On one occasion, General Davis of the Union commanded a large force of about
30,000 infantry and many cannon to sweep the river.  In Lake Village, the flower of southern
Arkansas, a portion of the troops were set ashore because of the intense harassment in that area.
There, the 3000 troops and 100 cannon enjoyed the wonderful area by "foraging."  They were fed
and kept the best that they had ever been.
Major A.J. Smith ordered Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Mower to demonstrate against Lake Village.
Mower camped near Sunnyside Landing on the evening of June 5 and took up his line of march again
the next morning. News of a small Confederate cavalry force woke the men from their life of ease.
During one of the most torrential downpours of the area, the forces of 1000 regular Union infantry and
500 dismounted Confederate cavalry met.  Because of the muddy roads, the cannon were not available.
As the Union approached, the Confederates fled across a bridge over Ditch Bayou and burned it.
There they were in the safety of a thick forest.  The Union forces lined up on the other side of the bayou and bullets whizzed constantly during the battle.  The skirmishing Confederates fell back to Red Leaf where Col. Colton Greene and his men were encamped. As the Federals advanced, Greene’s men,
assisted by artillery, fought a delaying action at Ditch Bayou and then withdrew to Parker's landing on
Bayou Mason.

        After three hours, the rebels ran out of ammunition and the yankees had sustained heavy
casualties.  Both sides simultaneously withdrew. The Union troops advanced to Lake Village, camped
there overnight, and the next day rejoined the flotilla on theMississippi River at Columbia. The Rebels
delayed the Union advance but, eventually, allowed them to continue to their objective: Lake Village.