Fairview Cemetery - Van Buren, Arkansas

The Confederate Section of Fairview Cemetery in Van Buren was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

The cemetery contains the graves of more than 400 unknown Confederate soldiers, many of whom died from wounds received during the Prairie Grove campaign of 1862. Also buried here are a number of identified Confederate soldiers, some of whom were killed during the Battle of Van Buren in December of 1862.

During the battle, Union officers placed artillery on the ridge at Fairview Cemetery and used it to shell retreating Confederate troops as well as steamboats on the Arkansas River. The cemetery is today a somber place to walk and reflect on the horrible cost of the war and also provides interpretive markers outlining the role of the ground during the Battle of Van Buren.

If you would like to read more about the Battle of Van Buren, Arkansas, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and scroll down the page to the "Arkansas" section.