Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Ten

Cooper's expedition against Fort Smith had been more successful than anticipated in achieving its goals. In the engagements of July 27th and 31st, more than 100 Union soldiers had been taken prisoner and dozens more were either killed or wounded.

In addition, the Confederates had seized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of supplies, herds of cattle and horses, badly needed weaponry and literally driven the Union forces at Fort Smith into the fortifications of the town itself. Local pro-Southern families had been evacuated and Unionist families lost homes, property and - in at least one documented case - lives.

The inability of the Federals to secure their perimiters ended their use of Massard Prairie and adjacent grasslands to feed their herds of horses and cows. In short, Cooper had succeeded in confining the thousands of Federal troops at Fort Smith to their fortifications. This was to cause drastic consequences for the Union cause in the West over the next few weeks.

The expedition against Fort Smith was an important preliminary episode to the Second Cabin Creek expedition, a dramatic Confederate sweep up through what is now eastern Oklahoma that resulted in the capture of a massive Union supply train making its way from Kansas to Fort Gibson. Second Cabin Creek was one of the greatest and most successful feats of Southern arms during the war. Although it is little known today, it was one of the greatest supply seizures of the Civil War. It would not have been possible had not Cooper's expedition against Fort Smith been successful.

The Civil War in Fort Smith can be explored at several locations today. Among these are Fort Smith National Historic Site and the Fort Smith Museum of History in downtown Fort Smith and Massard Prairie Battlefield Park near the intersection of Red Pine and Morgan in the southeastern section of Fort Smith.

If you would like to learn more about the expedition, please consider picking up a copy of the book, The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is now available in paperback at the Fort Smith Museum of History and at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas. You can also purchase the book online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Hardback copies are available for online order only by clicking here.

Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Nine

The attack on the morning of July 31, 1864 by General Watie's men created great alarm within the defenses of Fort Smith. The Federals were unsure whether the Confederates were merely raiding or if they planned a full scale assault on the outer fortifications.

Reinforcements were rushed into the rifle pits and earthworks around Battery Number 2 and senior officers, including Colonel W.R. Judson of the 6th Kansas Cavalry soon arrived at the point of action.

Taking advantage of a lull in the firing brought on as Watie's men raided a captured campsite for supplies and food, the Federals pushed out from their defenses and seized a hill located about one mile south of Battery Number 2 and between the position of the Confederates and the Union fortifications. Troops from the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry and 2nd Kansas Battery opened fire on the Southern forces from this new position, effectively engaging a Confederate light battery that General Cooper had pushed forward in support of Watie's men.

The cannon of each side roared into action. On the Union side, Colonel Judson was wounded in the left leg by a shell fragment, but maintained his position on the field until the end of the engagement.

Among the Confederates, the effect of the higher grade Union artillery soon became obvious. Cooper ordered his light guns withdrawn, but in the process a Union shell exploded directly over the horses, killing three and wounding another and cutting the leg from one of the artillerymen. A second shell decapitated a second man.

The demonstration had, by this point, gone on almost all day and Cooper had achieved the goals of his attack. Pro-Southern families in the vicinity had been evacuated behind the protection of his troops, the homes of pro-Union families had been damaged and another large haul of supplies and livestock had been captured. With darkness falling, he left a line of skirmishers to engage the Federals from behind the cover of underbrush and began to pull his main force back.

The skirmishers kept up a hot fire with the Federal infantry and successfully shielded the withdrawal of the main body until well after nightfall.

Our series on Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith will conclude in our next post. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie. If you are interested in reading about the expedition in depth, please consider purchasing a copy of The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas. The book is now available at the Fort Smith Museum of History, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park or for order online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Eight

On the morning of August 31, 1864, Gen. D.H. Cooper launched a second attack on Fort Smith.

The advance began at sunrise with Major Barnett took the 2nd Creek Regiment and a detachment of Cherokee soldiers under Captain Samuel H. Gunter up the River road into Poteau Bottom, the low area opposite the Poteau River from Fort Smith. The river was too high to allow this force to do much damage, but they opened fire on the main garrison with small arms creating quite a bit of alarm.

At the same time, General Gano moved to the east and occupied a hilltop overlooking Massard Prairie (probably the one where the Fianna Hills subdivision is located today). Lt. Col. Jack McCurtain was sent down onto the prairie with his Choctaw battalion to try to draw enemy troops out into the open, but the Federals had largely abandoned the area following Gano's successful attack on the 27th. Even so, 11 Union soldiers were captured along with a few horses and a drove of beef cattle.

As these operations were underway, Cooper moved up the Fort Towson Road (today's Towson Avenue) with the main body of his force. General Watie led the advance and overran a picket post of 35 men from the 6th Kansas Cavalry about 4 1/2 miles south of the main garrison.

Driving quickly forward, Watie pushed the Federal pickets into the earthen fortifications that had been thrown up around Fort Smith, seizing a "plentiful dinner" and equipment valued at $130,000 in the process.

The Union fortifications facing the attack ran along the ridge marked generally by Dodson Avenue today. The principal redoubt in this section of the line was Fort or Battery #2, located off Dodson between Wheeler and Towson. Although the area is now heavily developed, a few sections of rifle pits can still be seen. Then known as "Negro Hill," the high ground offered a sweeping view of the land beyond across which the Confederates were advancing.

About one mile south of this point, a second hill (also located between Towson and Wheeler) can still be seen. This elevation became the key objective for both sides in the battle.

Our series on Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith will continue. Until the next post, you can read more online by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie. If you would like to learn about the expedition in depth, please consider my book, The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is now available at the Fort Smith Museum of History, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park or for order online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Massard Prairie Book now available at Fort Smith Museum of History

Paperback copies of The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas are now available at the Fort Smith Museum of History in downtown Fort Smith.

Open daily from Tuesday through Saturday, the museum is located at the western end of Rogers Avenue directly across from the Fort Smith National Historic Site.

As of yesterday the museum had a full supply of autographed copies of the books. Proceeds from their sales are being donated to the museum to assist in their massive operational costs.

Copies of the book are also available in Northwest Arkansas at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. It can also be ordered online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Proceeds from the sales also help support the new Cane Hill Battlefield Driving Tour project in Northwest Arkansas.

If you would like to learn more about the Battle of Massard Prairie online, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Seven

Following the return of Gano and his men from the successful action at Massard Prairie, General Cooper began to consider the possibilities for a second move against Fort Smith.

Like the first attack, he did not intend for this action to involve an actual assault on the fortified city itself. His numbers were insufficient and the Federal position too strong for that. Instead, he hoped to once again snap up outlying Union units, capture supplies and create a diversion that would allow pro-Southern families in the area to evacuate under the protection of his troops.

The plan this time called for demonstrations against multiple points. Gano was ordered to sweep back down onto Massard Prairie to snap up any isolated units that might have moved back out. A second detachment, composed of Native American Confederate soldiers, was sent up the west bank of the Poteau to fire across into the garrison itself. Cooper then moved up with two columns on the main roads approaching Fort Smith from the south.

The famed Cherokee commander, Brigadier General Stand Watie, was now with the Confederates and he led the advance as the Southern troops moved up the Fort Towson and Line roads.

As our series continues in the next post, we will look at the action that resulted from this advance, remembered today as the Battle of Fort Smith. If you are interested in learning more, please consider my book The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is available for order online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox and is also available in the gift shops at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Northwest Arkansas and at the Fort Smith Museum of History in Fort Smith.

Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Six

As they fell back from their victory at Massard Prairie, Gano's men passed over the ridges and open prairie to the Devil's Backbone (seen here).

Still hoping to draw a Federal pursuing force into an ambush along the commanding ridge south of Fort Smith, Gano moved slowly, making sure the Federal cavalry under Col. Judson was able to clearly see his men.

The very rear of the Confederate column skirmished with the oncoming Union troops, but it really amounted to little more than a sporadic exchange of shots with no casualties reported.

The Union officers simply were too stunned by the defeat at Massard Prairie and too concerned about the possibility of further disaster to engage in a spirited pursuit. Before they approached close enough for Gano to launch his planned ambush, they turned back to Fort Smith. In subsequent reports, they blamed the condition of their mounts for their lack of more aggressive action.

Realizing that there would be no pursuit and no second battle, Gano crossed his men over the Devil's Backbone to James Fork, a branch of the Poteau River and camped near the river that night before returning back to the main base at the old Choctaw Council House.

The stunning success of the attack on the 6th Kansas battalion at Massard Prairie electrified the main camp and news traveled like lighting across the mountains and prairies to the headquarters of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department and from there on east where it was recounted in newspapers as far away as Augusta, Georgia, and Richmond, Virginia.

The victory led General Cooper to begin considering a second aggressive action against Fort Smith, a move by which he hoped to secure even greater results.

We will have more on that when our series continues. Until the next post, you can read more about the Battle of Massard Prairie and related events by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith - Part Five

This is an engraving of James Asher, a member of the 6th Kansas Cavalry. He was wounded during the fight at Massard Prairie on July 27, 1864.

As the battle intensified with Confederate attacks from all sides, the Union line began to give way. The two companies on the left fell back first, dividing the Federal force and creating an even greater disaster.

The collapse of the Union line at the Picnic Grove led to a flight across the open prairie for over one mile. Although some of the Federals escaped, a large number were wounded or captured by Gano's cavalry.

According to eyewitness accounts, the Union soldiers fought desperately during this stage of the battle because they believed the Native American Choctaw and Chickasaw warriors fighting for the Confederacy would kill them all. This was, of course, not the case, but it took Southern officers some time to convince the Federals that they would not be harmed if they surrendered. Ultimately they agreed.

Rounding up his prisoners, Gano fell back quickly to the captured campsite where his men collected weapons and other needed supplies and then set fire to the tents. They then began a slow withdrawal from the prairie back into the hills, taking their prisoners and captured livestock with them.

Just as they disappeared from the southern edge of the prairie, Union reinforcements appeared on its northern edge.

Our series on Cooper's Expedition to Fort Smith will continue. If you would like to learn more before the next post, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

Also, please consider my book The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas. Paperback copies can be ordered online by following the link above and can also be obtained at the visitor center of Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Northwest Arkansas. They will also be available beginning next week at the Fort Smith Museum of History in downtown Fort Smith.

To obtain a hardcover edition, please see yesterday's post for more information.

Battle of Massard Prairie now in hardback

I will continue my series on Cooper's Expedition against Fort Smith tomorrow.

Because of the number of inquiries about obtaining hardback copies of the new Battle of Massard Prairie book, the publisher has arranged to make hardback copies available.

The price for hardcover editions is $24.95 plus shipping and handling.

Please click here for more information about hardcover editions or to place an order.

The Battle of Massard Prairie was fought on the outskirts of Fort Smith, Arkansas on July 27, 1864. A Confederate victory, it involved one of the few documented cases of scalping of Southern dead by Union troops during the entire Civil War.