Prairie Grove Battlefield History

03/08/2024

We are so excited to receive a Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant through the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service. We love this quote from NPS Director, Chuck Sams, “We are proud to help state and local organizations preserve the irreplaceable historic and cultural resources in their communities. These landscapes hold the layered stories of past generations, and this protection ensures they will be shared for years to come.” 🩶💙
Check out the announcement below.

🙌🌳💸 Today NPS ABPP is thrilled to announce the award of over $1 million in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and the Pennsylvania Trails of History (PHMC) to protect 58 acres at 4 Civil War battlefields across the country!

Read all about each of these projects, here: https://go.nps.gov/24-01BLAG

To learn about NPS ABPP’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants, check out our website: https://go.nps.gov/abppBLAG

📸: A portion of Prairie Grove Battlefield. Image courtesy of the Arkansas Department of State Parks.

07/15/2023

Join us at the park on Friday, August 18, at 4 o’clock PM for a first person discussion of the lives of Captain Pleasant Buchanan and Corporal Montgomery Wilson. These men were citizens of Canehill before the war and answered the call to service. One of them would not survive the war, and the other would return to a home ravaged by the war. We hope to see you as we discuss the amazing deeds and experiences of these two men!

07/12/2023

Greetings! I hope that you will join me in the coming weeks as we discuss the buildup to war in Arkansas in 1861! We will begin with the political turmoil in the United States through the 1850’s and the lead up to the declaration of Secession by South Carolina which led ultimately to the American Civil War. After this, we will discuss Arkansas’ two decisions; first not to secede, then to secede following President Lincoln’s call for troops. Ultimately we will find ourselves embroiled in the bitter war which followed and claimed the lives of over 600,000 Americans. Stay tuned to the page for more information and please, like and share this page with your friends!

07/11/2023

Welcome back to the Prairie Grove Battlefield History Page! This page has been defunct for some time but will become active once again! Join us as we discuss the history surrounding the Battle of Prairie Grove!

06/06/2021

04/22/2021

04/06/2021

This Day in History - April 6-7, 1864

Skirmishes at Arkansas River and Prairie Grove

Two related skirmishes that took place in northwestern Arkansas, these events were part of Confederate efforts to disrupt Union occupation activities. While ultimately inconsequential, these actions frustrated Federal commanders and led to more active campaigning in the state in an effort to stop Co...

04/01/2021

This Day in History - April 1-2, 1864

Skirmish at Arkadelphia

After capturing Little Rock (Pulaski County) and Fort Smith (Sebastian County) in September 1863, Union forces were in control of much of the state. From these two occupied cities, Federal troops could launch an attack into southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and eastern Texas. In March 1864, an....

03/19/2021

This Day in History - March 19 - April 4, 1864

Batesville Expedition
"While escorting a treasury agent to Batesville (Independence County), a detachment of the Second Arkansas Cavalry (US) commanded by Captain William F. Orr defeated various Confederate units around the area of Independence County in late March and early April 1864. Accomplishing their mission, known as the Batesville Expedition, the unit returned to its base at Rolling Prairie (Boone County) with no reported losses."

While escorting a treasury agent to Batesville (Independence County), a detachment of the Second Arkansas Cavalry (US) commanded by Captain William F. Orr defeated various Confederate units around the area of Independence County in late March and early April 1864. Accomplishing their mission, known....

03/17/2021

The clean up event is this weekend! We'd love to see you there.

Will you be here on March 20th or 21st to show your love for PGBSP? We have several important clean up projects for this weekend and we need your help!