Action at Bayou Meto |
When the Action at Bayou Meto is mentioned by Arkansas historians, they're not talking about duck season at the world-famous George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area. No, they're talking about a Civil War battle (sometimes referred to as the Action at Reed's Bridge) that took place Aug. 27, 1863.
Confederate troops tried to hinder the advance of Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele's Union Army toward Little Rock.
"Steele had advanced steadily across eastern Arkansas during August with a combined force of infantry from Helena and cavalry that had come down Crowley's Ridge from Missouri," writes Arkansas historian Mark Christ. "Though they were harassed by Confederate cavalry and partisans, the Union troops encountered little opposition, with the exception of a sharp clash around Brownsville (north of present-day Lonoke) on Aug. 25.
"A Union probe toward the Confederate works on Bayou Meto (at present-day Jacksonville) was turned back on Aug. 26. On Aug. 27, Brig. Gen. John Davidson's cavalry division advanced on the Confederate defenses on the bayou. Superior Union numbers quickly pushed back advanced Confederate skirmishers. Davidson hurried the Confederate retreat by ordering drums to be beaten to convince Confederates that they were facing Union infantry as well as cavalry.
"After the bulk of the Confederate force fell back across Reed's Bridge over Bayou Meto, the bridge was set on fire. Davidson ordered the First Iowa Cavalry Regiment of the Army of Arkansas to charge the burning bridge. Brig. Gen. John Marmaduke's defenders hit Union horsemen with a barrage of small arms and artillery fire, ending the charge and causing the majority of the Yankee casualties for the day."
Confederate and Union forces were spread out along the bayou's banks and fired at each other from time to time, though the remainder of the battle consisted mostly of artillery fire. There were 45 Union casualties. Confederate losses weren't reported.
"A Union shellburst early in the exchange killed one of Marmaduke's artillery commanders and wounded several of his aides, leading him to mass his six artillery pieces together to strike Union cannoneers," Christ writes. "This artillery duel continued throughout the day. The weakest point on the Confederate line was its extreme right, where 100 Missouri cavalry covered one of the few crossing points of the steep-banked Bayou Meto. Davidson's men failed to press the attack, missing an opportunity to flank the Confederate line from the east.
"Marmaduke requested several times during the day that Brig. Gen. Lucius Walker, his superior officer, join him on the front lines to confer on strategy. Walker refused to leave his headquarters at the rear of the Confederate lines, which later led Marmaduke to ask that he be released from Walker's command or that his resignation be accepted. He was transferred, and the two generals fought a Sept. 6 duel in which Walker was mortally wounded."
As the sun set, Davidson's forces left the area to the Confederates and returned to Brownsville. It was, at best, a tactical victory for the Confederates. They were ordered that night to retreat to within five miles of Little Rock. The Union advance on the state capital continued on Sept. 6.
After the Civil War, cotton gins were built along the banks of the upper Bayou Meto. The heavily forested bottomlands near the lower Bayou Meto, meanwhile, were slow to attract settlers. The lower bayou was, however, used to float logs to the Arkansas River.
The bayou begins where several creeks come together west of Little Rock Air Force Base. Bayou Meto meanders 150 miles south and enters the Arkansas River just southwest of Gillett. In 1923, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work on a floodgate near the mouth of the bayou in an attempt to keep floodwaters out of the river.
According to the Central Arkansas Library System's Encyclopedia of Arkansas: "The work entailed construction of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile north of the bayou's mouth for the transportation of materials to the area. A ditch was dug north of the bayou to divert water into the floodgate. Construction finally was completed in 1929."
A bridge was built across the floodgate in 1942 to allow for traffic between that portion of Arkansas and Jefferson counties. The bridge was in the original plans but was delayed because the construction company went bankrupt.
In 1948, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began acquiring land for what would become Bayou Meto WMA. The stated purpose of the WMA is "to offer quality wintering habitat for migrating waterfowl and resident wildlife while allowing opportunities for hunters."
Bayou Meto is among the largest state-owned WMAs in the country. It covers 33,832 acres in Arkansas and Jefferson counties.
AGFC documents describe the area this way: "The topography is generally flat with little more than an 11-foot change in elevation over the area. Sixteen gravel roads are available, totaling 17.4 miles. In addition, 25 dirt roads are scattered throughout the area but are only for AGFC employees conducting management and enforcement work. Permanent streams total 30.5 miles. They are Five Forks, Wabbaseka Bayou, Government Cypress Slough, Bear Bayou, Dry Bayou, West Bayou, Cross Bayou, Little Bayou Meto and Big Bayou Meto.
"Twelve intermediate streams, totaling 23 miles in length, form an extensive drainage network that feeds the permanent waterways. Seventeen ditches totaling 26 miles contribute to flooding and drainage. The largest and most significant is Salt Bayou Ditch, which extends eight miles into the WMA. Six lakes totaling 1,080 acres are on the WMA. Halowell Reservoir is the largest at 600 acres, followed by Grand Cypress Lake at 280 acres, Cox Cypress Lake at 150 acres and Wrape Lake at 80 acres.
"About 13,000 acres are flooded each fall to attract ducks. Two waterfowl rest areas, Halowell Reservoir and Wrape Plantation, also attract ducks in fall and winter."
Brent Birch, an authority on the history of Arkansas duck hunting, has written extensively about the bayou.
He writes: "Arkansas, branded as the Duck Capital of the World, is known for flooded-timber duck hunting. Expansive acreage of bottomland hardwood forests provide unrivaled habitat for migrating waterfowl in terms of refuge as well as food. Towering red oaks are a source of energy for ducks as well as the invertebrates and such that grow within leaf matter on the forest floor. As news of Arkansas' duck hunting spread in the 1930s and 1940s, wealthy sportsmen began traveling to the state, typically by rail, to experience the thrill. Many used local guides to gain access to high-production hunting grounds."
Out-of-state sportsmen began purchasing property and establishing exclusive hunting clubs. With average Arkansans locked out of hunting spots, state officials decided to start acquiring land for public hunting.
"Bayou Meto WMA is open to Arkansas residents the full 60-day duck season, but out-of-state residents have set windows as to when they're allowed to hunt," Birch writes. "Guiding isn't allowed on Arkansas' public hunting areas, but it once was. Bayou Meto WMA has unique rules regarding access, how many shells you can carry and the types of decoys allowed."
"We were about 15 years late getting started," longtime AGFC employee Trusten Holder wrote about the land acquisition for what Birch calls the blueprint all WMAs to follow. "But we weren't too late to take advantage of several outstanding areas that were still available."
Birch says: "Only in duck vernacular would Bayou Meto be described as outstanding. The federal land act that transferred the parcel to Arkansas--the Swamp Lands Act of 1849 and 1850 -- tells you all you need to know about how hospitable a place it was. But everything that made Bayou Meto difficult for civilization made it ideal for ducks."
Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.