Marks' Mills Battleground State Park is an Arkansas State Park located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 8 and

Arkansas Highway 97 Highway 97 (AR 97, Ark. 97, and Hwy. 97) is a north–south state highway in Cleveland County. The route of begins at Highway 8 and runs northwest to US Highway 79 (US 79) in Kingsland. The route is maintained by the Arkansas State ...

, north of New Edinburg, Arkansas. It preserves a portion of the battlefield of the

Battle of Marks' Mills The Battle of Marks' Mills (April 25, 1864), also known as the Action at Marks’ Mills, was fought in present-day Cleveland County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Confederate Brigadier-General James F. Fagan, having made a forced m ...

fought on April 25, 1864, in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of

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 ...

. The battle was part of the

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 ...

. The park is one of nine historic sites that make up the

Camden Expedition Sites The Camden Expedition Sites is a national historic landmark consisting of nine nationally significant historic places in southwest Arkansas where events of the Union army's disastrous Camden Expedition of 1864 occurred during the American Civi ...

, a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. The battle was most known for the slaughter of black Union soldiers that were murdered as they tried to surrender.

Description and administrative history

The roadside park is shaped in an irregular four-sided shape at the junction of the two highways. It is dotted with picnic facilities shaded by pine and oak trees, and the area is in much the same condition of dense vegetative growth that the area was described as having in 1864. There are commemorative markers on the site. The Battle of Marks' Mills was between a column of Maj. Gen.

Frederick Steele Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for retaking much of secessionist Arka ...

's Union Army, en route from Camden to Pine Bluff for supplies, and a Confederate force under the command of

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

James F. Fagan that had taken up a defensive position at the road junction since the last sweep of Union reconnaissance in the area on April 21. The battle was a decisive victory for the Confederates, who captured 2,000 Union troops, four guns, and 240 empty supply wagons. The National Historic Landmark District designation was made in 1994.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marks Mills' Battleground State Park 1961 establishments in Arkansas Arkansas Heritage Trails System Battlefields of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Cleveland County, Arkansas Parks in Cleveland County, Arkansas Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Protected areas established in 1961 State parks of Arkansas

Description and administrative history

See also

References

External links