The opportunity to visit an old & abandoned cemetery
that holds up to confederate 14 soldiers took place today. This cemetery is
referenced in Mary Ann Messick’s book, History
of Baxter County: Centennial Edition.
I recently spoke with Capt. Jeff Lewis of the Baxter County Sheriff’s
Department, and he gave me the name of the family, Eugene & Theresa Reed,
who owns the farm and the plot of ground the fallen soldiers are buried. I have
had the pleasure to get to know Eugene & Theresa. A few weeks ago, I visited
with Eugene, and he graciously took me to place referenced.
In Mary Ann Messick’s book, she says there were 14 Union
soldiers that were buried here in 1864. I began looking though all the records available,
and I didn’t come up with a thing. Next, I went back to the year of 1862 and
found something that worked as a springboard into what really happened. It is
referenced in the Official Reports as
the “Skirmish at Mountain Home.”
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| Wiggins Battery, Arkansas
Horse Artillery standing at the head of the Confederate Cemetery. |
On October the 16, 1862, the Union Cavalry of 250 men came
through Mountain Home and raided the surrounding prairie farms & families of Rapp’s
Barrens or Tolbot’s (Talbert’s) Barrens. They stole at least 50 horses, 5
wagons, and plenty of provender. They also captured Major John Woodward Methvin,
C.S.A., of the Arkansas 27th, Company A, at Col. Casey’s house. Later
that evening, they evacuated the area at 8 p.m. and moved out of town. They traveled
a few miles out of town on Old Military Road and on to the prairie of Tucker
Flats or Tucker Barrens. Today, we would call this section of road “Tucker
Cemetery Road.” About 2 o’clock a.m. on the 17th, at least 40 men of
the Arkansas 27th approached the rear guard in an attack. In the
melee, the Confederate lost 10-14 men in the battle and 25 were captured and
take to Missouri.
I am currently working on the full story and timeline, and
it will be published on this blog soon.
Today, along with the men from the Wiggins Battery, ArkansasHorse Artillery, and members of the Baxter County Historical and GenealogicalSociety, we went for a group visit where the slain had fallen.
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John Crane dressed in Union Blues keeps guard over a few
good Rebels.
It also should be noted, he was not too happy to don his
Blues, but he graciously obliged.
Kevin Bodenhamer approaching at rear guard of an
unsuspecting soldier.
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A few people showed up with metal detectors & spades.
Even though it has been more than 152 years since this skirmish, we did have a
hope of finding some metal fragments. For the hour or two we spent, we only
found remnants of wire, tin, and nails. Nevertheless, it was good to see the
sight again. When looking over this rolling prairie, it is hard not to look
back with admiration to the time when men would dedicate their lives for the
values they held dear…even unto death.
I would still love to think those values are still lodged in
the hills and prairies of our Ozark’s History.
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Group picture with Eugene Reed (center), the Wiggins
Battery, and myself (left).
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