When the Civil War began, Marcus LaRue Harrison was employed in the railroad business when he volunteered for service in the 36th Illinois Infantry as a private. During the summer of 1862, Harrison received permission to raise a regiment of Unionist volunteers in occupied Arkansas following the Union victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Harrison organized the 1st Arkansas Cavalry in 1862 and was commissioned the regiment’s colonel. During Price's 1864 invasion of Missouri, Colonel Harrison was in command of the Union garrison at Fayetteville, Arkansas. During the Confederate retreat following the Battle of Westport, Price ordered a detachment from his army to attack Fayetteville. Harrison was able to successfully defend Fayetteville against the Confederate attack. At the close of the war, Harrison received a brevet promotion to brigadier general. When Harrison left the service, Harrison stayed in Arkansas and returned to the railroad business.
Bland, “Marcus LaRue Harrison (1830–1890).” Encyclopedia of Arkansas, December 3, 2018. Link.
OR s1 v41 p1, 397-398.
Sinisi, Kyle S. The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864. 328-331.