As a result of the battle, Federal forces could complete a retreat from a precarious position at Camden to their defenses at Little Rock.

The battlefield has largely been preserved as a unit within the Arkansas State Park System.