Battle of Sylamore Bottom

The Battle of Sylamore Bottom started on Day 7 of THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN.  Maj. Gen. Francis Haggerty's III Corps of the Department of the Eastern Frontier (Confederate) was encamped Ruddell Manor on the east side of the White River and had placed no part of its force on the west side or at the pontoon crossing. In the afternoon, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Piatt's II Corps of the Army of the Arkansas (Federal) arrived at Sylamore on the west side of the river and crossed its 1st Division (Wingert's Division) to the east side. There was a light engagement between Willis' Brigade (1st Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps) and Sloane's Brigade (1st Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps) just before dusk.

 

In the morning of Day 8, Bradley's Division of the II Corps quickly crossed the river to join Wingert's Division just in time to meet an assault by the III Corps on their position by the river's edge at Sylamore Bottom. The two sides engaged in the open fields, with Lieutenant Gallop's Battery (Battery D, 3rd Illinois Light Artillery) on the II Corps left firing canister into Oestman's Brigade (2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, III Corps) and Captain Peter Side's Battery (Battery D, 3rd Missouri Light Artillery) hurling canister into Binker's Brigade (1st Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps) and Delaney's Brigade (2nd Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps).

 

As Delaney's Brigade began to give way on the left of the Confederate attack, Bradley's Division on the Federal right began a flanking maneuver to press their advantage. Before Bradley's flank attack could even begin, III Corps ordered a retreat back to a ridge to the east and took up a strong defensive position along a wood line, continuing artillery fire on the Federal in the open fields of Sylamore Bottom.

 

Brig. Gen. Paul Herling's cavalry brigade had crossed behind Piatt's Corps and moved to skirmish lightly on the Confederate far left, but the II Corps chose not to make a direct assault on the enemy position. They made a sliding maneuver to the north, threatening the III Corps flank and the road to Mt. Olive. This forced Haggerty's III Corps to withdraw from the field toward Mt. Olive. Total losses in the engagement were about 3,500 men with about 2,000 being from the Department of the Eastern Frontier and 1,500 from the Army of the Arkansas.

 

Heaviest Losses by Regiment were as follows:

Regiment	Brigade	Casualties	%
77th Alabama Volunteer Infantry	2/1/III/DEF	201	43%
241st Ohio Volunteer Infantry	1/1/II/AOA	149	41%
79th Alabama Volunteer Infantry	2/1/III/DEF	321	40%
70th Kentucky Infantry	2/1/II/AOA	314	39%
72nd Alabama Volunteer Infantry	2/1/III/DEF	145	36%
36th Louisiana Volunteer Infantry	1/1/III/DEF	148	31%
58th Wisconsin Infantry	2/1/II/AOA	91	29%
42nd Louisiana Volunteer Infantry	1/1/III/DEF	88	27%
69th Alabama Volunteer Infantry	2/1/III/DEF	132	27%
52nd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry	2/3/III/DEF	103	21%
68th Kentucky Infantry	1/1/II/AOA	112	19%
63rd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry	2/3/III/DEF	145	19%
40th Michigan Volunteer Infantry	1/1/II/AOA	101	18%
58th Mississippi Volunteer Infantry	2/3/III/DEF	81	17%
211th Ohio Volunteer Infantry	4/1/II/AOA	124	16%