The Pocahontas Civil War River Walk Memorial

The Pocahontas Civil War River Walk Memorial. . , Sometime before 1830, Ransom Bettis arrived and built a home on the bluff overlooking this site. He operated a trading post for steamboat passengers and pioneers traveling down the National Military Road. Bettis Bluff, as it was called then, became an important and flourishing commercial river port on the Black River and in 1856 Pocahontas was officially chartered. On July 15, 1861, all military troops in the service of the state of Arkansas were transferred to the Confederate States. General William J. Hardee was appointed commander of all 6,000 available troops for the protection of the Upper District of Arkansas, and on July 22, 1861, General Hardee established headquarters and training at Pitman's Ferry in northeastern Randolph County, with mustering at Camp Shaver here in Pocahontas. His force included the Arkansas regiments commanded by Cleburne, Hindman, Cross, Lyon, Shaver, Borland, Shoup's Artillery, Trigg's Artillery, Robert's Battery, and Phifer's Cavalry. Before leaving Pitman's Ferry for Kentucky, Tennessee and the Battle of Shiloh, General Hardee ordered the transfer of all stores to Pocahontas, and left a force here under Colonel Solon Borland's command. In February 1862, General Earl Van Dorn, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Dept. of the Confederate Army, established headquarters in Pocahontas. His command included all of Missouri and Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Louisiana down to the Red River. General Van Dorn and his army of more than 16,000 troops marched west from here to Northwest Arkansas, where they were defeated at the Battle of Pea Ridge March 7-8, 1862. The town of Pocahontas, including most of the buildings and many homes, was burned during a Union raid sometime in November 1863. On Septeinber 13, 1864, General Sterling Price and his army of 12,000 troops arrived in war-torn Pocahontas for 3 days, repairing wagons and reshodding cavalry horse s. On September 17, the army marched north from here and General Price's Invasion of Missouri began. Five engagements were fought in Pocahontas between 1862-1864. Excerpt from the diary of Pvt. Peter Hotze of the Little Rock Capital Guards, 6th Infantry, Company A: "July 3, 1861. Today we arrived in Pocahontas after a short march of eight miles. The band played as we marched through the village. Captain Trigg's company greeted us with a gun salute. Rumor is that several thousand men are camping in the area. We are stationed 1 and 2 miles outside the village. July 6. I went with a few comrades to the village and bought a pair of slacks, shoes, and a few other items. Because of the large amount of men and officers in the area, we are not able to eat at the hotel. We went to the bar and bought two cans of sardines and had to eat them without a cracker or bread. In the whole village there was nothing else available. July 13. Yesterday I went to Pocahontas to buy a wool blanket, but there was not a new one available in the whole village. We had a long drill and for the first time we practiced loading and firing in the kneeling positions." , Civil War River Walk Memorial Design, Research, and Text by Gary D. Gazaway for The 2006 Pocahontas Sesquicentennial Committe, Linda Oakley Bowlin, Chairman. Benches designed and constructed by Mr. Jim Hagar and his Agri. students at Pocahontas Jr. High.