BATTLE AT DEVIL'S BACKBONE

The Battle of Devil's Backbone took place on what is now private property near Greenwood, Arkansas. A monument can be seen on U.S. 71 where the highway crosses Devil's Backbone.    

          

Battle of Devil's backbone     

On September 1863 a Union force under Col William F Cloud attacked Confederate troops at Backbone Mountain.  After three hours confederate General William L Cabell withdrew his command to Waldron.  Losses were 14 Federals and 7 Confederates kill and wounded.

Fort Smith was considered a 'strategic city” by both the South and the Union. On Sept 1, 1863, Confederate and Union forces fought the final battle for control of the city along the slope of the long rocky ridge known as the Devil's Backbone.

In the Ouachita Mountains, the long mountain ridge runs east to west from today's city of Greenwood, across the border into eastern Oklahoma. A natural barrier, it was an important factor in Confederate operations from 1863-1865.

On Aug 31, 1863, General Blunt's Union Army of the Frontier, only 9 miles from Fort Smith, advanced from the west to Fort Smith and where General Cabell's Confederate forces were located.  Cabell was severely outnumbered but formed his men in a line along the Poteau River in Oklahoma. After skirmishing with the union forces off and on throughout the day, Cabell knew he couldn’t hold back Blunt's stronger army on the open ground.

US GENERAL BLUNT

GENERAL CABELL, CSA

Cabell's force had been severely reduced by heavy desertion. Although the Feds believed his force was twice its actual size, Cabell had only 1,250 men. The ordeal along the Poteau ended quietly. "Knowing positively that the enemy had at least 2,300 effective men and eight pieces of artillery, and knowing that I could rely on but little more than one-half of the small number of men I had to fight, I determined to fall back, and to reach, if possible, a range of mountains in my rear, and to get all the trains and public property of every description across these mountains, with the hope that I might possibly save them."~~ General Cabell

Blunt, expeccting an intense fight with Cabell's men in the morning, found that Cabell had other plans. That night, Cabell fell back, sent his ox train with ordnance supplies back across Devil's Backbone to Waldron. The rest of his supply trains were ordered through the small community of Jenny Linda and on to Waldron. Knowing that once the Federals realized he was retreating, they would pursue him with a column of cavalry. Cabell decided to lay a trap where the Jenny Lind to Waldron Road crossed the Backbone. Taking positions on the slopes, their plan was to ambush the pursuing Union.

Unaware of Cabell's retreat, Gen Blunt related his surprise a few days later: "At daylight the following morning, I advanced to attack his position, but found that he had retreated during the night a short distance toward Fort Smith, and that from that point his force had divided, proceeding by various routes southward."

The Battle of Devil's Backbone developed the morning of Sept 1, while Blunt moved the main body to Fort Smith, his cavalry, the 2nd Kansas and 6th Missouri, with 2 sections of Major John Rabb's Indiana Battery, under Col William Cloud, were sent to pursue the retreating Confederates.

US COLONEL WILLIAM CLOUD

Anticipating this, the Confederate pickets withdrew ahead of Cloud’s men, leading them directly into the trap. Cloud's Union force clashed with the Confederate rear guard at Jenny Lind at 9:00 AM. For 3 or more hours after the ambush, the battle raged on, characterized especially by an intense exchange of artillery between the Confederate gunners and the men of Rabb’s battery.

Cabell had positioned his men in successive lines leading up to the main battle line, which was spread out along the rocky spine at the top of the ridge. Confederate troops opened fire from hidden positions at the base of the ridge. The battle raged along the slopes of the Backbone. The Union brought up artillery and both sides blasted away at each other, firing a lot of ammunition but doing little injury.

After hours of fighting, a temporary lull in the cannonade, brought about by the Union running short of ammunition. This brought about a collapse of the Confederate line; Cabell's troops unexpectedly broke and ran. Cabell had no choice but to abandon the fight and battlefield to the equally surprised Union troops. The Battle of Devil's Backbone was over and Cabell's hope of defeating the Union and recapturing Fort Smith ended.

Cabell listed his casualties at 5 killed and 12 wounded, but could not estimate the number of missing because hundreds of his men “ran in the most shameful manner.”

Cloud reported a total loss of 14, noting that, “the enemy suddenly withdrew, leaving his dead and wounded, together with arms, baggage, &c., in our possession. I immediately occupied the field, and extended my pickets beyond, taking prisoners and receiving deserters, who came flocking in."

More than 100 of the deserters, including 3 officers, took part in another battle at Dardanelle, Arkansas, (east of Fort Smith on the Arkansas River) just 8 days later – this time on the Union side.

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