The Civil War in Arkansas - Places

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Fort Smith
ALSO SEE:
FORT SMITH NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
FORT SMITH NATIONAL CEMETERY
522 Garland Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72901, (479) 783-5345

From The Civil War Trust's Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail;
Courtesy of Macmillan Travel

Description: Burial place for Union and Confederate soldiers, including three generals and 1,500 unknown soldiers. Site offers brochure, mini-museum of local military history, and tours if arranged ahead.

Admission Fees: Free.

Open to Public: Gates open daily: 24 hours. Office: Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Visitor Services: Information; rest rooms; handicapped access.

Regularly Scheduled Events: Sunday closest to Memorial Day: Memorial Day ceremony; November: Veterans Day ceremony; Dec. 7: Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance.

Directions: From I-540: take exit 8A (Rogers) and proceed toward downtown area. At the "Y" go to the right and take Garrison Road to Sixth Street. Turn left on Sixth Street - Cemetery is at the end of Sixth St. where it intersects Garland.

FORT SMITH NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
P.O. Box 1406, Corner of Third and Rogers, Fort Smith, AR 72902 (479) 783-3961

From The Civil War Trust's Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail;
Courtesy of Macmillan Travel

Description: Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves the site of two military posts and the historic Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas, noted as the jurisdiction of Federal Judge Isaac Parker during the last quarter of the 19th century. In 1861, Fort Smith was an outpost on the western frontier adjacent to the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). In April, 1861, Arkansas Governor Henry Rector sent militia troops to seize the fort and arsenal at Fort Smith.

Admission Fees: Adults, Seniors, & Groups: $4; Children under 16: Free.
Family-Spouse, Parents and Children: $8

Open to Public: Daily: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitor Services: Museum; gift shop; information; rest rooms; handicapped access.

Regularly Scheduled Events: Tours and demonstrations throughout the summer.

Directions: From I-40 west: take Rogers Ave. Go west on Rogers Ave. to the end of the road downtown. From I-40 east: take exit 64B; go 6 miles east; make the first right after crossing the bridge over the Arkansas River.

Devil's Backbone
Backbone Mountain Arkansas
September 1, 1863

After the Battle of Honey Springs, Union Major General James G. Blunt ordered Col. William Cloud to continue in pursuit of the Confederate forces that had withdrawn from Fort Smith and chased Brigadier General William L. Cabell's brigade nearly 16 miles south to a village known as Old Jenny Lind. The Rebels turned on Cloud and skirmished with him at the base of Devil's Backbone. Cabell's forces ambushed approaching Union troops and momentarily halted their advance. Regrouping, the Union forces, with the help of artillery, advanced again and forced the Confederates to retire in disorder to Waldron.

The Battle of Massard Prairie

On July 27, 1864, a Confederate cavalry force launched a daring sunrise attack on a detachment from the 6th Kansas Cavalry on Massard Prairie near Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The Federals were camped on the prairie to guard horses being grazed there and the Confederates completely surprised them.

More than half the Union soldiers on the field were killed, wounded and captured in what one Confederate general called a "brilliant and dashing affair."

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