Col. John M. Harrell, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 10.2, Arkansas
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

[259] brigade, and each time they drove the invader off with terrific slaughter. It is not detracting from any command to say that this brigade bore the brunt of the fight For five hours it poured a deadly fire into the enemy's ranks, while at the same time it was subject to a fire from the enemy that has carried sorrow to many a family.

Colonels Monroe, Gordon, Morgan, Pettus and Hill; Lieutenant-Colonels Basham (who was wounded), Bull, Harrell and Fayth; Majors Reiff, Portis and Adams, deserve great credit for daring and intrepidity, as well as the faithful discharge of duty during the fight. The brave Lieutenant-Colonel O'Neil, of Monroe's regiment, fell at the front, and Colonel Pettus fell mortally wounded while gallantly urging his men forward. Many officers and men fell that day, who have left proud names for their State to cherish. This brigade, here, as at the Poison Spring, charged the enemy with an intrepidity unknown, and bore the brunt of the fight, as it did there. . . . I wish to return my thanks to Captains Belding and Thomas, of General Fagan's staff, and to Lieutenant Field, of my own staff, for their assistance. . . . Lieutenant Field was seriously wounded.

Lieut-Col. F. M. Drake, in command of the Federal forces at Marks' mills, reported that his brigade included the Forty-third Indiana infantry, Thirty-sixth Iowa, Seventy-seventh Ohio, two sections of Battery E, Second Missouri light artillery, and detachments from First Indiana and Seventh Missouri cavalry. Several staff officers, a large number of citizens, cotton speculators, Arkansas refugees, sutlers and other army followers, and some 300 negroes accompanied the brigade. Major Spellman, from Pine Bluff, with 150 cavalry, joined the expedition on the Warren and Camden roads. Colonel Drake estimated that 250 of his brigade were killed and wounded, that less than 150 soldiers escaped the field, and that at the close of the conflict, 800 or 900 men lay dead or wounded on the field. Steele, in his report, gave the escort force at about 2,000, and said that 500 veterans of the First Iowa cavalry, a few miles in the rear of the train when attacked,