Last updated: August 28, 2024
Place
Desperate for Survival
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
River Loop Trail
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible
People living in northwest Arkansas suffered as a result of the Civil War. Federal garrisons held the larger towns, but the Confederates usually controlled the countryside. Confederate blockades on the Arkansas River limited supplies reaching the area, and farms and homes were destroyed as result of guerrilla warfare.
It is estimated that the US government issued as many rations to refugees as they did to Union troops. Thousands believed that leaving the area was the only way to survive.