Kelso in Desha County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Skirmish at Amos Bayou

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 26, 2017

1. Skirmish at Amos Bayou Marker

Inscription. In mid-February 1863, Confederate troops at Cypress Bend fired on Union transports on the Mississippi River. On Feb. 19, a force of Union cavalry and mule-mounted infantry set out in pursuit. The Union troops drove off enemy pickets before encountering Confederate artillery at Amos Bayou. The combatants traded fire until Union canister forced the Confederates back. The U.S. soldiers crossed the bayou on home-made rafts, but darkness halted their pursuit. The next day, they found a 12-pound howitzer the Confederates had to leave behind.

Erected 2013 by Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Desha County Historical Society, Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. (Marker Number 64.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 19, 1863.

Location. 33° 46.962′ N, 91° 16.155′ W. Marker is in Kelso, Arkansas, in Desha County. It is on Kelso Road 0.3 miles east of State Route 1, on the

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right when traveling east. Located near the Kelso Cemetery entrance gateway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Watson AR 71674, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Arkansas Delta,

in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain,

and in the Quapaw Homeland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

in the Piney Woods,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Town of Napoleon (approx. 0.9 miles away); Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center (approx. 1.2 miles away); Why Us? Why Here? (approx. 1.2 miles away); I Am An American (approx. 1.2 miles away); Taken Away (approx. 1.2 miles

Marker to right of cemetery gateway. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 26, 2017

2. Marker to right of cemetery gateway.

away); We Lived & Died Here (approx. 1.3 miles away); Rohwer Internment Camp Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Making A Living (approx. 1.3 miles away).

Regarding Skirmish at Amos Bayou. The area that would become Kelso was the site of a minor Civil War skirmish that occurred on February 19–20, 1863. The skirmish began at Cypress Bend (Desha County) on the Mississippi River ten miles due east of the area of Kelso. Even today, residents remark of a cannonball embedded in a walnut tree near the Kelso Cemetery. During the war, many people living at Cypress Bend moved to the area of Kelso to escape cannon fire from Union gunboats firing at a small but persistent Confederate battery at Cypress Bend.

Partial view of Kelso Cemetery & marker looking west. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 26, 2017

3. Partial view of Kelso Cemetery & marker looking west.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 686 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 30, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.