The Last Battle of the American Revolution

If you spend much time reading about the American Revolution you will quickly notice that several different encounters claim the distinction of being the "last battle of the American Revolution."

I thought in honor of the 233rd anniversary of the official beginning of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord on April 18, 1775, it might be of interest to visit the topic of the final battle.

If you search "last battle" and "American Revolution" on Google, you will come up with all kinds of answers. One source (obviously wrong!) says it was the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Chattanooga, Tennessee, points to an engagement on Lookout Mountain in 1782. Kentucky claims the Battle of Blue Licks as the final battle and Florida recently erected a marker for its own candidate, a 1783 naval engagement off Cape Canaveral.

As best I can tell, the Battle of Arkansas Post in Arkansas was the real final battle of the American Revolution. The naval battle off Cape Canaveral, Florida, was fought on March 10, 1783, but five weeks later on April 16, 1783, a party of British-allied irregulars approached Arkansas Post. Sometimes remembered as "Colbert's Raid," the battle began before sunrise on the morning of April 17, 1783 and resulted in the last known shots and last known casualties of the American Revolution.

If you would like to read more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.

If anyone is aware of a documented incident that took place after April 17, 1783, I would love to hear about it!

Arkansas Post National Memorial - Gillett, Arkansas

One of the most fascinating and historic places in America is Arkansas Post National Memorial. Located near the community of Gillett, Arkansas, the memorial preserves the site of one of the oldest settlements west of the Mississippi.

Founded by the French during the late 1600s, Arkansas Post was the site of a series of French, Spanish, American and Confederate forts and settlements.

In 1783, the last battle of the American Revolution was fought here when a force of 100 white and Native American British allies attacked the American-allied Spanish garrison of Fort Carlos III. The Spanish prevailed, but the last known casualties of the American Revolution took place.

During the Civil War, Arkansas Post became the site of Fort Hindman, a major Confederate fortification. Control of the site was taken by the Union army in a two day 1863 battle involving a flotilla of Union warships and nearly 40,000 men.

To learn more about Arkansas Post National Memorial and its rich history, please visit our new Arkansas Post pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arkansaspost.