Prairie Grove Battle Reenactment is Time Machine to the Civil War

By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Cannon fire and the cries of fallen soldiers will fill the air on Dec. 1 and 2 when Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Prairie Grove with a reenactment. Prairie Grove is recognized nationally as one of America's most intact Civil War battlefields.

Seeing the battle unfold before your eyes on the ground the men fought and died for is one of the best ways to obtain a true sense of the Civil War, Park Superintendent Jessee Cox says.

The Battle of Prairie Grove was the last time two armies of almost equal strength faced each other for supremacy in northwest Arkansas. When the Confederate Army withdrew from the bloody battlefield at Prairie Grove on the night of Dec. 7, 1862 it was clear Missouri and northwest Arkansas would remain in Federal hands.

“The once peaceful valley, now a field of carnage, was swept with shot, shell, grape, and canister. The shriek of the wounded and the groan of the dying often rose above the din of battle. The Borden Orchard...was the storm center around which the battle raged furiously. Charge after charge across the valley and up the hill on which was Borden’s house was made by the gallant boys in blue, only as often to be repulsed by the boys in gray,” wrote Charles W. Walker, 34th Ark. Infantry about the Battle of Prairie Grove.

The battle reenactment is scheduled for 1 p.m. each day on some of the same ground the armies fought over during the skirmish, which includes the Borden House and valley below. “We use the hillside as a natural amphitheater for viewing it,” Cox says. “So most of it takes place in the valley, but there are two charges up the hill toward the Borden House. The Confederates claimed the ridge. The Union approached the ridge from the valley and that’s the way it will play out.”

Union and Confederate troops will be dressed in uniforms and accouterments of authentic style and material. Weaponry used will include black powder rifles or muskets, carbines, shotguns, revolvers, swords, sabers, pistols and cannons. Infantry, artillery and mounted cavalry units will take part in the battle demonstration, which lasts about one hour and 15 minutes.

“For someone who has never been here before, one of the most impressive moments is the very beginning of the battle when there’s about 10 minutes of cannon fire from both sides, which is what happened except it was about 20 or 30 minutes,” Cox says. “So, that’s one good reason not to be late.”

The park hosts a battle reenactment every even-numbered year. Attendance by re-enactors and the public is expected to be large this year because it is the sesquicentennial celebration.

“We usually have about 700 to 800 re-enactors and we’re anticipating 1500 this year,” Cox explains. Authentic Confederate, Union and civilian camps will be set up, and the public is welcome to walk through them. Even medical personnel re-enactors immerse themselves in the staged demonstrations, tossing fake amputated limbs to the ground after operations. In addition to the battle reenactment, there will be many activities throughout the weekend, including various military drills, cooking, spinning, and lace making demonstrations and other living history programs. Some of these events will take place in the park’s Ozark Pioneer Village, which represents life in the Ozarks during that era. All the activities are free. The only cost associated with the event is $5 per vehicle for parking.

“Sutlers Row” will feature a number of vendors selling 19th century reproduction items such as uniforms and weapons, as well as books, and souvenirs. William L. Shea, author of “Fields of Blood, The Prairie Grove Campaign,” will hold a book signing both days. Cox adds that there will be a lot of memorabilia for the 150th anniversary available for people to purchase.

“A majority of the people come for the battle,” Cox says. “People probably need to come at least an hour in advance, maybe two.” He adds that there are plenty of activities for people to enjoy ahead of time, and that it takes time to park and walk to the site.

“On Saturday we usually have 3,500 spectators and we’re expecting 5,000 this year. Sunday is typically a little less but I don’t know if it will be this year,” Cox explains. “Of course, weather plays a role too.”

Camps will open at 9 a.m., closing at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p .m. on Sunday. Concessions will be provided. Cox says local Boy Scouts serve breakfast of coffee and donuts and lunch consisting of something like soup and/or chili. There will also be a barbecue vendor.

The park’s Hindman Hall Visitor Center will open at 8 a.m. and contains exhibits, a gift shop and a book store. Recently renovated, Hindman Hall opened with new exhibits in June of last year. Cox says the exhibits are designed to give a timeline of Arkansas seceding to battles in this region to an overview of the Battle of Prairie Grove.

“These battles were some of the earliest,” he explains, referring to Wilson’s Creek by Springfield, Mo., the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Battle of Prairie Grove. “The Confederates had lost Missouri and were trying to get it back. They tried to take it back at Wilson’s, then at Pea Ridge, then here. This was the last one for northwest Arkansas. It shut the door on the Confederates trying to take Missouri back.”

“Even though it was a one-day battle, there were 22,000 men out here,” Cox says. There were about approximately 2,700 casualties. “This is the grand finale event for 1862. Two of the five years were over with after this event.”

Aside from special events such as this re-enactment, the park has a self-guided walking tour and a driving tour with a CD guide. There is a nominal fee to take a guided tour of the historic homes and structures of the pioneer village. Self-guided tours of the Hindman Hall exhibits are free. It also has a playground.

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park closes one hour after sundown and the park museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Today, the park is a beautiful and serene setting, a stark contrast to the events that took place there. It is located on U.S. 62 in Prairie Grove. For more information, visit arkansasstateparks.com or call (479) 846-2990.