Confederate brigadier-general
William L. Cabell departed
Ozark, Arkansas with 900 cavalry, intending to retake Fayetteville, Arkansas, which had been occupied by the
United States Army after its victory months earlier at the
Battle of Prairie Grove. Approaching the town from the south, Cabell's men captured a nine-man Federal picket near
West Fork, Arkansas on the night of April 17. The following morning, Cabell lost the element of surprise when his men skirmished with dismounted Federal pickets in east Fayetteville. The Confederates climbed East Mountain and
Hughey's Battery opened fire on the garrison with its artillery. Federal
Colonel M. La Rue Harrison deployed three companies of the
1st Arkansas Infantry to counter the threat. At about 6.00 am, Cabell ordered a charge on the city, hoping to capture the Federal commanders at the Tebbetts place, where they made their headquarters. The attackers halted as they waited for their artillery to shell the house into surrendering. Confederate colonel James C. Monroe now led a flank attack on the city, managing to take the Baxter House. The Confederates continued into Fayetteville, taking prisoners and destroying a supply train. However, the Federal forces finally rallied and halted any further Confederate advances. ==Battlefield preservation==