The Battle of Brownsville was fought on August 25, 1863, near Lonoke, Arkansas, between Union forces led by Colonel Washington Geiger and Confederate troops under Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke. It was an attempt by the Confederate forces to delay the advance of Major General Fredrick Steele’s forces as they moved westward.
On the morning of August 25, 1863, a brigade of Union cavalry under the command of Colonel Washington Geiger moved from Two Mile Prairie Bayou toward Brownsville. The Confederate plan was for Marmaduke to draw out and ambush the Union troops. However, when the Union troops advanced and the Confederates ambushed them, Geiger ordered his troops into a line of battle, and they slowly pushed forward—a battery of Union artillery deployed and opened fire on the Confederates. The Confederates were being attacked on all sides, and with their ambush a failure, they began to fall back into confusion.
The Union forces pursued the Confederates to Brownsville. Marmaduke attempted one final defense but could not organize his forces and instead ordered a retreat. The Union forces pursued the Confederates for about even miles before darkness began to fall, and the Union forces turned around and headed back to Brownsville.
The Battle of Brownsville was a minor skirmish without any casualties listed, and while the Confederates had planned to delay the Union advance to Little Rock, sickness, disease, and weather had hampered the Union forces more than anything the Confederates had attempted to do. Ultimately, it would not stop Arkansas from falling to the Union a month later.
Today, the site of the Battle is noted by a historical marker that describes a brief account of the Battle of Brownsville.
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