Civil War sites in Arkansas?

[HistoryGeek]

I know that the battle of PeaRidge happened out there but are there any others? I have looked through several books but have not found anything about Arkansas except for PeaRidge! I may sound stupid but its a question! Evan Hunsberger
HistoryGeek

[thecivilwardude]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Evan,
There is much more to the Civil War in Arkansas than Pea Ridge. From the battles at Prairie Grove, Helena, and during the Camden Expedition, to the Union occupation of Little Rock from September 1863 to the end of the war, the Civil War had a huge impact all over the state. You might want to try these general works on the topic.

Thomas A. DeBlack, With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861-1874. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2003.

Anne J. Bailey and Daniel Sutherland. Civil War Arkansas: Beyond Battles and Leaders. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000.

Mark K. Christ, Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1994.

Michael B. Dougan, Confederate Arkansas: The People and Policies of a Frontier State in Wartime. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1976; reprint, 1991.

Use these works to get an idea of the war in Arkansas. They will answer your general questions. Try this site as well

http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/historic-properties/civil-war-sites/

If you have any more questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps.

[Pennvolunteer]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Prairie Grove was a fairly major engagement as mentioned above. The state park website is;

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield/

Also, the Arkansas Civil War Roundtable has a website you may want to look at;

http://www.civilwarbuff.org/

[Gallo de Cielo]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Mr. Sesser's recommendations with regard to reading material are excellent.

Mark's Mill, Poison Springs, Prairie d'Anne, Arkansas Post, Camden and many others await within the confines of the "Natural State." You'll also want to check into the "Battle of the Bees."

Kind regards,

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Mr. Hunsberger,

Here is a link to pictures of Jenkin's Ferry: www.civilwaralbum.com/misc/jenkinsferry.htm

A good read on Arkansas is Steele's Retreat From Camden & The Battle of Jenkin's Ferry by Edwin C. Bearss; Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 67-18271. Out of print, so try getting a copy through interlibrary loan.

Regards,

[Rev]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Let us not forget Searcy Landing and the various skirmishes surrounding it.

[47thNYReb]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

I cannot find my copy of it right now, but when I went through Arkansas in '98, I picked up a free pamphlet that was called the Arkansas Civil War Trail. I cannot locate it to get a web site, but I did a quick google search using "civil war trail arkansas" and found plenty of information. Good luck.
p.s. Arkansas is a beautiful state and I recommend saving some time to go fly fishing while you are there. To a trout deprived Florida boy, this place is like heaven.

[mobluegraysoldier]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Some of the other posters forgot the Red River Campaign, and the Battle of Bentonville. A good source, if you can find it, is In Deadly Earnest by Phil Gottschalk. It is a very good history of the MO Confederate Brigade, and details the battles and thier time in Arkansas forming units prior to moving east of the Mississippi. Phil passed away a few years ago and the book was privately published. You might try e-bay or Amazon. Another possible source is James Country Muzzleloading.

Kevin Baker; aka, mobluegraysoldier

[Old Reb]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

and Elkins Ferry.

[Joe Walker]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Like Texas and some other Southern states, Arkansas puts out a nice folding map and brochure about all the CW sites in their state. I would suggest you have someone pick up one for you and mail it to you or go on the web site of www.civilwarbuff.org or http:history-sites.com/cgi-bin/boards/arcwmb/

The brochure/map is published by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street, Little Rock, Ark, 72201. The brochure/map is titled "Aguide to the Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trail". I got mine at a I-45 rest stop.

Joe Walker

[JimCarrol]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

I will be in Arkansas next week, if anyone would like any info from the park..

[tenthmo]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

Let's not forget the 4th of July Battle at Helena, Ark.
Confederate forces, under Sterling Price, attacked an entrenched Federal opponent. (He would make the same boneheaded mistake a few months later up in Pilot Knob, MO in late September).

[tenthmo]

Re: Civil War sites in Arkansas?

oops sorry CivilWarDude, I guess you did mention Helena.