Elkin's Ferry Battlefield was the site of the
Battle of Elkin's Ferry, an engagement of the
Camden Expedition
The Camden Expedition (March 23 – May 3, 1864) was the final Military campaign, campaign conducted by the Union Army in south Arkansas during the American Civil War, Civil War. The Offensive (military), offensive was designed to cooperate w ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The battlefield is located about north of
Prescott, Arkansas
Prescott is a city in and the county seat of Nevada County, Arkansas, United States. The community had a population of 3,296 at the 2010 census. Prescott is part of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Located 100 miles southwest of Little ...
, spanning the
Little Missouri River in
Clark
Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
counties. The battlefield area was designated a part of the
Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, made up of several of the
Union expedition's key sites, on April 19, 1994.
Description
The Elkin's Ferry Battlefield is a predominantly wooded area, crossed by the Little Missouri River, and Middle and
Howard Creeks, which are tributaries to its south that flow roughly from west to east. The present alignment of Nevada County Route 37 and Clark County Route 14 roughly follows the route of the Union forces. The presumed ferry site is still visible as a deep cut in the river bank near the road. The ferry was replaced by a wooden bridge in the 1920s, which was washed out sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. The construction of
Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles from Interstate 20, I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas ...
resulted in the decreased significance of the area for transportation, and contributed to the preservation of the battlefield. The area is also flood-prone (as it was in the 1860s), and not suitable for development.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas
The National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas represent Arkansas's history from the Louisiana Purchase through the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. It contains the landmarks designated by the U.S. Federal Government for the U.S. state o ...
*
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada County, Arkansas
References
External links
*
Elkin's Ferry Battlefieldat
American Battlefield Trust
The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization (501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, through the acquisition of battlefield lan ...
{{Authority control
1994 establishments in Arkansas
American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places
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
Little Missouri River (Arkansas)
National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Nevada County, Arkansas
Protected areas established in 1994