At the port town of Helena, Arkansas, defenders inflict heavy losses on a Confederate assault

To reduce pressure on Vicksburg downriver, Confederate forces made a powerful assault on Helena, Arkansas.  Around 7,500 men under General T. H. Holmes attacked the Union enclave defended by around 4,000 men.  The dawn assault made some headway but generally Union infantry, artillery, and naval gunfire decimated the exposed attackers. The effort ended in defeat with Confederate forces suffering around 1,600 total casualties, seven times that of the defenders. Ironically, Vicksburg surrendered that same day.  (By John Osborne)