On the night of April 25, in anticipation of the attack, General McNeil ordered the evacuation of women and children via steamboat to a safe location upriver.
Also during the night two gunboats and a steamer arrived with additional troops to support McNeil's forces.
With the gunboats in place McNeil did not foresee any threat from the Mississippi River side of the city, so he had cannons moved from Forts A and D along the river to Forts B and C on the western side of the city.
In all, McNeil's forces totaled about 4,000 men, including supporting regiments from Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois, though some of these regiments may have arrived after the action had ended.

Shelby's column arrived at Cape Girardeau early on April 26.
With General Marmaduke's full division then on the western edge of the city, it assumed a formation that consisted of Colonel Burbridge's brigade in the center, Shelby's on the left, and Carter's on the right.
The line extended from just east of St. Mary's Cemetery on the north (near the present intersection of Missouri Ave and Mississippi St) to Gordonville Road on the south.
Its center was on the Jackson Road.

The attack began around 10:00 am on April 26.
Unsuccessful charges were made by cavalry units from both sides, the Federal troops being driven back by Colonel Shelby's superior cavalry forces and the Confederates being met with heavy fire from field artillery and the guns of Forts B and C. The artillery fire between the forts and Shelby's Brigade made up the bulk of the action.
The fighting lasted approximately four to five hours, ceasing sometime after 2:00 pm when General Marmaduke ordered his forces to withdraw.
On the night of April 25, in anticipation of the attack, General McNeil ordered the evacuation of women and children via steamboat to a safe location upriver. Also during the night two gunboats and a steamer arrived with additional troops to support McNeil's forces. With the gunboats in place McNeil did not foresee any threat from the Mississippi River side of the city, so he had cannons moved from Forts A and D along the river to Forts B and C on the western side of the city. In all, McNeil's forces totaled about 4,000 men, including supporting regiments from Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois, though some of these regiments may have arrived after the action had ended.
Shelby's column arrived at Cape Girardeau early on April 26. With General Marmaduke's full division then on the western edge of the city, it assumed a formation that consisted of Colonel Burbridge's brigade in the center, Shelby's on the left, and Carter's on the right. The line extended from just east of St. Mary's Cemetery on the north (near the present intersection of Missouri Ave and Mississippi St) to Gordonville Road on the south. Its center was on the Jackson Road.
The attack began around 10:00 am on April 26. Unsuccessful charges were made by cavalry units from both sides, the Federal troops being driven back by Colonel Shelby's superior cavalry forces and the Confederates being met with heavy fire from field artillery and the guns of Forts B and C. The artillery fire between the forts and Shelby's Brigade made up the bulk of the action. The fighting lasted approximately four to five hours, ceasing sometime after 2:00 pm when General Marmaduke ordered his forces to withdraw.
Battle of Cape Girardeau