The book actually tells the story of two battles: The Battle of Massard Prairie and the Battle of Fort Smith. These two encounters were part of a demonstration carried out by Confederate forces in late July and early August of 1864 against the Federal forces occupying Fort Smith. They were wildly successful.
The Battle of Massard Prairie was fought on July 27, 1864, and resulted in the virtual destruction of an entire battalion of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry (U.S.). Sweeping down from the hills on the south side of the modern city of Fort Smith, Confederate cavalry forces hit the Federal camp on Massard Prairie from three sides. The Union force broke and was chased down and scattered in a cavalry battle that swept across miles of open prairie. A Confederate victory, the battle was an important prelude to the Battle of Cabin Creek in Oklahoma the following month.
The Battle of Fort Smith was fought just a few days after the action at Massard Prairie and was largely a demonstration against the southern defenses of Fort Smith. It resulted in the capture and destruction of Union supplies and the safe evacuation of pro-Confederate citizens from the environs of the city.
Together the two battles forced Union commanders at Fort Smith to draw in their forces, opening the door for the subsequent Confederate victories at Flat Rock and Cabin Creek in the Cherokee Nation. Cabin Creek may have been the largest supply seizure of the war by Southern forces.
To download the free Kindle version of the book, please click here:
The Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith
If you do not have a Kindle reader, you can download the free software for your computer, tablet, iPad, smartphone, etc., at Amazon.com.
The book is also available in a print edition for $19.95. Please click here to order:
The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas
Enjoy your free reading and Merry Christmas!
2 comments:
Mr. Cox - I wanted to thank you for this generous offer. Your book was the very first one I read on my new Kindle and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I found the comment from the wife who knew her husband was dead when she saw his horse tied to the fence quite poignant.
You are very welcome and thank you so much for your comment. I try to make my books available now and then for free on Kindle just to spread the word about small battles like Massard Prairie. The stories, as you said, are just as poignant as anything people might find in the eyewitness accounts of the larger battles. A couple of my other books will be free tomorrow and on various days next week. I hope you will check them out!
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