Old River Lake AR017

supportedunresolved Greene says his scouts reported the fleet of transports and gunboats coming up on the 5th and that on the 6th the enemy was discovered to be in large force. Mower says the enemy's line was concealed in the timber, and that he advanced his infantry supposing the battery would keep firing, which it did not.

Knowledge stated by each commander; no message log inspected.

supportedunresolved Mower says he had no artillery until Smith sent Cockefair's battery, and that Gilbert's brigade relieved the Third Brigade, whose ammunition was exhausted. Greene says he sent his train to the rear across Ditch Bayou before the action and withdrew when his ammunition was exhausted and his rear insecure.

Statements of both commanders; no ordnance return inspected.

supportedunresolved NPS says A. J. Smith ordered Mower to demonstrate against Lake Village, which the Union troops reached after the Confederates delayed them; Mower says he marched toward Lake Village, some 8 miles off, and bivouacked there. Greene says he meant to skirmish back to Ditch Bayou and make a stand there.

Stated aims from a summary and the two commanders.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. Mower says the enemy's artillery was silenced after about an hour and the enemy escaped while the bridge was repaired, and that he went on to Lake Village. Greene says he withdrew slowly and in good order after fighting until 2.30, and harassed the enemy back to his boats the next day. NPS says the Confederates delayed the advance but let it reach its objective.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty field reads 280 (US 180; CS 100); the live field reads 170 (US 133; CS 37). Greene gives his loss as 4 killed and 33 wounded and, from prisoners, the enemy's as over 250 killed and wounded. Mower says he had already forwarded a list of casualties but gives no figure in the selected report.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Greene's 37 matches the live Confederate figure; no inspected source gives the Union 133 or 180 or the frozen Confederate 100.

supportedunresolved The frozen and live commanders are Brigadier General Joseph A. Mower and Colonel Colton Greene. Mower says A. J. Smith arrived and ordered the cavalry withdrawn and the battery sent to him, that the general commanding sent Gilbert's brigade, and that Mower ordered the infantry forward and Hubbard to cross the bayou. Greene says he disposed his regiments, sent a force to Lake Village and pickets to the outlets, and withdrew in order; he says Major General Smith commanded the Union force.

Command roles from the two commanders; the senior Union officer present, A. J. Smith, is not a listed commander for this record. The listed commanders do not receive automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field names two brigades of the XVI Army Corps against Marmaduke's Division, without bounds; the live field reads zero. Mower says he landed with the Second and Third Brigades of his division, later joined by Gilbert's brigade and Cockefair's battery, and that the enemy's force was entirely cavalry and artillery. Greene, commanding Marmaduke's brigade, says some 8,000 infantry with 700 cavalry and twelve guns under A. J. Smith were in his front, that his own force did not exceed 600 men and six guns, and that he fought against odds of seven to one.

One commander's count of his own force and his estimate of the other's; Mower gives no figures. The frozen 'Marmaduke's Division' is not the brigade Greene commanded. None is adopted as a matched opening strength. The live zero is not measured absence.

supportedunresolved Mower says the enemy held the far side of a bayou in heavy timber, largely concealed, while his troops were in an open field and greatly exposed, and that the partly destroyed bridge delayed his crossing. Greene describes Ditch Bayou as a deep cut 3 miles long from Old River Lake to Bayou Mason, with his guns placed by the lake covering the bridge, and says his position had only two outlets and needed watching to the rear and right.

Ground described by the two commanders; no map verification. The bayou is a natural feature but the bridge was damaged during the action, so the phase is left unresolved.