The Marmaduke-Walker duel occurred on September 6, 1863, near Little Rock, Arkansas,
between two Confederate States Army generals, John S. Marmaduke and Lucius M. Walker. The
genesis of the duel can be traced back to the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863, where
Marmaduke accused Walker of not providing adequate support to his forces. In retaliation,
Marmaduke did not inform Walker of a Confederate retreat. Subsequently, Marmaduke was
placed under Walker's command during a Union advance against Little Rock, but Walker did not
support Marmaduke during a retreat after the Battle of Brownsville. Following the Battle of
Bayou Meto on August 27, Marmaduke questioned Walker's bravery, and a series of notes
passed between the two generals through intermediaries resulted in a duel. Unfortunately,
Walker received a fatal wound during the duel, and Marmaduke was arrested but later released.
He survived the war and went on to become the Governor of Missouri. Union forces captured
Little Rock later in the campaign, after the Battle of Bayou Fourche.