On the eve of the Civil War, the Memphis to Little Rock Railroad had completed a line between Hopefield, across the Mississippi River from Memphis, and Madison in eastern Arkansas, and by January 1862 a second section between DeValls Bluff and the north side of the Arkansas River across from Little Rock was finished. These were the only rail lines in Arkansas. Confederate forces used the railroad to transport troops to fight east of the Mississippi until Memphis fell to Union forces in June 1862, after which the eastern section was little used. Union troops under Gen. Frederick Steele occupied DeValls Bluff in August 1863 and used the western stretch of the railroad after occupying Little Rock on September 10, 1863. As the line crossed the vast prairies east of the capital, it became a frequent target of attack and sabotage by Confederate cavalrymen, including destructive raids in 1864 against track, telegraph, bridges, trestle-works, forts, hay, and supplies near DeValls Bluff. Union use of locomotives on the railroad continued up to June 1865.