Near New Edinburg in Cleveland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Battle of Marks' Mills / Marks Family Experience
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2018
1. Battle of Marks' Mills Marker
On April 23, 1864, a Union force with 240 wagons left Camden to get supplies from Pine Bluff for Gen. Frederick Steele's army. Gen. James Fagan's Confederate cavalrymen ambushed them at Marks' Mills on April 25. The first shots of the battle were fired near here. After 5 hours of heavy combat, the Union troops surrendered with some 1,500 casualties, mostly prisoners. Fagan lost only 293 men in his one-sided victory. The disastrous defeat at Marks' Mills, following an earlier loss at Poison Spring, led Steele to abandon Camden and retreat to Little Rock.
Young Eleanor and Martha Marks witnessed the opening of the battle of Marks' Mills from their front porch and saw several men killed on the road and in their yard. Four Confederates were buried in their garden and dozens of Union dead were buried in their orchard. The Marks Family home served as a hospital in the combats aftermath. Mollie Marks, their cousin, helped three wounded Union soldiers from the battlefield to the hospital and helped nurse them back to health, actions that led to her nomination to be local postmaster many years later.
Erected 2014 by Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, Marks Cemetery,
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 23, 1864.
Location. 33° 47.115′ N, 92° 14.627′ W. Marker is near New Edinburg, Arkansas, in Cleveland County. Marker is on Old Camden Road, 0.8 miles south of Marks Cemetery Road, on the left. Located next to Marks Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Old Camden Road, New Edinburg AR 71660, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Battle Had Begun! (approx. ¼ mile away); Cleveland County Battle of Mark's Mill (approx. ¼ mile away); Shelby's Approach (approx. ¼ mile away); Witnesses to War (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Battle at Marks' Mill (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Union Wagon Train Leaves Camden (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Battle of Marks' Mill (approx. 0.8 miles away); New Edinburg Commercial Historic District (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Edinburg.
Also see . . .
1. Encyclopedia of Arkansas History article on Action at Marks Mill. (Submitted on August 5, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Wikipedia article on the Battle of Marks' Mill.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2018
2. Marks Family Experience Marker
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2018
3. Battle of Marks' Mills / Marks Family Experience Marker at the Marks Cemetery.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 2, 2018
4. Cemetery sign located at corner of Marks Cemetery Road and Old Camden Road.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 715 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 5, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
