Brigadier General John Davidson's troops captured Little Rock on the evening of September 10, 1863, as Major General Frederick Steele's column approached across the river. At this site, Union forces under Major General Steele crossed the Arkansas River on a pontoon bridge at 7:00 a.m. the next day. When they arrived in Little Rock, they marched to the Old State House and raised the flag of the United States. Private A.F. Sperry of the 33rd Iowa Infantry recalled arriving opposite the city near dark after firing on the far shore had ceased, hearing rumors of victory, passing burning locomotives with their bells ringing, and then learning that Little Rock was theirs and Davidson held possession as cheers rose among the marching regiments.