Confederate and Union Occupation of Fort Smith - Ft. Smith, AR
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Max and 99
N 35° 23.282 W 094° 25.726
15S E 370236 N 3917012
Two-sided Historical Marker detailing the Confederate and Union occupation of Fort Smith.
Waymark Code: WMEB01
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 04/29/2012
Views: 14
Located between the Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith Museum of History, this historical marker details both the Union and Confederate Occupation of Fort Smith. One side gives the story of the Union occupation, the other the story of the Confederate.
Text on marker:
(top)
Arkansas Civil War
Sesquicentennial Commission
Union Occupation of Fort Smith
On Sept. 1, 1863, U.S. troops under Gen. James Blunt seized Ft. Smith. It remained a Union post for the duration of the war. Fort Smith became a haven for white war refugees and former slaves, many of whom joined the Union army. Fort Smith troops fought in the 1864 Camden Expedition, but most local fighting focused on guerrilla units infesting the area. In the summer of 1864, Union troops withstood a series of Confederate attacks from the Indian Territory. Soldiers and civilians faced a supply shortage until peace came in 1865.
Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
Preserve America, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Forth Smith Noon Exchange Club
Rotary Club of Fort Smith
No. 15/2011
Confederate Occupation of Fort Smith
On April 23, 1861, the U.S. garrison at Fort Smith abandoned the post as Confederate militiamen approached. Fort Smith became an important recruiting and training center for Confederate forces in west Arkansas. Troops from Forth Smith fought at Wilson's Creek, Mo., in 1861, and participated in the battle of Pea Ridge March 7-8, 1862. Confederate Gen. Thomas C. Hindman led an army from Fort Smith to the bloody combat at Prairie Grove on Dec. 7, 1862. The post remained under Confederate control until Union forces took Fort Smith Sept. 1, 1863.
Link to Marker: [Web Link]
History of Marker:
Additional Parking: Not Listed
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