Beginning tomorrow I will be starting a series on the Battle of Massard Prairie. Fought on July 27, 1864 on the outskirts of Fort Smith, this battle was one of the few overwhelming Confederate victories of the Civil War in Arkansas.
Although it was not as bloody as other major Southern victories like Poison Spring or Marks' Mills, the fight at Massard Prairie was a significant and fascinating engagement. It involved an open field cavalry charge that stretched across miles of open prairie and resulted in one of the few documented cases of Union troops scalping Confederate dead. Massard Prairie was also an important preliminary to the highly successful Cabin Creek Campaign and contributed significantly to the success of that operation.
Check back tomorrow for part one of the series. Until then, if you would like to read more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.
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