Randolph County Civil War Timeline

From 1861 to 1865, Randolph County, especially Pocahontas, Pitman's Ferry, and Cherokee Bay, was a recurring center of Civil War military activity in Arkansas. In July 1861, General William J. Hardee established headquarters and training at Pitman's Ferry and mustering at Camp Shaver in Pocahontas with six thousand available troops in Arkansas. In February and March 1862, General Earl Van Dorn established headquarters at Pocahontas with sixteen thousand troops. Skirmishes followed at Pitman's Ferry on April 1, 1862, at Pocahontas on April 21, 1862, and at Pitman's Ferry again on October 27, 1862, when Union forces surprised Confederate scouts and guards, brought the ferry boat across the river, shelled Confederate forces on the opposite bank, crossed the river, and then advanced toward Pocahontas. Another skirmish took place at Pitman's Ferry on November 25, 1862. In August 1863, actions at Pocahontas led to the capture of General Thompson and his staff at the Saint Charles Hotel, followed by another skirmish there on August 24. In November 1863, a Union raid burned the town of Pocahontas, including most of its buildings and many homes. Fighting continued in 1864 with skirmishes at Pocahontas in January and March and at Cherokee Bay in May. In September 1864, General Sterling Price arrived in Pocahontas with twelve thousand troops, and the invasion of Missouri began on September 17. In early 1865, expeditions by the Missouri Second State Militia Cavalry ranged near the Eleven Point River and Cherokee Bay against guerrilla bands, reporting nineteen guerrillas killed and one captured amid difficult swamp and canebrake terrain.

Pocahontas, Arkansas · United States