THE CAMPAIGN OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
Headquarters House in Fayetteville Arkansas
Union Headquarters during
The Battle of Fayetteville
The Headquarters house in Fayetteville is one of the premiere examples of Civil War museums. You will find the luxury of the anti-bellum and the rustic artifacts of the fronteer.
There is little notice paid to the Civil War west of the Mississippi. This site will show you a few different points of view. The war between the state in Arkansas is not romantic or pretty. The suffering of the average citizen is almost beyond description.
The men hid to avoid conscription by both the Union and the Confederacy. The fronteer women were forced into a position of begging to have enough to eat, After both sides had ridden thru and stolen their food blankets, warm clothing and stock anamils. The situation worsend after the Army shifted their troops east in 1862.
Fayetteville Arkansas, is perched on the edge of the Foothills of the Boston Mountains. A broad plain sweep out to the North and the West and the Mountains cup the city from the South West to the East. Fayetteville sits in a stratigic location funneling the people thru mountain passes and the trails to the north and east from Missouri.
The North and the South fought over Fayetteville, this focal point for the penetration of the south.
We are going to look at the Campaign of Northwest Arkansas from the point of view of the current Historical societies of our area.
Southern Calvery and cannon have moved from Osage AR to test the strength of Fayetteville AR.
A cold early spring morning the Union troops were awaken by the sounds of musket fire, soon followed by that of the southern cannon.
This morning was near the end of the contest for the city, Fayetteville had be occupied by both the North and the South. The City had been severly damaged not by battle but by design. Both sides burning and destroying the mills and foods and other important goods, Just to keep the other side from having them. They would occupy the city and leave destroying as they left.
This battle was the first and only real military action the city saw in the war.
The southern troops, were on a scout that started in the Little rock area and sent them north to view and test the North. Following this battle they would go south to the Fort Smith area.
They had with them cannons which they positioned on Mt.Sequoya and fired accross the valleys at the Union battrys. The Union Cannon were set up on the ridge top where the University of Arkansas College of Business now exists.
They were there because they commanded a view of the western pass to the area and the road from the south. They could see the eastern trail where it came over the edge of mt sequoya.
The southern cannon remember were weapons which had already treked north thru the mountains. This meant they carried as much powder and ball as they could but not much in terms of a real battle. There was only enough for a few hours of vollys.
Still what they had was enough to cause dammage and terror in the city. Three reasons saved the city, They were A small force unprepaired for extended battle, the depletion of their cannons powder and shot, and a disasterous calvery charge.
The southern troops had skirmished out of the valley at the foot of Mt Sequoya and were trying to take the emplacements which the north had set up on the ridge top by where Head Quarters House is now located.
the north had 3 lines behind their barricades, forming a shallow C facing to the east. Dickson Street came right into the center of that C, an on that street the South staged its charge. The Horses four or so abreast charged the emplaced lines, and were met with terrable volleys. So devastating was the rifle power, that the horses charging collapsed in a pile with wounded and dieing men and horses completely blocking the charge.
The remaining southern troops veered south off the street and through the woods and sounding recall the South left the battle 2 1/2 hours after it had begun.
This fight, a battle for the north a scout for the south signaled the end of all order in fayetteville.
The North pulled out and moved the men and equipment to the east of the Misssissippi.
|
