Hail Damage at Fort Smith National Historic Site

The Fort Smith area was hit by a major spring storm this week that resulted in damage to homes and businesses across the city.

Tennis ball size hailstones smashed windows, car windows, signs and even knocked holes in structural siding throughout the downtown area. As this photograph illustrates, the historic structures of Fort Smith National Historic Site were not immune.

Hail knocked out several windows in the Quartermaster's Storehouse (the stone building at left) and in the old Barracks, also known locally as "Judge Parker's Courthouse" (the red brick building in the center of the photograph). Fortunately, though, the historic structures were spared more severe damage.

As of today the smashed windows were boarded up, but the park remains open to the public and downtown Fort Smith is recovering well from the storm.

Arkansas Post, Conclusion

This post will conclude our series on Arkansas Post National Memorial. If you read the previous posts by checking the Archives section.

The flag in this photograph is the faded banner of the "Travis Rifles" (Company C, 6th Texas Infantry). The company was captured, along with its flag, during the Battle of Arkansas Post on January 11, 1863. The "A.R." on the flag stands for the "Austin Rifles," another name for the unit. The men of the 6th Texas were exchanged later during the year and went on to fight in Tennessee and Georgia. The flag remained in private hands for many years, finally winding up in the possession of an Oklahoma family. Through their courtesy, it was donated to Arkansas Post National Memorial and is now a prominent display in the Visitors Center.

Arkansas Post National Memorial today preserves and protects the rich history not only of the Civil War battle, but the more than three hundred years of settlement on the site. The last battle of the American Revolution was fought here in 1783 and a series of forts and towns stood on the bluff.

To learn more about Arkansas Post National Memorial, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post, Part Seven

This is part seven of a series on Arkansas Post National Memorial.

When the Navy resumed its bombardment of Fort Hindman at 1 p.m. on January 11, 1863, the Union army pushed forward against the line of Confederate rifle pits. The Federal soldiers immediately ran into sharp resistance from the Confederate defenders, who opened on them from their entrenchments with musket and field artillery fire.

Union troops came within 100 yards of this section of the Confederate lines, but were driven back twice by intense Southern fire. At 3 p.m. the 120th Ohio was ordered to storm Fort Hindman itself. The soldiers advanced to within pistol shot of the fort only to find themselves pinned down for more than one hour by troops firing from the earthworks.

Finally, to break the stalemate, Union officers ordered forward field artillery and began to shell the shallow Confederate rifle pits. The Union gunboats soon joined in the bombardment of the infantry positions and The men in the right or east section of the line began to surrender. Colonel James Deshler's Confederates along the sector stretching from the center to Post Bayou, however, refused to give in.

While a Union landing party, including Admiral Porter himself, took position of the wrecked Fort Hindman by climbing through an embrasure, Deshler continued to hold his position and even argued face to face with Union General Steele who was demanding his surrender. It was not until Churchill appeared in person and ordered Deshler to surrender that the Alabama colonel and his Texas troops gave up the fight. His stand was one of the most impressive of the war and would lead to his promotion to brigadier general after he was exchanged later in the year.

Brigadier General James Deshler was killed by an artillery shell during the Battle of Chickamauga. He was 30 years old at the time of his death.

The surrender of Deshler's men ended the Battle of Arkansas Post. Fort Hindman was in ruins and the town of Arkansas Post was in flames. The strongly built old bank building, used as a hospital by the Confederates, had been demolished by artillery fire.

The Union forces lost 138 killed, 898 wounded and 29 missing. The Confederates suffered a loss of 60 killed, 80 wounded and 4,800 captured, as well as the loss of the fort.

Although his claimed victory, Union General John A. McClernand drew the wrath of his commander, General Ulysses S. Grant, for taking 32,000 men off into the Arkansas swamps on what Grant considered a "wild goose chase." McClernand was demoted following his victory at the Battle of Arkansas Post.

Our series on Arkansas Post National Memorial will conclude tomorrow. Until then, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost to read more.

Arkansas Post, Part Six

This is part six of a series on Arkansas Post National Memorial. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page or look under the Archives heading.

This photograph was taken looking straight down the line of Confederate rifle pits at Arkansas Post. They are difficult to see, even in person, but if you look closely you can see the slight rise in the earth running away from the camera in the center of the picture.

As an additional defense, Southern troops had built this line completely across the peninsula formed by the Arkansas River on one side and Post Bayou on the other. It provided protection to Fort Hindman from rear or flank attack and also guarded the town of Arkansas Post itself, which had been converted into a military encampment by 1863.

As the 32,000 Union troops advanced on his defenses, Confederate General Thomas Churchill ordered his 5,000 or so men into the rifle pits and Fort Hindman itself. Many of his troops were dismounted cavalry.

When the Union navy began its bombardment of Fort Hindman on the afternoon of January 10, 1863, the Union army approached but did not attack the rifle pits. Both sides slept on their arms that night and prepared for a much more intense battle the next day.

Our series on Arkansas Post will continue. Until then, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost to read more.

Arkansas Post, Part Five

This is part five of a continuing series on Arkansas Post Natioanl Memorial. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

This is a Civil War sketch from the collection of the National Park Service showing the January 10-11, 1863, Union naval attack on Fort Hindman at Arkansasw Post.

At 5:30 p.m. on January 10, 1863, Union army forces informed Union Rear Admiral David D. Porter that they had formed across the peninsula facing the Confederate rifle pits at Arkansas Post.

Upon receiving this news, Porter moved the ironclads Baron de Kalb, Louisville and Cincinnati to within 400 yards of Fort Hindman and opened fire. The Confederate gunners in the fort responded and the Battle of Arkansas Post was underway. A short time later, Porter ordered the tinclads Lexington and Black Hawk to join the attack. When the Confederate fire began to slow, he sent the tinclad Rattler to fire on the fort from the opposite shore of the Arkansas at almost point blank range.

The Rattler, however, found itself trapped by pilings the Confederates had placed in the river at a deadly range of only 100-yards from the fort. The Confederate gunners ravaged the unfortunate vessel with heavy fire, doing considerable damage.

As darkness began to fall on the scene, Porter realized that there would not be time for the Union infantry to attack the Confederate breastworks stretching across the peninsula from Fort Hindman to Depot Bayou, so he pulled back his vessels to wait for the next day.

Our series will continue, but until the next post you can read more about Arkansas Post National Memorial by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post, Part Four

This is a section of a Civil War diagram of Fort Hindman now housed in the collection of the National Park Service.

The sally port or gate of the fort is at the top of the image and the Arkansas River can be seen running along the bottom.

The cannon sketch shows damage inflicted on one of the fort's big guns during the Battle of Arkansas Post.

Our series on Arkansas Post National Memorial will continue. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post, Part Three

This is part three of a series on Arkansas Post National Memorial. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

The primary Civil War fortification at Arkansas Post was Fort Hindman, a full-bastioned square earthwork that stood on the edge of the bluff.

The site of Fort Hindman has long since been swallowed by the river and the location where the fort once stood is now under water. The National Memorial offers an interpretive overlook (seen here) that provides information on Fort Hindman and the 1863 Union bombardment that targeted it. A small scale model of the fort can be seen in the Visitor Center.

The fort was constructed under the supervision of the Confederate Navy to protect the "S" shaped section of the Arkansas River that passes by Arkansas Post. Built in the shame of a hollow square measuring 300 feet to a side with a full bastion on each corner, Fort Hindman had a 20-foot wide, 8-foot deep ditch. Iron-covered casemates provided additional protection for two of the fort's heaviest guns and the parapets were 18 feet thick at the top.

The artillery of the fort included four 3" Parrott rifles (10-pounders), two 9-inch Columbiads, one 8" Columbiad and four 6-pounder smoothbore field guns.

Our series on Arkansas Post National Memorial will continue. Until the next post, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post, Part Two

Today we continue our series on Arkansas Post National Memorial near Gillett.

The barely visible rectangle in the grass in this photograph is what remains of the old State Bank building at Arkansas Post. No longer active as a bank by the time of the Civil War, this substantial brick structure was used by Confederate troops as a hospital. It was destroyed during the Battle of Arkansas Post in 1863.

The old bank was one of a number of structures still standing at Arkansas Post at the time of the war. Most of these were either destroyed by cannon fire during the battle or burned by Union troops after the end of the fighting. It marked the permanent death of a community that dated back to the 1600s.

Founded by French explorers, Arkansas post had served as an important base for the French fur trade during the 17th and 18th centuries, a Spanish outpost during the American Revolution, the first Territorial Capital of Arkansas and eventually an important cotton shipping port. Already declining by the time of the Civil War, it was occupied by Confederate troops who constructed Fort Hindman on the bluff and used Arkansas Post as a base for raids against Union shipping on the Mississippi River.

Our series on Arkansas Post will continue with a look at Fort Hindman, the powerful fortification constructed there by the Confederates. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post, Part One

Today we begin a series of posts on Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett and its role in the Civil War. One of the largest battles fought on Arkansas soil took place here, involving nearly 40,000 men.

This photograph was taken looking down what was once Main Street of the town of Arkansas Post. Although the community had significantly declined by the time of the Civil War, there was still a cluster of buildings at the old town site and the street seen here was lined with structures.

More importantly to the Confederacy, Arkansas Post occupied a strategic point on the lower Arkansas River. A unique "S" shaped bend of the river made the bluffs ideal for the construction of defenses to prevent Union vessels from steaming up the Arkansas.

As a result, the Confederates constructed Fort Hindman, a powerful earthwork fortification, at Arkansas Post. The fort was a compact and strongly built earthwork with bastions on the four corners. In addition, the Confederates constructed rifle pits across the neck of the peninsula on which Arkansas Post was located. These stretched from Fort Hindman on the Arkansas across to the bank of Post Bayou.

Confederate forces in 1862 used Arkansas Post as a base for successful attacks on Union shipping on the nearby Mississippi River. They were able to capture a considerable quantity of needed military supplies, but in the process attracted the attention of the powerful Union army then operating along the Mississippi.

As our series continues, we will begin a look at the 1863 campaign against Arkansas Post. Until then, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

Arkansas Post Battlefield

One of the most historic spots not just in Arkansas, but in the nation, can be found at Arkansas Post National Memorial in eastern Arkansas.

Not only was this the site of historic French, Spanish and American settlements, it was the location of the last battle of the American Revolution and also the scene of a major Civil War engagement.

Beginning this weekend I will start a series of posts on Arkansas Post. I hope you will take some time to check them out.

Battle of Cane Hill, Conclusion

This is the ninth and concluding post in a series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page or check the archives section.

This photograph was taken on the Cove Creek Road at the site of the final fighting of the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas.

After he brought his men down from the mountain, Gen. Marmaduke turned south on the Cove Creek Road and moved a short distance to a point where the road ran through a very narrow space between the creek and the steep mountain bluffs overlooking it. The position was an ideal place for an ambush and Marmaduke was quick to take advantage of it.

Leaving a portion of his command to draw the Federals on, he formed a large body of men here and planted his artillery in a masked position. The Union cavalry fell for the trap. Blunt described the ambush in his official report:

The charge continued for about half a mile down the valley, to a point where it converged in a funnel shape, terminating in a narrow defile. At this point a large body of the enemy were in ambush in front and upon the flanks, where cavalry could not approach, with their battery also masked in front. As soon as the party we were pursuing had passed through the defile, they opened upon us a most destructive fire, which, for the moment, caused my men to recoil and give back, in spite of my own efforts and those of other officers to rally them; whereas, if they had, after receiving the enemy’s fire, passed on 200 or 300 yards, we would have secured, in a moment more, what we so much coveted – the enemy’s artillery. Emboldened by their success in defending the defile and checking our advance, they raised a wild yell and advanced toward us.

The final fighting soon ended, however, with both sides pulling back from the point of the ambush. White flags went forward and an agreement was reached to remove the dead and wounded from the field and the Battle of Cane Hill came to a close. The two sides would fight again just nine days later at the Battle of Prairie Grove.

The site of the Battle of Cane Hill today stretches across more than one dozen miles of countryside around the community of Cane Hill. A marker stands on Highway 45 and the Cane Hill College site is open to the public. Please respect private property in the area if you decide to visit.

Battle of Cane Hill, Part Eight

This is part eight of a nine part series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

This view looks down into the Cove Creek Valley from the mountain separating the valley from the old Cane Hill settlements. The historic road followed by the troops ran through what is now a wooded area to the left of the modern road seen here.

Withdrawing ahead of the final Union attack on his lines along the crest of the mountain, Gen. Marmaduke fell back into the valley. He had successfully delayed Blunt's advance throughout the day, but with darkness approaching he decided to move his men back to a safer position.

The outnumbered Confederates pushed down the ridge to Cove Creek and turned south on the historic Cove Creek Road. Reforming his men from the fighting on the mountain, Gen. Blunt soon followed, despite the fact that the sun was beginning to set over the mountains to the west.

Our series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas, will conclude in our next post. You can always read more about the battle by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARCaneHill.

Battle of Cane Hill, Part Seven

This is part seven of a series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

This photograph shows the old Cove Creek Road on the Cane Hill Battlefield at the point it crests the ridge dividing the Cane Hill communities from the Cove Creek Valley.

The final Confederate line on the mountain was formed along the crest on both sides of the road and intense fighting took place here.

According to Gen. Blunt, his men pushed toward the crest and encountered fierce resistance:

The resistance of the rebels was stubborn and determined. The storm of lead and iron hail that came down the side of the mountain, both from their small-arms and artillery, was terrific; yet most of it went over our heads without doing us much damage. The regiments just named, with a wild shout rushed up the steep acclivity, contesting every inch of ground, and steadily pushed the enemy before them, until the crest was reached when the rebels again fled in disorder.

The general's description of the Confederates fleeing in disorder probably appeared that way to him, but it was actually pretty typical of the way Marmaduke fought the battle. The Southern troops were outnumbered more than 2 to 1, so the Confederate general fought the Battle of Cane Hill as a massive delaying action. He would put his men into strong positions, fight, but then as the overwhelming Union army neared the point of being able to overwhelm his lines, Marmaduke would withdraw to another point and reform to fight again.

He did this throughout the day and it proved an effective strategy as it forced the Federals to fight for every inch of ground they gained, but did not endanger the operational safety of Marmaduke's much smaller force.

Our series on Cane Hill will continue tomorrow, but until then you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARCaneHill. The site includes more photographs, an in depth account of the battle and transcriptions of both Union and Confederate official reports.

Battle of Cane Hill, Part Six

This is part six of a series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

From their position on the mountain dividing the Cane Hill settlements from the Cove Creek Valley, the Confederates could see the ground across which Blunt's Union Army was approaching. Gen. Marmaduke described the scene here in his official report:

Immediately on top of the mountain I had a part of Colonel Thompson’s command, under Major [M.W.] Smith, formed to receive the enemy, and a little to the rear of Smith, on the right, I had one company of Elliott’s scouts, commanded by Captain martin. Smith and Martin calmly awaited the coming of the enemy, and as they came charging up the hill in solid columns, they poured a deadly fire on them, which sent them staggering down the mountain. By this time I had other detachments formed but a short distance in the rear (Smith and Martin falling back and loading), who fired on them with much effect, being in easy gun-shot. Martin, having his men ready and formed, delivered once more a terrible fire, but in doing so this brigade suffered a terrible loss in the death of the gallant and heroic Martin. He fell, as he lived, fighting for his home and fireside, “with his back to the field and his feet to the foe.”

The hillside fight was among the toughest fighting of the day, but the Federals used their overwhelming superiority of numbers to push their way up the mountain. Marmaduke used a staggered defense to defend the hillside, pulling back each line to the reinforcement of the next as the Federals advanced. Finally, though, the battle reached the crest where the final Confederate line had been formed along both sides of the Cove Creek Road.

Our series will continue, but until the next post you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARCaneHill.

Battle of Cane Hill, Part Five

This is part five of a continuing series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas. To read the previous posts first, please scroll down the page.

The spectacular view of Blunt's approaching army quickly convinced the Confederate commanders that they were seriously outnumbered. Deciding to withdraw into the Boston Mountains (a spur of the Ozarks) where they could hope to wage a more competent defense, they ordered their men to fall back again. The Southern troops withdrew from their second position, skirmishing as they went.

To delay the advance of the Union army, Markaduke stopped from time to time on ridges along the way and deployed his men into line of battle, forcing the Federal troops to do the same. Then, once the Union forces had deployed out and were ready for battle, he would slip away from his latest position and force them to form again for the march.

By doing this, he significantly delayed Blunt's advance, forcing the Union troops to deploy into line of battle, back into column, back into line of battle and so on for much of the day.

Finally, however, Marmaduke reached his objective, the high ridge that separates the Cane Hill communities from the Cove Creek Valley. This mountain provided a strong defensive position for the Confederates and also protected the Cove Creek Road, the only feasible avenue of retreat available to them.

Our series on the Battle of Cane Hill, Arkansas will continue. Until the next post, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ARCaneHill.html.