y way of
Monroe and so down the Ouachita, Steele set out from Little Rock
on the 24th of March, moved by his right on Arkadelphia, and arrived
there on the 28th. His object in preferring this direction was,
not only to avoid the heavy roads in the low lands of the Ouachita,
but to take up Thayer, who was already on the march from Fort Smith,
thus making a fourth concentration in the enemy's country. The
exigencies of the wretched farce called a State election in Arkansas
had reduced Steele's effective force by fully 3,000, so that he
now moved with barely 7,000 of all arms, and six batteries. Opposed
to Steele was Price, with the cavalry divisions of Fagan and
Marmaduke, the former at Spring Hill to meet the advance from
Arkadelphia, and the latter at Camden, to guard the line of the
Ouachita. To strengthen himself, Price drew in Cabell and Maxey,
who with three brigades were at first engaged in watching Thayer.

On the 1st of April, hearing nothing from Thayer, Steele advanced
from Arkadelphia, crossed the Little Missouri at Elkin's Ferry on
the 3d, was joined by Thayer on the 6th, and on the 10th had a
sharp engagement with an outlying brigade, under Shelby, of Price's
army. Price was then at Prairie d'Ane, covering the crossing of
the roads that led to Camden and to Shreveport, but on the evening
of the 11th he drew back beyond the prairie to a strong position
eight miles north of Washington. To have followed Price would have
been to put Steele's long and lengthening line of communication at
the mercy of Marmaduke. This was what Price wanted; but when, on
the 12th, Steele saw the road to Camden left open, he promptly took
it, and, harried by Price in his rear, and not seriously impeded
by Marmaduke in his front, he marched into Camden on the 15th, and
occupied the strong line of the Confederate defences. This was
four days after the return of Banks to Grand Ecore, which of course
put an end to any farther advance of Steele in the direction of
Shreveport, and while he was waiting for authentic news, Price was
busy on his line of communication with Pine Bluff, and Kirby Smith,
with Churchill and Walker, was moving rapidly to join Price. On
the 20th of April Kirby Smith appeared before the lines of Camden;
but Steele had already begun his inevitable retreat a few hours
earlier, and having destroyed the bridge across the Ouachita, gained
so long a start that he was enabled make good the difficult crossing
of t