Entries by Bill Carroll

Civil War Camps At Pocahontas

Camp Shaver was established in 1861 in two locations. Located along Mill Creek in south Pocahontas, the Army of Northern Arkansas was commanded by General William Hardee (the force was later moved to Pitman’s Ferry in NE Randolph County).  The men there prepared fortifications along the creek.  Some 800 are said to be buried there (we […]

Our Civil War History: Pocahontas’ Strategic Location

When Arkansas voted to secede from the United States in 1861, Arkansas’ Governor Rector ordered every available soldier in the state (members of the State Voluntary Militia like the Hempstead Rifles militia pictured above) to report to Pocahontas.  The reason was that this was the logical invasion route into Arkansas by Union forces in Missouri.  […]

History Bit: The Port of Pocahontas

(Above, steamboats docked at the Port of Pocahontas, 1890’s.) The historic Port of Pocahontas, Overlook Park today, was a busy place between 1810 and the early 1900’s, when the railroad replaced the steamboats. It was a primary reason for the City being built here. Thanks to the water flow provided by the Fourche, Current, and Black Rivers […]