The Battle of Poison Spring, also known as the Poison Spring massacre, was fought in Ouachita County, Arkansas, on April 18, 1864, as part of the Camden Expedition, during the American Civil War. A Union force commanded by Major General Frederick Steele had moved from Little Rock, Arkansas, in support of Major General Nathaniel Banks's movement along the Red River towards Shreveport, Louisiana. Steele's objective was also Shreveport, and his men occupied Camden, Arkansas. After Banks was defeated at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, Steele was isolated in Arkansas. Short on supplies, Steele sent a detachment commanded by Colonel James M. Williams on April 17 to forage for 5,000 bushels of corn that were reported to be in the area.
Confederate cavalry commanded by John S. Marmaduke and Samuel B. Maxey attacked the foraging party. Marmaduke's men formed a roadblock east along the way back to Camden, while Maxey's men attacked from south of the road. The first two Confederate attacks were unsuccessful, but the third broke the Union line. Williams's command was routed, losing its wagon train and four cannons. African American soldiers from the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment were massacred and mutilated during and after the battle. The defeat at Poison Spring and another defeat at the Battle of Marks' Mills a week later led Steele to retreat to Little Rock. In the April 30 Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, men from the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment murdered Confederate soldiers in revenge of the massacre at Poison Spring. Poison Spring has been referred to as the worst massacre in the history of Arkansas. Poison Springs Battleground State Park, which is part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, preserves a portion of the site of the battle.
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The BattleofPoisonSpring, also known as the PoisonSpring massacre, was fought in Ouachita County, Arkansas, on April 18, 1864, as part of the Camden...
PoisonSprings Battleground State Park is an Arkansas state park located southeast of Bluff City. It commemorates the BattleofPoisonSpring in the American...
during the Civil War. At the BattleofPoisonSpring, the regiment lost nearly half its number, and suffered the highest losses of any Kansas regiment during...
known in the North as Battleof Antietam and Second Battleof Bull Run were referred to as the Battleof Sharpsburg and the Battleof Manassas, respectively...
Trans-Mississippi Department including prominent roles at the BattleofPoisonSpring and the Battleof Marks' Mills where he commanded two brigades under Brigadier-General...
of the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC). The name derives from the 1864 BattleofPoisonSpring, so-called because of a legend about the poisoning of...
state of Arkansas, as of 2019. The state parks division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism is the governing body and operator of all...
Pillow BattleofPoisonSpringBattleof Saltville I Battleof Saltville II Battleof Fort Tularosa Battleof Fort Walker Battleof Negro Fort Battleof Osawatomie...
1864, including the actions at Battle of Prairie D'Ane, BattleofPoisonSpring, and the Battleof Marks' Mills. According to Colton Greene's reports for...
taken from their hospital beds and summarily executed) and at the BattleofPoisonSpring in Arkansas. Meanwhile, the slave trade in Confederate States continued...
In 1864, it fought at PoisonSpring and Second Cabin Creek. The unit disbanded at the end of the conflict in May 1865. List of Texas Civil War Confederate...
Expedition against Camden April 6-May 3. Prairie D'Ann April 9–12. PoisonSprings April 18 (detachment). Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30 (Companies...
Global Information
Confederate States
United States
Samuel B. Maxey
