One more point on supplies to Little Rock up the Arkansas River. Some of the Texas Cavalrymen being returned from Memphis were obliged to get off their boat and procede overland from Pine Bluff because of the low water in the Arkansas River. Certainly, Curtis could not have relied on supplies up that river after May or June.
Arkansas weather in 1862 made it totally impractible for large scale military movements. April and May were wet beyond record and many streams were either flowing too fast to ford in the mountains, or, in the lowlands, had overflowed way beyond their banks. Many of the diaries of soldiers, both Union and Confederate speak of the heavy rains and floods. By the time June came, rains had stopped and rivers were falling. Remember, the Mauripas made it all the way up to Jacksonport to shell Union troops on June 2nd, but by early July, the supplies sent up the White River for Curtis could only reach as far as Clarendon and then had to retreat because of falling river level.
In April and May, roads were almost impassable due to mud. Again, many diaries and unit histories comment on the slow going.
As far as the supply routes from Rolla and Pilot Knob were concerned, mud was only one of their problems. Guerrilla bands or partisan rangers were active. One supply train was attacked and destroyed less than fifty miles from Rolla. Additional security for supply trains was almost self-defeating. More soldiers to guard the trains meant more supply wagons for the guarding troops, and longer trains required more troops.
Certainly, the effective propaganda initiative from Little Rock also gave the inherently cautious Curtis pause.