In anticipation of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Buffalo National River is planning a number of interpretive themes and events to commemorate those difficult times. While the focus of Civil War interpretation is often on the battles, the history of this conflict in north central Arkansas and neighboring areas, while there were certainly skirmishes involving organized combatants, was truly a civil war insofar as it was the pitting of families and neighbors against one another within the context of small rural communities.

As our project unfolds, we will tell the story of these families and their experiences of the war, but to begin with the obvious, the small-scale battles will provide some context for later discussion.