CAMDEN, Ark.
Union General Steele encountered another problem with supplies once the Union Army entered Camden. He was forced to share what little the army had with the Camden residents, who due to the burning of supplies by the Confederates, were starving.
Union foraging parties were dispatched to find any food stuffs available and were to pay any locals with Union “Greenbacks”.
Steamboats on the Ouachita River carried cargo and passengers from Camden to New Orleans
One foraging patrol operating about 30 miles south of Camden along the Ouachita River captured a steamer, the Homer. One member of the foraging party, being an old river steamboat pilot, steered the boat back to Camden. The haul of 3000 bushels of corn provided some respite from the rations the troops were used to.
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