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

Fort Smith Noon Exchange Club

Rotary Club of Fort Smith

Marker is on Rogers Avenue, on the right when traveling south.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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