The Battle of Fayetteville, Arkansas - Part Five

The failure of Monroe's charge to break the Union lines convinced Gen. Cabell that he would not be able to take Fayetteville.

Consequently, he begin to pull his command back. Heavy firing continued between the two sides According to Union reports, the Confederate center continued to maintain its position while Cabell withdrew both wings and his artillery.

By 12 noon, however, the entire force withdrew from the battlefield and, other than some light skirmishing, the Battle of Fayetteville was over. Critically short of horses for his cavalry, Col. Harrison made no attempt to pursue Cabell and the Confederates passed back over the mountains to Ozark with no difficulty.

Precise casualties from the battle are difficult to determine. On the Union side, Harrison reported 4 killed, 26 wounded, 4 captured and 35 missing in action. Some of the wounded died from their injuries over the following day, so the final number of killed grew somewhat. Most of the missing had actually been taken prisoner by the Confederates. Cabell reported that he captured one lieutenant, one non-commissioned officer and 24 privates, but paroled them all before returning to Ozark.

Confederate losses were not reported with certainty by Cabell, who estimated that his casualty list would not exceed 20 killed, 30 wounded and 20 missing. This number was consistent with Harrison's estimate that the Southern troops lost around 20 killed and 50 wounded.

The Southern dead from the battle are buried at Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, a beautiful plot on the lower slopes of Mt. Sequoyah overlooking the battlefield. The Union dead rest at Fayetteville National Cemetery. The Headquarters House, which served as both Harrison's headquarters and the center of the Union line of battle, is now a museum. Located on East Dickson Street, the house can be toured by appointment through the Washington County Historical Society. You can visit their website by clicking here.

This concludes our series on the Battle of Fayetteville. To read more about the battle and see additional photographs of the battlefield, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/battleoffayetteville.