Van Buren in Crawford County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

The War Comes Home

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 19, 2024

1. The War Comes Home Marker

Inscription. Sunday, December 28, 1862 The day started like any other cold December Sunday, by nightfall, Van Buren's citizens would know everything had changed. The Civil War had come home.

As they came out of church and made their way toward home and downtown, the rumbling sound of horses in a dead run was heard on Main Street. Everyone stopped to listen, trying to figure out exactly what was happening.

First, they saw Colonel Crump and his Texas 1st Partisan Rangers coming down the hill and racing down Main Street heading toward the Arkansas River. Right behind them, came Union Calvary troops, led by General Blunt, at a fast gallop down Log Town Hill with howitzers following. They turned onto Main Street and made their fast dash toward the Arkansas River. The General had stopped at Mount Vista to survey the town and observed the stern wheelers, side paddle boats and a ferry preparing to head down river. The General intended to stop those boats with all due speed.

The townspeople stopped and watched, with dropped jaws, in total disbelief of what they were witnessing. The Union troops were whooping and hollering as they

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galloped through the streets. They had expected to find at least half of Hindman's forces here, but found less than 2,000 men. A number of them were worn out, sick, wounded - and unarmed. The rest were so frightened, they outran the Federals, searching for a place to hide. This was December, they had very little food, no shoes, not much in the way of blankets - and they couldn't remember the last time they had been paid. They were just two weeks or so home from the Battle at Prairie Grove.

Monday, December 29, 1862 The next morning, December 29th, General Blunt arranged a parade to celebrate the arrival of the rest of his army and to impress the locals with their strength. Lieutenant DeWolf of the 7th Missouri Cavalry described the scene: "About eleven o'clock the whole army came in with banners waving and music and as the boys passed the flag staff where the Glorious old flag was fluttering the cheers went up loud and lusty." Blunt and Herron stood on the steps of the Courthouse and received the salute of each regiment. Civilians and paroled Confederates turned out as well, but there was one group that was much more enthusiastic

The War Comes Home Marker (on left). image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, March 19, 2024

2. The War Comes Home Marker (on left).

than the others, "The colored people seemed to enjoy it hugely," observed an lowa officer. That day they saw a different future.

While the infantry spent the day resting, bathing in the river and enjoying the town, a Calvary detachment scoured Van Buren and the countryside for food, horses, cattle and anything else of military value. "The town has a smart business look and its main street is very handsome," a Missouri cavairyman reported.

In mid-afternoon, Blunt, Herron, Huston and a few other officers boarded the ferry and crossed the Arkansas River. Blunt wanted to see for himself that Hindman had left, and as one officer said, "set his foot in interior Dixie." Satisfied in his mind that he had accomplished what he came to do drive the Confederate Army out of northwest Arkansas, Blunt ordered the Army of the Frontier to return to its' camps over the Boston Mountains.

Tuesday, December 30, 1862 Blunt led the last of his cavalry regiments out of Van Buren. Their imminent departure brought Crawford County's slave population including men, women and children with all their worldly possessions, out in droves. Hundreds more

Brigadier General James G. Blunt, commander of the Union raid on Van Buren image. Click for full size.

Public domain (LOC)

3. Brigadier General James G. Blunt, commander of the Union raid on Van Buren

waited along Telegraph Road north of Van Buren. They fell in line with the soldiers and followed them across the Boston Mountains. Eight months later, Blunt returned to the Arkansas Valley and Federal forces occupied Fort Smith until the end of the war.

[Captions]
Citizens watched in disbelief as the Union Army made the turn and stormed down Main Street and headed for the Arkansas River.

The Crawford County Courthouse as it looked in December 1862, where Union Generals Blunt and Herron stood on the wooden sidewalk in the foreground and received the salute of each regiment as they marched through town.

Van Buren's Main Street was spared during the Civil War, no buildings were burned during the battle of Van Buren; and by the 1880's the merchants were trying to make a comeback.

Ferries across the Arkansas River from Van Buren to Fort Smith and beyond were essential for commerce and the movement of troops and cargo during the Civil War.

This post-war view of the Arkansas River at Van Buren and Mount Vista towering over it shows the strategic advantage the Union Army found when they began their assault on Van Buren.

Cotton crops were a big part of Crawford County's efforts to regain prosperity after the Civil War

Erected by Williams/Crawford

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Associates · Crawford County Civil War Committee · Main Street Van Buren.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 28, 1862.

Location. 35° 26.237′ N, 94° 21.143′ W. Marker is in Van Buren, Arkansas, in Crawford County. It is on Fayetteville Road (Arkansas Route 59) south of McKinney Street, on the left when traveling south. Located in small park behind the Train Depot. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Van Buren AR 72956, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Arkansas River Valley,

in the Cherokee Heritage Region,

and in Osage Territory.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ozarks.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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 walking distance of this marker: The Civil War Comes to Van Buren (here, next to this marker); The Heart of Van Buren (within shouting distance of this marker); The Frisco Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Veteran's Memorial Plaza (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Four Freedoms (about 400 feet away); The Stars of Freedom ★ ☆ ★ (about 400 feet away); GFWC Women's League Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away); Camp Jesse Turner (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Van Buren.

Also see . . . The Battle of Van Buren - Van Buren, Arkansas. (Submitted on March 30, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 277 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 30, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.