Battle of Marks' Mills 1864
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 25 April 1864 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1864 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 33.7811, -92.2569 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Marks' Mills (April 25, 1864), also known as the Action at Marks’ Mills, was fought in present-day Cleveland County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Confederate Brigadier-General James F. Fagan, having made a forced march, attacked a train of several hundred wagons, guarded by a brigade of infantry, 500 cavalry, and a section of light artillery under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis M. Drake of the 36th Iowa, on its way from Camden to Pine Bluff for supplies.
Drake had a reputation as an Indian fighter; in 1852 at the age of 19, he led a wagon train from Blakesburg, Iowa, to Sacramento, California, and, while crossing the Nebraska prairie, his train was attacked by an estimated 300 Pawnee warriors. Drake organized and led a spirited defense of his train and, although greatly outnumbered, he and seven companions beat the attackers off, reportedly after Drake personally killed their leader with his knife. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Drake was appointed captain of a cavalry company of Lieutenant Colonel John Edwards' Southern Iowa Border Brigade.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Marks' Mills (revision 1370269061), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Jenkins' Ferry 1864 · 55 km
- Battle of Pine Bluff 1863 · 55 km
- Battle of Poison Spring 1864 · 71 km
- Battle of Arkansas Post 1863 · 88 km
- Colbert raid 1783 · 88 km
- Skirmish at Terre Noire Creek 1864 · 91 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Siege of Suffolk 1863
- Siege of Vicksburg 1863
- Skirmish at Ashley's Mills 1863
- Skirmish near Brooklyn, Kansas 1863
- Skirmish of Sporting Hill 1863
- Action at Ashley's Station 1864
- Ambush of the steamboat J. R. Williams 1864
- Bahia incident 1864
- Battle of Adairsville 1864
- Battle of Albemarle Sound 1864
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles