Tulip Creek Campaign Summary (May 1st - May 14th 1864)

THE WAR IN ARKANSAS II is still on-going, but the two sides have disengaged. They have put enough distance between themselves to name the 1^st campaign the Tulip Creek Campaign and declare it over. The Tulip Creek Campaign represents the period from May 1^st 1864, when the two armies left their winter camps, to May 14^th, when both armies had re-established their respective headquarters. The two commanders are free to rest, recruit, skirmish, or resume a new full campaign at their discretion. They will be receiving various reports and returns over the next week.
 

Engagements:

1.       Skirmish at Arkadelphia, May 2^nd and 3^rd 1864: Herling’s Brigade (2/Cav/XXVI), Randall’s Brigade (2/Cav/II) and Swain’s Division (2/II)

2.       Skirmish at Midway, May 4^th – May 5^th  1864: Herling’s Brigade (2/Cav/XXVI), Randall’s Brigade (2/Cav/II) and Smead’s Division (1/II)

3.       Skirmish at Midway, May 6^th 1864: Herling’s Brigade (2/Cav/XXVI) and Holcomb’s Brigade (1/Cav/II)

4.       Battle of Rockport, May 6^th 1864: Mallory’s Division (1/XXVI) and Smead’s Division (1/II)

5.       Skirmish at Jones’ Field, May 8^th 1864: Marple’s Brigade (1/Cav/XXVI) and Martin’s Brigade (3/Cav/II)

6.       Skirmish at Willow, May 8^th 1864: Herling’s Brigade (2/Cav/XXVI) and Holcomb’s Brigade (1/Cav/II)

7.       Skirmish at Elm Hill, May 9^th 1864: Marple’s Brigade (1/Cav/XXVI) and Martin’s Brigade (3/Cav/XXVI)

8.       Battle of Tulip Creek, May 10^th 1864: XXVI Corps vs. II Corps

PHASE I: On 30th April, the Confederate II Corps was in Washington and the Federal XXVI Corps was in Hot Springs. From the 1st to the 3rd of May, the two sides were trying to locate each other. First contact was between Col. Paul Herling's Federal cavalry brigade (2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division) and Brig. Gen. Charles F. Randall's Confederate cavalry (also 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, but in the Confederate II Corps). The two cavalry brigades skirmished very lightly west of Arkadelphia until Maj. Gen. Clinton Swain's infantry division (2nd Division, II Corps) came up and Herling made a fighting withdrawal through the town and then back toward Midway.

Phase II: The Federal 1st Division moved to Midway with Maj. Gen. Daniel Ormsby's Corps Headquarters. On hearing that Herling had sighted two divisions of infantry at Arkadelphia, Ormsby withdrew from Midway to Rockport before Herling or the enemy arrived, leaving Herling to skirmish there and then flee towards Point Cedar.

New cavalry brigades arrived at Hot Springs and Washington, with several portions of each army moving towards Arkadelphia while others moved towards Rockport. Herling doubled back towards Midway, chasing the 26th Arkansas which had been detached from Randall's Brigade and assigned to observe him, while Holcomb's Brigade left a position observing the enemy at Rockport and engaged Herling at Midway. Brig. Gen. Albert Holcomb was killed and command of the brigade was given to Col. William Dibble of the 26th Arkansas, who was the senior officer on the field.

At Rockport, the 1st Divisions of the two armies clased at Coffman's Knoll, with both corps headquarters being present at the engagement. As the Confederate's 2nd Division arrived, the Federal 1st Division withdrew toward Pleasant Ridge to the south.

Phase III: Arkadelphia was occupied by opposing forces on and off from the 7th to 9th, sometimes with only hours between one side leaving and the other arriving. The Confederate 3rd Division was waiting with Randall's Brigade for the arrival of Marple's Brigade, expecting to crush it west of town. Marple turned on Martin, who had been following him, leading to skirimish at Jones' Field, between Arkadelphia and Greenville.

When Marple didn't turn up, Gowan's 3rd Division marched off towards Greenville to find him. Randall stayed at Arkadelphia, to see Herling pass by towards Willow, chased by Dibble. The Federal 2nd and 3rd Division arrived, chased off Randall, but then marched back towards Princeton via Cache Marsa, as the Confederate 3rd Division turns around and began marching back towards Arkadelphia.

Dibble and Herling fought at Willow on the 8th and Herling withdrew towards Tulip to meet with Kraft's Brigade and the 1st Division, XXVI Corps.

Phase IV: Maj. Gen. James Hobbs was in Pleasant Ridge, when he heard about the skirmish at Willow on the 8th. He marched his 1st and 2nd Division towards will and had his 3rd Division and Randall's Brigade move towards Princeton. The Federal 2nd and 3rd Divisions had passed through Princeton and already met up with the 1st Division at Tulip. All forces of both armies were moving towards Tulip, with the exception of Martin and Marple's cavalry brigade, which fought at Elm Hill on the 9th until both brigades had exhausted their ammunition (they did not have ordnance trains with them)

On the 10th, fighting began in the morning with an unsuccessful attack. The Federals planned a counter-attack in the afternoon, but it was a plan that would never be implemented due to the arrival of Randall and Gowan's Division at the southern end of the field. The Confederates launched a second attack in the afternoon, part of which was driven back and part of which stayed engaged until dark.

End of the Tulip Creek Campaign:On the night of May 10th, the Confederate II Corps withdrew westward to Willow and the Federal XXVI Corps withdrew northward to Pleasant Ridge. They then began marching, and marching, and marching...  On May 14th, Maj. Gen. Hobbs re-established the II Corps Headquarters at Washington. On the 15th, Ormsby made his headquarters at Mount Ida. You can only really name a campaign when it is over, and it was clear that The Tulip Creek Campaign was over.

Casualties:

 

Senior Officers Lost:

·         Brigadier General Albert Holcomb (CSA), commander, 1/Cav/II: Killed at Midway, May 6^th

·         Colonel John Woods (USA), commander, 3/3/XXVI: Wounded at Tulip Creek, May 10^th