Alfred Elam

Residence Putnam County IN;
Enlisted on 10/2/1861 as a Private.
On 10/2/1861 he mustered into "H" Co. IN 43rd Infantry
He was Mustered Out (date not stated)
He was listed as:
* POW 4/25/1864 Mark's Mills, AR

Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:
- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana

.........

MARKS' MILLS, ARK.
April 5, 1864. (See Camden, Ark., Expedition to)

CAMDEN ARK, Ark. (Expedition to)
March 23-May 3, 1864.

Maj.-Gen. Frederick Steele, commanding the U. S. forces in
the Department of Arkansas, left Little Rock with his command
on March 23, 1864. His plan was to cooperate with the forces
under Maj.-Gen. Banks for an expedition against Shreveport.
Brig- Gen. John M. Thayer, commanding the Department of the
Frontier, was to move from Fort Smith at the same time and
unite with Steele on the march. Steele's command consisted of
the 3d division, 13th army corps, 5,127 strong; Thayer had
5,082 infantry and the cavalry strength of the expedition was
3,428 a total of 13,754 men. The 3d division was directly
under Brig.-Gen. Frederick Salomon, whose brigade commanders
were Brig.-Gen. Samuel A. Rice and Cols. William E. McLean and
Adolph Engelmann. The artillery of the division under Capt.
Gustave Stange comprised Battery E, Mo. light artillery,
Vaughn's Ill. battery and a Wis. battery manned by Co. F, 9th
Wis. infantry. The brigade commanders of the Frontier
(Thayer's) division were Col. John Edwards of the 1st, Col.
Charles W. Adams of the 2nd, and Lieut.-Col. Owen A. Bassett of
the 3d or cavalry brigade. Brig.-Gen. Eugene A. Carr's cavalry
division comprised 2 brigades commanded by Cols. John F. Ritter
and Daniel Anderson. The Pine Bluff garrison, under Col.
Clayton Powell, which moved in conjunction with Steele,
consisted of the 18th Ill. and 28th Wis. infantry, the 7th Mo.
and detachments of the 5th Kan. and 1st Ind. Cavalry- 2,435
men.

On the day that Steele left Little Rock his pickets'
members of the 3d Ark. cavalry, were attacked on the Benton
road and 2 captured, the remainder being driven back until the
2nd Mo. cavalry came to reinforce them. When the column moved
into Benton next day, the advance having been fired upon from
ambush several times, a few of the enemy's cavalry were
encountered and driven out. On the way to Rockport continual
skirmishing was done. At sunset on the 27th Powell started
with an expedition from Pine Bluff for Mount Elba and Longview,
a cavalry force under Lieuts. Young and Greathouse in the
meantime being sent to make a feint in the direction of
Monticello. When near Branchville these two encountered and
skirmished with a Confederate picket. After a skirmish at
Brooks' mill the lieutenants built a great number of camp-fires
so as to mislead the Confederates as to the location of their
main force. Late in the evening of the 28th they rejoined
Powell at Mount Elba, which the latter had occupied after
driving away a force of the enemy. During the night the bridge
over the Saline was repaired and early next morning Powell,
leaving Lieut.-Col. Marks with the infantry, 3 pieces of
artillery and a squadron of cavalry to guard the bridge,
crossed the river and moved in the direction of Camden. Eight
miles from the river the roads from Camden, Princeton and Long
View and one from up the river converge. Making this point the
base of operations Young and Greathouse with 50 picked men were
sent out to destroy the enemy's train at Long View, parties
being sent out on the other roads to cover the movement. All
these returned the same day except that under Young and
Greathouse, who reported at 9:30 a. m. next day (30th) with 260
prisoners, 300 horses and mules, and an amount of arms and
ammunition, having destroyed the bridge and the enemy's train.
Powell then hastened back to Mount Elba where the Confederates
had attacked Marks. The latter had repulsed them, however, and
had driven them back about a mile. Powell followed with all
the available cavalry and found the enemy-two brigades under
Dockery-posted in strong position. A spirited charge was made,
resulting in the complete rout of the enemy, the Federal
cavalry pursuing to Big creek, 5 miles distant. The next day
(31St) Powell returned to Pine Bluff.

Meantime, on the 29th, Steele had occupied Arkadelphia,
his advance skirmishing with the enemy all the way. Thayer was
to have joined him here, but the lack of forage had made it
necessary for the latter to take another and longer route. On
the 31st the Confederate forces under Lawther attacked the
Federal advance 14 miles from Arkadelphia, compelling it, after
a skirmish of an hour, to fall back some distance. Next day
(April 1) Steele's advance and a party of the enemy's scouts
became engaged near Arkadelphia, the Confederates being forced
to withdraw after a brief conflict. Steele encamped that night
at Spoonville, advancing from there on the 2nd. While a train
of 200 wagons with its escort was passing a narrow, miry defile
at a small stream, a mile east of Terre Noir creek and near
Antoine, about 1,200 of Shelby's cavalry made a dash on the
rear-guard. The charge was checked long enough for the train
to get through the defile and the artillery to get into
position, when, after a few shots, the enemy retired. While
Col. Benton with the 29th Ia. was crossing Terre Noir creek the
action was recommenced. Before he could gain an elevation near
the crossing his rear was charged, but the skirmishers held the
enemy in check until the forces were disposed. After a brisk
fight of an hour the attack was discontinued. On the same day,
while the 50th Ind. was acting as a rear-guard for the whole
column, it was hotly pressed by Confederate cavalry. Salomon,
with four companies of the 9th Wis. and 2 pieces of artillery,
was ordered to take the rear. As soon as the main column was
again in motion he was beaten back by a strong cavalry force,
but fought his way to a hill half a mile distant, which he held
until reinforced by the 50th Ind. The enemy kept up a
harassing fire until dark but did not again charge. Earlier in
the day, when the 3d brigade had reached the forks of the
Camden and Washington roads, a detachment of 200 men of the 1st
Ia. cavalry under Capt. McIntyre, was sent down the Washington
road while the main column moved down the Camden pike.
McIntyre had gone but a short distance when he encountered a
force much larger than his own, but after some spirited
fighting defeated it and drove it back 3 miles to Wolf creek.
On a hill beyond that stream the Confederates made a stand and
opened artillery on the advancing column. Finding that it was
impossible to dislodge them, McIntyre retired and rejoined his
brigade at Okolona.

Thayer had not yet come up and Steele was beginning to
grow anxious. About noon of the 2nd a force of 1,500
Confederates under Shelby attacked the rear-guard of the 3d
division near Okolona. After a sharp skirmish, in which the
50th Ind. and the 29th Ia. participated, the enemy was repulsed
and Rice withdrew his brigade to Okolona but before he arrived
there it was necessary to repulse another of Shelby's charges.
When the division moved forward on the 3d Engelmann's brigade,
with 6 pieces of Vaughn's battery, was left at Okolona to await
the arrival of Ritter's cavalry brigade, when, the two commands
were to move back to Hollywood and if possible ascertain the
whereabouts of Thayer. Before the cavalry arrived Engelmann
was attacked. After a sharp but sanguinary fight the attacking
force was driven back, and on Ritter's arrival the two brigades
moved in the direction of Hollywood.

Late in the evening of the 2nd McLean's brigade, by a
forced march, took position at Elkin's ferry or ford on the
Little Missouri river. On the morning of the 3d Maj. W. W.
Norris, commanding the 43d Ind., proceeded to the front with
four companies of his regiment for the purpose of supporting
the pickets of the 1st Ia. cavalry already thrown out. The
Confederate pickets were soon located and driven back for some
distance, 16 of them being captured. During the night three
companies of the 36th Ia. and three of the 43d Ind., Lieut.-
Col. F. M. Drake of the Ia. regiment commanding, deployed to
the right and left of the road leading from the ford, and a
section of artillery under Lieut. Charles Peetz was placed in a
position to sweep the road. At 6 a. m. of the 4th the
Confederate force (Cabell's brigade, 1,600 strong) attacked
Drake, who with the support of the artillery held his position
for 2 hours, and then after a charge of the enemy's cavalry,
was forced to slowly fall back on his reserves. Before the
reinforcements sent for, consisting of the 29th Ia. and the 9th
Wis. infantry under Gen. Rice, had arrived, Drake's command,
with the rest of the 36th Ia., had repulsed the enemy.

On the 5th Ritter and Engelmann returned without having
learned anything of the whereabouts of Thayer. Some
skirmishing was done that day at Marks' mills which did not in
the least retard the movement of the column. After
ascertaining that the Confederates were fortifying in his
front, Steele determined to move at once and early on the
morning of the 6th the expedition started, skirmishing in the
vicinity of the Little Missouri river, where the enemy
abandoned a mile of hastily constructed breastworks of timber
and earth which crowned the hills overlooking the river bottom.
That night a messenger arriving at Steele's headquarters
reported having passed Thayer at Rockport, and it was decided
to await his coming where the Federal force was now encamped.
A heavy rain fell during the night and by the next morning the
river had risen 3 feet. It was dark before the pioneer corps
reached the stream, by which time the head of Thayer's column
had encamped on the hills at the farther side. By the evening
of the 9th a bridge had been constructed, Thayer's column
crossed without delay and joined Steele. On the 1Oth the joint
command moved for Prairie D'Ane. At the intersection of the
Spring Hill and Camden roads Price had posted all his available
force. The skirmish which ensued was brief, the Confederates
using artillery freely, but the Federals succeeded in occupying
and holding the ground. The following afternoon Rice's brigade
was ordered forward and drew the enemy's fire, but it was too
late to bring on a general engagement and a halt was ordered.
On the 12th the skirmishers became heavily engaged, but the
enemy perceiving an attempt of Rice's brigade to flank him
abandoned his works. More skirmishing occurred at Moscow on
the 13th, and on the 14th a portion of Thayer's colored troops
were engaged at Dutch mills. The 3d division encamped at White
Oak creek, 18 miles from Camden, after driving the enemy from
the place, and on the morning of the 15th moved forward with
Rice's brigade and the artillery in advance. There was
constant skirmishing with the Confederate rear-guard until the
Washington and Camden road was reached, where the enemy opened
fire with 5 pieces of artillery. Stange ordered his guns
forward and after a spirited engagement of nearly 2 hours
succeeded in dislodging the enemy's battery. The infantry was
then sent forward, the 33d and 29th Ia. being deployed on the
right and left respectively, while the 9th Wis. successfully
turned the enemy's left flank. The Confederates were followed
closely to Camden, skirmishing all the way, and Rice occupied
the town shortly after sunset.

From the 16th to the 18th inclusive foraging parties sent
out from Camden encountered bands of Confederates who had been
sent to burn the supplies of corn at Liberty postoffice, Red
Mound and other places. A party of Federal cavalry captured a
boat on the Ouachita river 30 miles below Camden with 3,000
bushels of corn and brought it to the Federal encampment on the
16th. A detachment of the Frontier division, with cavalry and
artillery, while escorting a foraging train, was attacked near
Poison spring by Price. Col. James M. Williams, commanding,
formed his men in battle array and repulsed, with heavy loss
both to himself and the enemy, two dashing charges, but after a
4-hours, fight he was overwhelmed and obliged to withdraw,
abandoning the train of 198 wagons. The wounded negro soldiers
were killed in cold blood after the Confederates had won the
field. On the 20th a slight skirmish occurred near Camden and
in the evening of the 23d Price opened an artillery fire on the
outposts of the town, following it up on the 24th. On the 23d,
also, there was a small affair at Swan lake, not far distant
from Camden.

On the 22nd the supply train, comprising 240 wagons, was
sent out McLean's brigade and 400 cavalry acting as escort.
When it arrived at Marks' mills on the 25th Fagan's cavalry,
5,000 strong, made a dashing charge and a fight lasting 3 hours
ensued, in which the enemy overwhelmed the Federal command,
McLean was wounded, and the train with the larger part of the
escort captured. A cavalry force sent from Pine Bluff arrived
just in time to participate in the finish of the engagement.
Another portion of the Union command did some skirmishing at
Moro bottoms on the 25th and 26th.

Banks' movement against Shreveport had failed and he had
fallen back behind intrenchments at Grand Ecore because of a
severe defeat at Pleasant hill. From Grand Ecore he sent a
messenger to Steele asking that reinforcements be sent him, but
Steele replied that such a move was an impossibility owing to
the lack of forage in the country to be passed through and the
superior force of the enemy, who had been reinforced by 8,000
of Kirby Smith's men on the 22nd. The loss of the wagon train,
however, necessitated a move of some kind and on the evening of
the 25th Steele announced his intention of withdrawing from
Camden. Accordingly on the night of the 26th the Federal
column moved quietly out and commenced the retrograde movement
to Little Rock on the Jenkins' Ferry road via Princeton. The
latter place was reached on the 28th and some sharp skirmishing
was done with the advance of the pursuing enemy, whose cavalry
attempted unavailingly to break the Union line. On the 29th
the Saline river was reached at Jenkins' ferry, where there was
some skirmishing with the enemy's advance on that day and early
next morning. The river bottom at this point is 2 miles wide
and while the expedition was crossing the stream Salomon's
brigade was called upon to repulse a heavy attack. Again at 1O
:30 a. m. another desperate assault was made on the Union line,
but again the enemy was repulsed and driven for some distance,
losing 2 guns and a number of prisoners. Steele then crossed
without further interruption, but found it necessary to abandon
several wagons because of the condition of the roads. A
scouting party was routed on the same day at Whitmore's mill by
a force of Confederate cavalry. Steele proceeded to Little
Rock, which he entered on the 3d of May.

The Federal losses in this expedition were in the
neighborhood of 700. A large number of men were captured,
Shelby alone claiming to have taken over 1,000. The
Confederate casualties in killed and wounded were about the
same.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 6