The Battle of Fort Smith was a small battle fought in western

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Background

In the wake of the failed Union

Camden Expedition The Camden Expedition (March 23 – May 3, 1864) was the final campaign conducted by the Union Army in Arkansas during the Civil War. The offensive was designed to cooperate with Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks' movement against Shrevepo ...

, areas of Arkansas lay prone to Confederate raids against Union outposts. One such raid occurred against a Union camp at Massard Prairie on July 27, 1864. Confederate General Richard Gano won a victory there, which encouraged further operations.Civil War at Fort Smith AR
/ref>

Battle

Several days later Gano's superior, General

Douglas H. Cooper Douglas Hancock Cooper (November 1, 1815 – April 29, 1879) was an American politician, soldier, Indian Agent in what is now Oklahoma, and Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Early life and career Cooper ...

, led a Confederate division several miles north to Fort Smith. Cooper's force consisted of Gano's brigade and General

Stand Watie Brigadier-General Stand Watie ( chr, ᏕᎦᏔᎦ, translit=Degataga, lit=Stand firm; December 12, 1806September 9, 1871), also known as Standhope Uwatie, Tawkertawker, and Isaac S. Watie, was a Cherokee politician who served as the second princ ...

's brigade. Gano took position along the Indian Territory side of the

Poteau River The Poteau River is a 141-mile (227 km)U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 long river located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is the only riv ...

while Watie moved up from the south on the Arkansas side. General

John M. Thayer John Milton Thayer (January 24, 1820March 19, 1906) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum United States Senator from Nebraska. Thayer served as Governor of Wyoming Territory and Governor of Nebraska. ...

commanded the town's defenses with three brigades. Watie's men made first contact with the 6th Kansas Cavalry of Colonel William R. Judson's Union brigade. Judson's men fell back from Fort No. 2 along the Texas Road, alerting the rest of the Union garrison of the Confederate arrival.Action at Fort Smith
/ref> Cooper's men began to shell the fort. Thayer responded by sending forward units from Colonel James M. Williams' brigade, including the 6th Kansas Colored Infantry and two howitzers from the 2nd Kansas Battery. The Union artillery proved superior and soon drove off the Confederate artillery and the supporting cavalry. Cooper ordered a withdrawal, leaving snipers behind to cover the retreat.Battle of Fort Smith, Arkansas
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Aftermath

Cooper took with him approximately $130,000 worth of Union arms and supplies. Thayer maintained control of Fort Smith for the duration of the war. Fort Smith is preserved within

Fort Smith National Historic Site Fort Smith National Historic Site is a National Historic Site located in Fort Smith, Arkansas, along the Arkansas River. The first fort at this site was established by the United States in 1817, before this area was established as part of Indi ...

Opposing Forces

Union

* District of the Frontier – General John M. Thayer ** 1st Brigade – Colonel

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

** 2nd Brigade – Colonel James M. Williams ** 3rd Brigade – Colonel William R. Judson

Confederate

* District of the Indian Territory – General Douglas Cooper ** Gano's Brigade – General Richard M. Gano ** Watie's Brigade – Colonel Stand Watie

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Smith, Action At Battles of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War Sebastian County, Arkansas Battles of the American Civil War in Arkansas Union victories of the American Civil War Conflicts in 1864 1864 in Arkansas July 1864 events