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00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.

This Week in the Civil War - 656

On Thursday, September 10, 1863 yet another Confederate state capital fell to Union occupation, as General Sterling Price’s Confederates withdrew to Arkadelphia and Rockport.  In primarily a cavalry action, Union General Frederick Steele had driven across eastern Arkansas and toward Little Rock for the better part of a month; on September 9 Steele’s troops crossed a horseshoe bend in the Arkansas River east of Little Rock, effectively outflanking the city’s Confederate defenders. 

By 5:00 p.m. of the following day the last Confederate troops were out of town, and at 7:00 p.m. civil authorities formally surrendered the capital of Arkansas to Steele.  The fall of Little Rock effectively restricted Confederate Arkansas to the southern half of the state, ending plans to use Arkansas as a staging ground for efforts against Missouri.