Fort Smith National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress o ...

located at Garland Avenue and Sixth Street in Fort Smith,

Sebastian County, Arkansas Sebastian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 125,744, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arkansas. The county has two county seats, Greenwood and Fort Smith. Sebastian ...

. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 13,127 interments.

History

Fort Smith was a frontier fort first established in 1817, by Maj. William Bradford as a post to prevent hostilities between the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

s and the

Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...

. Despite the strategic importance of the post, the army closed it after a severe outbreak of disease which had taken the lives of several of the men stationed there by 1824. The initial interments were made in the area during this time. In 1838, a new fort was constructed on the site, including an officer's quarters where General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

lived from 1841 until 1845. At this time, the original post cemetery was repaired, expanded, and improved. Fort smith park map

On April 23, 1861, as 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 ...

was beginning, the post was abandoned by the U.S. Army forces stationed there; it was then subsequently occupied by a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

garrison. During this occupation, nearly 400 Confederate soldiers died and were buried at the fort's cemetery. On September 1, 1863, the fort was then retaken by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

forces. In 1867, the post cemetery officially became a National Cemetery when many of the remains from soldiers who had been interred on nearby battlefields were exhumed and reinterred at Fort Smith. The cemetery includes more than 1,400 unmarked graves, many of them of Union and Confederate soldiers.

Noteworthy monuments

* A memorial to Unknown Confederate Dead, made of marble. It also commemorates Brigadier General James M. McIntosh, who died at the

Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place in the American Civil War near Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Federal forces, led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, moved south ...

and Brigadier General Alexander E. Steen, who was killed at the

Battle of Prairie Grove The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on December 7, 1862. While tactically indecisive, the battle secured the Union control of northwestern Arkansas. A division of Union troops in the Army of the Front ...

. * A Vietnam Veterans memorial, constructed of granite and bronze, erected in 1998.

Notable interments

* W.H.H. Clayton (1840–1920), lawyer and judge in post-Civil War Arkansas * Brigadier General

William Orlando Darby Brigadier General William O. Darby (February 8, 1911 – April 30, 1945) was a career United States Army officer who fought in World War II, where he was killed in action at age 34 in Italy. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Da ...

(1911–1945),

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran, leader of ''Darby's Rangers'' *

Jack Fleck Jackson Donald Fleck (November 7, 1921 – March 21, 2014) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the U.S. Open in 1955 in a playoff over Ben Hogan. Early years Born in 1921 and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa, Fleck's parents ...

(1921–2014), World War II Navy veteran and professional golfer *

Richard C. Gatlin Richard Caswell Gatlin (January 18, 1809 – September 8, 1896) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Early life Gatlin was born in Kinston, North Carolina, the son of John Gatlin and Susannah Caswell Gatlin. His mother was the ...

(1809–1896), Civil War Confederate general * James M. McIntosh (1828–1862), Civil War Confederate brigadier general * Isaac C. Parker (1838–1896),

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, frontier

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

known as "The Hanging Judge" * Hal Smith (1931–2014), United States Air Force veteran and MLB catcher * Alexander E. Steen (1827–1862), Missouri State Guard (Confederate) general

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Fort Smith National Cemetery

* * * {{National Register of Historic Places Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Historic American Landscapes Survey in Arkansas Buildings and structures in Fort Smith, Arkansas United States national cemeteries Arkansas in the American Civil War Protected areas of Sebastian County, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Sebastian County, Arkansas

History

Noteworthy monuments

Notable interments

See also

References

External links