That would put the date of finding the false letters about July 1st "62. Curtis was on his way to Helena before July 7th, when the Battle of Cotton Plant, AR was fought, and he arrived at Helena on the 12th, five days later.

Had Curtis moved to Pine Bluff instead of Helena He could have still captured Little Rock. At Pine Bluff, Curtis could have been resupplied by way of shallow draft boats from Napolean Ar. or by the Napolean to Pine Bluff road. He could have forced the evacuation and abandonment of Little Rock without a shot being fired by way of the Pine Bluff to Benton road there to threaten the Little Rock to Texas road and the confederate supply line, besides cutting the Lower Arkansas river and it corn crop from Confederate use. The Confederates used both of these routes until September '63.

That was in my opinion one of Curtis' biggest blunders in not taking Pine Bluff when he could have, when it was ripe for the picking. There was nothing to resist him at Pine Bluff in July 1862 except a few regiments of poorly organized newly recruited regiment, in a Camp of Instructions, who were also poorly armed, or no arms at all.