145th Anniversary of the Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas

Today marks the 145th anniversary of the Confederate victory at the Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas.

Fought on July 27, 1864, the battle took place in what is now the southeastern quadrant of the important city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Confederate forces led by Brigadier General Richard Gano and composed of both white and Native American soldiers swept down from nearby ridges and destroyed a full battalion of the 6th Kansas Cavalry in one of the great open field charges of the Civil War.

The battle, along with a second attack a few days later, was instrumental in driving Union troops into the primary fortifications at Fort Smith and eliminating their ability to effectively scout the movement of Confederate forces in the region. As a result, Southern troops were soon able to cross the Arkansas River and push north through the Cherokee Nation to achieve their dramatic victory at the Battle of Cabin Creek, which resulted in one of the greatest seizures of Union supplies by Confederate forces during the entire Civil War. The Battle of Massard Prairie opened the door for the major victory.

Although small when compared to many other battles of the war, Massard Prairie was significant for a number of reasons. In addition to creating the opportunity for the victory at Cabin Creek, it also marked one of the last great cavalry charges in American history. Confederate troops charged on horseback across miles of open prairie to achieve their victory. It was included one of the few documented instances of Union forces scalping Confederate dead after a battle. And finally, it deprived the Union troops at Fort Smith of desperately needed horses while providing Confederate forces with modern weaponry that would prove instrumental in coming actions.

The site is now marked by Massard Prairie Battlefield Park near the intersection of Red Pine and Morgan in Fort Smith. The park features a walking trail across the site of some of the key fighting, a memorial flag staff and a small monument. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardindex or consider purchasing my book, The Battle of Massard Prairie, available now at www.amazon.com or at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Northwest Arkansas.

Battle of Massard Prairie now available thorugh Amazon

The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas is now available through Amazon.com.

The book was published last spring but became available on Amazon this week and can still be delivered in time for Christmas. To order just follow the link above and search for "battle of massard prairie."

This book tells the story of one of the few overwhelming Confederate victories in Arkansas. Fought on the open prairie outside Fort Smith on July 27, 1864, the battle involved one of the great open field cavalry charges of the Civil War, documented instances of Union troops scalping Confederate dead and the virtual destruction of an entire battalion of the 6th Kansas Cavalry.

To learn more about the battle, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

Battle of Massard Prairie Book now available at Fort Smith Museum of History

Paperback copies of The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas are now available at the Fort Smith Museum of History in downtown Fort Smith.

The museum is located at the western end of Rogers Avenue across from the Fort Smith National Historic Site and is open daily from Tuesday through Saturday. As of yesterday they had a full supply of autographed copies of the book.

The book explores the 1864 Confederate attacks that resulted in the Battles of Massard Prairie and Fort Smith. The two actions were important preliminaries to the highly successful Second Cabin Creek Expedition in present-day Oklahoma, one of the most successful Confederate raids of the Civil War.

Proceeds from the books benefit the Cane Hill Battlefield Driving Tour project in Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith Museum of History.

They are also available for sale at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Northwest Arkansas and can be purchased online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

If you would like to read more about the Battle of Massard Prairie, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

New Review of Battle of Massard Prairie Book

I want to take a minute to post a quick note of thanks to Andrew Wagenhoffer of Civil War Books and Authors for his kind review of my new book, The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas.

You can read his review by clicking here.

If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating Civil War battle, please visit our Battle of Massard Prairie pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ArkansasCW4.

Profits from this book are being donated to assist in the development of the new Battle of Cane Hill Driving Tour in Northwest Arkansas.

New Book Released: The Battle of Massard Prairie

I'm pleased to announce the publication of my latest Civil War book, The Battle of Massard Prairie.

The book explores the history of a fascinating battle that took place on the outskirts of Fort Smith, Arkansas on July 27, 1864.

The Battle of Massard Prairie was one of the most dramatic Confederate victories of the Civil War in Arkansas and was especially significant because: 1) it included a mass cavalry charge across miles of open ground, 2) white and Native American Confederate soldiers fought side by side and 3) it resulted in one of the few documented cases of Union soldiers scalping Southern dead.

This book was completed a little over one year ago and is being published by Yuchi Heritage of Florida. The profits are being donated to various historic preservation efforts. 50% will go to the development of a new Driving Tour of the Cane Hill Battlefield in Arkansas and the rest will go to other worthwhile projects.

The book is available now at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ (just look for the Battle of Massard Prairie heading), where you can also learn more about the battle. It will be available at the gift shop of Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas in 7-10 days and will begin to pop up on the various online bookstores over the next month or so. Additional locations will be announced soon.

New top stories at ExploreSouthernHistory.com

Our new top stories at www.exploresouthernhistory.com give you the chance to explore the site of the Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas, where Confederate forces achieved a spectacular victory in 1864, as well as the "live country music capital of the universe," Branson, Missouri!

You will also find a number of other new and recently updated pages, so drop by for a visit when you can!