Battle of McGuire's Store | |||||
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Part of the American Civil War | |||||
Battle of McGuire's Store, 28 October 1862 | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
United States | Confederate States | ||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||
John Schofield Francis J. Herron |
Thomas C. Hindman Jesse L. Cravens | ||||
Units involved | |||||
3rd Division, Army of the Frontier | Cravens' Cavalry Brigade | ||||
Strength | |||||
c. 1,000 | 1,600 | ||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
1 killed, 4 wounded | 8 killed, 16 est. wounded |
The Battle of McGuire's Store (28 October 1862) was fought at McGuire, Arkansas, near Elkins,[1] between Union forces led by Brigadier General Francis J. Herron and Confederate forces under Colonel Jesse L. Cravens during the American Civil War. The skirmish was the result of an attempt by Union Brigadier General John Schofield to trap a body of Confederate cavalry reported to be at McGuire's Store. In the event, the operation failed when Herron's column took the wrong road and approached from the west instead of the north. Herron's well-equipped troops attacked Cravens' poorly armed and demoralized Texas cavalrymen and drove them off. This minor clash and other events caused Confederate Major General Thomas C. Hindman to suspend his intended advance to recover northwestern Arkansas and withdraw to the Arkansas River. Ironically, most of Schofield's soldiers also retreated to Missouri after the fight. Though the clash was minor, it marked one pulse of the ebb and flow of the war in northwest Arkansas.