Trans-Mississippi Battlefields

Buckeye Bill

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I am planning an itinerary for this fall (depending on Covid-19) or next spring to visit ACW battlefields and sites in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

My main venues :

* Mine Creek Battlefield
* Baxter Springs Battlefield
* Honey Springs Battlefield
* Fort Smith National Historical Park
* Prairie Grove Battlefield
* Pea Ridge National Military Park
* Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (New Visitor Center)

I have visited the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Pea Ridge National Military Park and Prairie Grove Battlefield (re-photograph venues). I have never visited the other sites and I am looking for member's pro's and con's. I am also up for recommendations to visit other sites near these listed sites.

Thanks,
Bill
 
I've never had the opportunity to visit any of those battle sites, so I am looking forward to knowing what your experiences are after your trip.
 
Arkansas Post maybe? I know most of what was there during the war is underwater now but I've heard they've done a nice job telling the story of the area dating back to the early days of American history.
 
Carthage and Newtonia would be easy stops in-between mine creek and springfield.

And not specifically CW, the George Washington Carver monument is nearby to Newtonia battlefield.

Battle of Island Mound is a bit NE of Mine Creek, it's a newer battlefield preserved, haven't visited it. Though if you go much further north....might as well do Westport sites
 
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A little farther north in Missouri are excellent state historic sites at the battlefields of Pilot Knob (Ft. Davidson), Lexington (battle of the hemp bales) and Athens, up near the Iowa border. All three battle sites have interesting visitor centers and original buildings and/or earthworks. The state also maintains the former Confederate Home at Higginsville, south of lexington. Driving tours with interpretive signs are available at the battlefields of Carthage and in Kansas City (Battle of Westport). Along the Kansas-Missouri border are the battlefields of Mine Creek (where Price's Raid came to grief), and Island Mound (first skirmish by Black soldiers). Also Ft. Scott Natl. Historic Site (active before and during the Civil War). There's a lot to see in Missouri and eastern Kansas!
 
… I have visited the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Pea Ridge National Military Park and Prairie Grove Battlefield (re-photograph venues). I have never visited the other sites and I am looking for member's pro's and con's. I am also up for recommendations to visit other sites near these listed sites.

Thanks,
Bill
I'll vouch for Fort Smith - don't forget the FS National Cemetery either; among the usual is Merrill of Merrill's Marauders fame!

On a totally different theme, if you get as far as Claremore, be sure to visit the Will Rogers Museum and his gravesite. It's extremely well done and a real slice of Americana.
 
Here's a thread full of places I stopped by in the region:


One place I highly recommend Cane Hill, Arkansas. It's a quiet little town southwest of Prairie Grove that's reinvented itself and resurrected a lot of its old buildings, with good signage of its small but very interesting CW battle (its dang near my favorite battle of the war). To its south is the Boston Mountains which were heavily used by Confederates as a screen to dash out and attack Federal forces at different points and is a beautiful region you got to pass through to get to Fort Smith if you take the direct route.

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I recommend Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign by William Shea as its the best book on this small forgotten battle among others in that campaign. As for places like Wilson's Creek, they have an excellent museum, and the staff is extremely helpful if your wanting to research a particular item. I know they were very obliging towards me when I wanted to research some items, and they went above and beyond to help me out months after my visit when they didn't have to. Great people!
 
Here's a thread full of places I stopped by in the region:


One place I highly recommend Cane Hill, Arkansas. It's a quiet little town southwest of Prairie Grove that's reinvented itself and resurrected a lot of its old buildings, with good signage of its small but very interesting CW battle (its dang near my favorite battle of the war). To its south is the Boston Mountains which were heavily used by Confederates as a screen to dash out and attack Federal forces at different points and is a beautiful region you got to pass through to get to Fort Smith if you take the direct route.

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I recommend Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign by William Shea as its the best book on this small forgotten battle among others in that campaign. As for places like Wilson's Creek, they have an excellent museum, and the staff is extremely helpful if your wanting to research a particular item. I know they were very obliging towards me when I wanted to research some items, and they went above and beyond to help me out months after my visit when they didn't have to. Great people!

I am looking forward to tour the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield's new visitor center.

Thanks for the advice to visit Cane Hill!

Bill
 
Having spent some time in Arkansas, there are several towns my ancestor was in (126th Ill. Inf.) Helena, Clarendon, DeVall's Bluff, Little Rock and Pine Bluff. 106th. Ill. was in Benton and Rockport AR.
 
I am looking forward to tour the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield's new visitor center.

Thanks for the advice to visit Cane Hill!

Bill

Cane Hill doesn't like to focus on its CW history, preferring to focus on the towns post-war history, which there is very little of. Just typical small farm town stuff, why they don't give the CW a bigger focus is beyond me. Its got some interesting CW bits. May favorite occurrences being:

1. General Blunt- The Commander of the Union forces, he rode to the battle in a carriage, then around the field on a horse with a Henry Rifle, and actually downed two Confederate cavalrymen with it, (Where else in the CW you have a General doing that!)

2. Tredegar Mountain Rifles- There were 20 of these 2.25in. cannons made at Tredegar in Richmond, four of them were sent west of the Mississippi when Hindman was on a whirlwind spree begging for supplies and weapons after Van Dorn stripped Arkansas of everything. At Cane Hill there was at least one of these guns on the field, and in the latter part of the battle a Federal shell destroyed the carriage. The crew literally got together, and carried the barrel off the field! Under fire.... A union cannoneer sitting with his battery's horses reported a shell from one of those guns went through two of their horses, and he described the shell as "looking like an old fashioned clock weight."

3. The Indians- The Federal's 1st Indian Home Guard got into trouble after the battle. Apparently they looted a couple hats, a bunch college books, and "an electrical toy" from the college intent on carrying them home. But the the Army made them return it all.

Fascinating if small battle that is almost completely forgotten.
 
Looks like a well rounded trip. You know you could joins us the Shiloh muster. :whistling:
 
If your in the west central Missouri, Lexington is a very good place to stop.

There's only two restaurants that I can recall, a McDonalds, and a Mexican food joint. Don't eat at the Mexican food place! Hands down worst Mexican food I've ever had.

I toured this battlefield in the snow in the middle of January 2011. I also toured the Westport sites right after my visit to Lexington. I was a popsicle when I arrived to my little sister's house in Boonville, Missouri.

Bill
 
Fort Smith National Historical Park
I know you like to visit the smaller, less visited battlefields as do I. In December 2018, I read a small book about The Battle Of Massard Prairie and posted a review of it here.




There is a small Massard Prairie Battlefield Park near Fort Smith. I hope to some day make it to visit both. If you Google the Battle Of Massard Prairie, you can find information about the park. Here is a link with some information about the battle if you don't want to get the book:

 
I still wonder what happened to Blunt's black bordered US flag. It was captured by Quantrill's men and I saw the image in an old book in my university's special book's collection. many years ago. I had a copy of the image. It was being used as an example of a Federal unit carrying a no quarter flag. Baxter Springs cause Blunt's reputation to hit rock bottom. Curtis sacked him, because of the loss of his son. Blunt's command, The District of the Frontier was stripped from him, and he faced a court of inquiry over the incident. He was no longer in a favorable light in Kansas. Curtis said more about the loss of his son in a letter to his wife.
 
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