There are tales from history that will make your blood run cold. Arkansas’s history is littered with sad stories, terrifying stories, stories that sound more like nightmares. These pieces of history are haunting, and all the more haunting than fiction because they actually happened. The story I’m going to tell you today isn’t going to make you feel good, but it’s certainly something that needs to be remembered.
The picture above is from a serene-looking forest in south-central Arkansas, but don’t let the peace settled in that forest deceive you. There was once a bloody battle that turned even more violent once the fighting was finished.
It was the spring of 1864, and the Civil War was ripping the U.S. apart, pitting state against state and brother against brother. While journeying south, a Union army found itself out of supplies in the Arkansas wilderness. They decided to steal corn that had been stored by a nearby Confederate contingent.
Eventually the Union group found itself on the run, attempting to protect a wagon train that contained food for the beleaguered soldiers. The Union commanding officer, Colonel James Monroe Williams, positioned the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry between the oncoming Confederate troops and the wagons.
Before we go on, there are some things you need to know about the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. The 1st Kansas was a volunteer infantry. The majority of its members were former slaves. The unit was the first black infantry to be organized by a northern state. It was also the first black unit to engage in combat during the Civil War. The Battle of Poison Springs saw this unit lose half its number.
The 1st Kansas repelled the first two Confederate attacks, but began to run low on ammunition and could not beat back the third assault. However, the loss of life, the number of casualties—that isn’t the part of this story that will haunt your nightmares.
After the battle was lost, the Confederate soldiers refused to take any prisoners among the wounded and otherwise surrendering African-American soldiers. Instead of taking them captive, or even leaving them to die in the field, the Confederate group killed the black soldiers and mutilated their corpses.
The massacre was later defended by at least one Confederate propagandist in the Natural State, who said "they did right." History, however, does not look kindly on the atrocities committed there. The 85 acres of Poison Springs State Park comprises a small part of the battleground that saw the loss of about 114 Confederate soldiers and 301 Union soldiers.
So while Poison Springs State Park looks like a peaceful bit of woods in south Arkansas, the history of that place is dark, darker than your darkest nightmare, an example of how deadly and terrifying civil war can be.
There is a dark history hiding in this Arkansas town as well. If you need some comic relief after learning about this place, click here to read jokes about Arkansas that are actually funny.
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