Prelude to Helena

The march to Helena was fought against mud before it was fought against Prentiss. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says a bridge built by engineer John Mhoon washed away at Bayou De View, forcing an improvised ferry. Brig. Gen. James Fagan's column left Little Rock by rail and steamboat as far as Clarendon, which made for an easier march. On July 3, at a council of war at the Allen Polk house, the commanders approved a converging attack by 7,646 men to begin at "daylight," on reconnaissance that the encyclopedia calls inadequate.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Louisiana Purchase State Park — 11 mi
  A National Historic Landmark in a headwater swamp where Phillips, Lee and Monroe counties meet, marking the initial point of every survey of the Louisiana Purchase lands.
• Mississippi River State Park — 20 mi
  A state park and gateway to the St. Francis National Forest, where the river, Crowley's Ridge and the Delta meet, with a Trail of Tears site at the Mississippi and St. Francis confluence.
• Elaine Massacre Memorial — 29 mi
  A memorial dedicated in 2019 in Helena for the Black people killed by white mobs and troops in the 1919 Elaine Massacre, the deadliest racial confrontation in Arkansas history.
• Delta Cultural Center — 30 mi
  A state museum in downtown Helena where King Biscuit Time, the longest-running daily blues radio show, is broadcast live from the Visitors Center.

More markers nearby

• Moro in the Civil War — steps away
• Lee County — 13 mi
• Clarendon in the Civil War — 20 mi
• Monroe County First Courthouse — 20 mi