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Bayou Fourche Battlefield

Coordinates: 34°43′19.1″N 92°12′05.4″W / 34.721972°N 92.201500°W / 34.721972; -92.201500
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Bayou Fourche Battlefield
Battle of Bayou Fourche Monument, 2024
LocationEast of Willow Beach Lake to east of Clinton National Airport, Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas
Coordinates34°43′19.1″N 92°12′05.4″W / 34.721972°N 92.201500°W / 34.721972; -92.201500
Bayou Fourche Battlefield is located in Arkansas
Bayou Fourche Battlefield
Location in Arkansas

The Bayou Fourche Battlefield, also known as the Fourche Bayou Battlefield, is a battlefield in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas.[1] A city park located within the boundaries of the battlefield, managed by Little Rock Parks and Recreation, commemorates the Battle of Bayou Fourche fought on September 10, 1863, during the Little Rock Campaign of the American Civil War.

The Union victory over Confederate forces in central Arkansas resulted in a fourth Confederate state capital falling into Union hands and creating conditions to establish a loyal Unionist government. The Confederate army fell back into southwest Arkansas, where it effectively remained for the duration of the Civil War. The capture of Little Rock, combined with other Union victories at Fort Smith and in the Indian Territory, led to nominal Federal control of the Arkansas River valley for the rest of the war.[1]

Description and administrative history

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Map of battlefield core and study areas

The Bayou Fourche Battlefield lies within the borders of Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas, running east of Willow Beach Lake to the east of Clinton National Airport.[1] Remaining portions of the battlefield are threatened by development.[2] The eastern engagement area where the Federal cavalry crossed the Arkansas River is being converted for lakeside residential uses. While much of the landscape has been compromised by growth around Little Rock, the eastern portion retains its integrity.[3] The battlefield was listed in the Arkansas Register of Historic Places on April 7, 2010.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Fourche Bayou Battlefield". Division of Arkansas Heritage. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Arkansas Battlefield Preservation 2015 Potential Funding Sources (PDF) (Report). Civil War Trust. 2015. p. 6.
  3. ^ American Battlefield Protection Program (December 2010). Update to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields Final DRAFT – State of Arkansas (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. pp. 8–9. Retrieved December 17, 2024.

Further reading

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