Morrilton in Conway County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Lewisburg in the Civil War
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 4, 2021
1. Lewisburg in the Civil War Marker
While a Confederate unit, the Conway Mounted Rifles, formed at Lewisburg in May 1861, the town was a Union base for much of the war. A garrison was established Sept. 28, 1863, and Col. Abraham H. Ryan recruited the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry (U.S.) there. The base was on high ground, with cannon aimed at Lewisburg with fortifications along the streets. Officers boarded at the Gordon Anderson house in town. In 1864 a smallpox epidemic ravaged the garrison and nearly 100 Union soldiers died of it and other camp diseases that the regiment suffered.
The 3rd Arkansas fought against guerrillas mainly, but abandoned Lewisburg twice in 1864 when large bodies of Confederates came into the area. The regiment mustered out at Lewisburg on June 30, 1865. A Freedmen’s Bureau office opened in June 1866 to aid freed people with labor contracts and to run a school. In 1868 the town was embroiled in conflict between the Ku Klux Klan and the Republican militia during voter registration. Parts of Lewisburg were burned twice during December, and Gov. Powell Clayton declared martial law in Conway County on Dec. 8, 1868.
Erected
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1861.
Location. 35° 8.537′ N, 92° 44.17′ W. Marker is in Morrilton, Arkansas, in Conway County. Marker is on East Burrow Road west of South Bridge Street (State Route 9), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Morrilton AR 72110, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Old Lewisburg (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Moose House (approx. half a mile away); Conway County World War I Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Conway County Veterans Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Conway County Vietnam War Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Conway County Korean War Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Conway County (approx. ¾ mile away); Conway County World War II Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Morrilton.
Also see . . . Encyclopedia of Arkansas on the Skirmish at Lewisburg. (Submitted on April 8, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 4, 2021
2. Lewisburg in the Civil War Marker
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 4, 2021
3. Lewisburg in the Civil War Marker in Lewisburg Cemetery.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 8, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 8, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
