Eye Witness Civil War
Eyewitness Civil War includes everything from the issues that divided the country, to the battles that shaped the conflict, to the birth of the reunited states. Rich, full-color photographs of rare documents, powerful weapons, and priceless artifacts plus stunning images of legendary commanders, unsung heroes, and memorable heroines
  More Young Reader Titles.

Civil War Map of Battles
State of Arkansas


Arkasa Civil War State Battle Map
Kindle Available
prairie grove arkansas

Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign
A gripping narrative of the events surrounding Prairie Grove, Arkansas, one of the great unsung battles of the Civil War that effectively ended Confederate offensive operations west of the Mississippi River. Shea provides a colorful account of a grueling campaign that lasted five months and covered hundreds of miles of rugged Ozark terrain

  March 6-8, 1862 Pea Ridge / Elkhorn Tavern
June 17, 1862 Saint Charles
July 7, 1862 Hill's Plantation / Cache River / Cotton Plant
November 28, 1862 Cane Hill / Boston Mountains
December 7, 1862 Prairie Grove / Fayetteville
January 9-11, 1863 Arkansas Post / Fort Hindman
May 1-2, 1863 Chalk Bluff
July 4, 1863 Helena
August 27, 1863 Reed's Bridge
September 1, 1863 Devil's Backbone / Backbone Mountain
September 10, 1863 Bayou Fourche / Little Rock
October 25, 1863 Pine Bluff
April 3-4, 1864 Elkin's Ferry Okolona
April 9-13, 1864 Prairie D'Ane / Gum Grove / Moscow
April 18, 1864 Poison Spring
April 25, 1864 Marks' Mills
April 30, 1864 Jenkins' Ferry
June 6, 1864 Old River Lake / Ditch Bayou / Lake Chicot

Kindle Available

Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer
General Wade Hampton was for a time the commander of all Lee's cavalry and at the end of the war was the highest-ranking Confederate cavalry officer


72 Piece Civil War Army Men
Play Set 52mm Union and Confederate Figures, Bridge, Horses, Canon
  • 48 Union and Confederate Soldiers up to 2-1/8 inches tall
  • 4 Horses, 4 Sandbag Bunkers, 6 Fence Sections, 3 Cannon, 3 Limber Wagons (Ammo Carts)
  • Bridge, Small Barracks, 2 Cardboard buildings
  • Scale: About 1/35th
Civil War State Battle Map
American Civil War Exhibits
American Civil War Timeline
Women Soldiers
Civil War Summary
Civil War Submarines
Ships and Naval Battles
Confederate Store
Civil War Revolver Pistol
Civil War Model 1851 Naval Pistol
Engraved Silver Tone / Gold Tone Finish and Wooden Grips - Replica of Revolver Used by Both USA / Union and CSA / Confederate Forces

American Civil War Book Titles
Kindle Available
General James Longstreet

From Manassas to Appomattox: General James Longstreet
According to some, he was partially to blame for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg; according to others, if Lee had followed Longstreet's advice, they would have won that battle. He has been called stubborn and vain; and he has been lauded as one of the greatest tacticians of the Civil War
Kindle Available

Robert E. Lee
This book not only offers concise detail but also gives terrific insight into the state of the Union and Confederacy during Lee's life. Lee was truly a one of kind gentleman and American, and had Virginia not been in the south or neutral, he ultimately would have led the Union forces.
Kindle Available

Worthy Opponents: William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston: Antagonists in War-Friends in Peace
If Confederate President Jefferson Davis had left Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, one of its most effective generals, in command of Atlanta's defenses, the city might have been preserved. Edward Longacre offers a new perspective on Sherman's and Johnston's military histories, including their clashes at Vicksburg, Kennesaw Mountain, and Bentonville

Red River Campaign: Politics and Cotton in the Civil War
Fought on the Red River throughout Central and Northwestern Louisiana, this campaign is a study in how partisan politics, economic need and personal profit determined military policy and operations in Louisiana and Arkansas during the spring of 1864.
Rugged and Sublime
Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas

Arkansas was also the scene of bloody struggles, not only battles but smaller clashes involving guerillas as well. According to editor Mark Christ, the state of Arkansas saw "at least 771 Civil War military actions", a number which ranks the state fifth in total number of battles, actions, and skirmishes
Arkansas Civil War Book Title
With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861-1874 (Histories of Arkansas)
Scholarly examination of just how the events of the Civil War and the Reconstruction so heavily devastated the state of Arkansas, its population and its economy
Peter Caulder
A Stranger And a Sojourner: Peter Caulder, Free Black Frontiersman in Antebellum Arkansas
An illiterate free black man, defied all generalizations about race as he served with distinction as a marksman in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, repeatedly crossed the color line, and became an Arkansas yeoman farmer, thriving and respected by white neighbors until he fell victim of new discriminatory legislation on the eve of the Civil War
Kindle Available
Arkansas 1863
Civil War Arkansas, 1863
The Battle for a State

The Arkansas River Valley is one of the most fertile regions in the South. During the Civil War, the river also served as a vital artery for moving troops and supplies. In 1863 the battle to wrest control of the valley was, in effect, a battle for the state itself.
Arkansas Infantry
Things Grew Beautifully Worse : The Wartime Experiences of Captain John O'Brien, 30th Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.
The story of an Irish immigrant to Arkansas who became a soldier, officer and prisoner during the Civil War. Captured during the Battle of Murfreesboro, Captain John O'Brien was ultimately transferred to Johnson's Island military prison in Ohio. While imprisoned, O'Brien kept a diary in which he recounts his military service and capture in addition to his daily life in the prison. Through it all, Captain O'Brien is able to maintain his sense of humanity--and even a bit of his native Irish wit and humor.
Kindle Available

Six Years of Hell
Harpers Ferry During the Civil War

While Harpers Ferry was an important location during the Civil War, in most Civil War books it's a sideshow of something larger. John Brown's raid, Lee's invasions of 1862 & 1863 as well as Early's 1864 raid are all covered in depth
Beyond Battles
Civil War Arkansas
Beyond Battles and Leaders

Written and first published in 1866 soon after the author's discharge from the Union army, A.F. Sperry's History of the 33rd Iowa Infantry is one of the classic regimental histories of the American Civil War. It is a detailed account of the regiment's movements and actions
Kindle Available
John Hunt Morgan Raiders

John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders
The "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy" John Hunt Morgan from Tompkinsville, Kentucky to Greeneville, Tennessee.

A Grand Army of Black Men: Letters from African-American Soldiers in the Union Army 1861-1865
Almost 200,000 African-American soldiers fought for the Union in the Civil War. Although most were illiterate ex-slaves, several thousand were well educated, free black men from the northern states

Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign
The war probably could have been over in 1862 had Lieutenant Phelps destroyed the bridge at Florence. Not doing so provided a retreat for A. S. Johnston to move his men to Corinth and then to Shiloh
Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign of 1864 and the Loss by the Confederacy of the Civil War

The Union Army's Red River Campaign began on March 12, 1864, with a two-pronged attack aimed at gaining control of Shreveport, Louisiana. The Union's main effort came up from Berwick's Bay via the Red River, while a supporting force moved south from Little Rock, Arkansas. It lasted until May 22, 1864, when, after suffering significant casualties, the Union army retreated back to Simmesport, Louisiana.
Kindle Available
Wilsons Creek

Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road
three of the most important battles fought west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. They influenced the course of the first half of the war in that region by shaping Union military efforts while significantly contributing to Confederate defeat. A history of each battle and an overview of the larger strategy and tactics of the military action in which these battles figured.
Kindle Available
Wilsons Creek Guide
Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road

three of the most important battles fought west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. They influenced the course of the first half of the war in that region by shaping Union military efforts while significantly contributing to Confederate defeat. A history of each battle and an overview of the larger strategy and tactics of the military action in which these battles figured.

To the North Anna River: Grant and Lee, May 13-25, 1864
Spectacular narrative of the initial campaign between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in 1864. May 13 through 25, was critical in the clash between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia.

Grant's Secret Service: The Intelligence War from Belmont to Appomattox
The first scholarly examination of the use of military intelligence under Ulysses S. Grant's command during the Civil War. Feis makes the new and provocative argument that Grant's use of the Army of the Potomac's Bureau of Military Information played a significant role in Lee's defeat
Kindle Available

Men of Fire: Grant, Forrest, and the Campaign That Decided the Civil War
In the winter of 1862, on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, two extraordinary military leaders faced each other in an epic clash that would transform them both and change the course of American history forever


Arkansas State Flag

Arkansas State Flag

Arkansas State Flag: History

Early in 1912 the Pine Bluff Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), decided to present a "stand of colors" to the U.S.S. Arkansas, a new battleship. A United States Flag, a naval battalion flag and an Arkansas Flag were to be included. tabSecretary of State Earle W. Hodges informed the committee appointed by the DAR group that Arkansas had no state flag. The Pine Bluff Chapter immediately launched a movement to obtain one. Through the newspapers they asked that designs be submitted to Secretary of State Hodges, who had agreed to appoint a committee.

Sixty-five separate designs were considered by Hodges' committee. The design chosen was the work of Miss Willie Kavanaugh Hocker of Wabbaseka, a member of the Pine Bluff Chapter, DAR. The General Assembly passed a resolution on February 26, 1913, affirming the choice of the committee.

The original design submitted by Miss Hocker appeared essentially as the flag does today, except that the central white diamond contained only three blue stars, lying in a straight line from left to right. tabThe selection committee asked her to place the word "Arkansas" in the center of the diamond. Miss Hocker then made a new flag, adding "Arkansas" and placing two blue stars below and one above the name. tabThough simple in appearance, the flag was rich in symbolism. The colors red, white, and blue signified that Arkansas was one of the United States. The diamond reminded viewers that Arkansas had the nation's only diamond mine. The 25 white stars bordering the diamond showed that Arkansas was the 25th state to enter the union.

The three stars in the center of the flag did triple duty as historical symbols. Prior to statehood, Arkansas had belonged to three nations: Spain, France, and the United States. The United States purchased Louisiana, which included Arkansas, in 1803 and Arkansas was the third state created out of the Louisiana Purchase.

The flag remained unchanged until 1923, when the Legislature added a fourth star to the diamond to represent the Confederacy. At first there were two stars above the name and two below, but legislation in 1924 positioned a Confederate star above the state's name and the original three below it.

The Arkansas History Commission has the original designs submitted in the state flag contest, including the winning entry, the first complete State Flag made by Miss Hocker, and a framed portrait of Miss Hocker.

Written by Dr. John Ferguson

Arkansas Star Added to US Flag

In 1836, one star was added, representing Arkansas, bringing the total number of stars to 25. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies.


U.S. Flag 36 Stars

Bonnie Blue Flag
Bonnie Blue Flag
Bonnie Blue
The Confederate government did not adopt this flag but the people did and the lone star flags were adopted in some form in five of the southern States that adopted new flags in 1861.
Southern Cross Flag
Rebel Southern Cross
Used as a navy jack at sea from 1863 onward. This flag has become the generally recognized symbol of the South.
Second Confederate Flag
second confederate flag
On May 1st,1863, a second design was adopted, placing the Battle Flag (also known as the "Southern Cross") as the canton on a white field. This flag was easily mistaken for a white flag of surrender especially when the air was calm and the flag hung limply.
More on Confederate Flags

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.


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