Battery A Site, Battle of Helena

This is one of four batteries erected by the Union army in 1862. Union troops occupied the city in July 1862 and established a major supply depot for General Grant’s siege of Vicksburg further downriver. Union forces in Helena, under the command of General Benjamin Prentiss, developed the ring of defenses around the city, guarding the northern, western, and southern approaches to the city. Battery A, the northernmost outpost, sat atop Rightor Hill overlooking Sterling Road and the Old St. Francis Road. It is not open to the public at this time, but a historical marker is placed at the intersection of Adams and Beech.