National Historic Landmark

Poison Spring State Park

Chidester, Ouachita County, Arkansas
Listed
December 2, 1969
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
69000036

About this property

Poison Springs Battleground State Park is an Arkansas state park located southeast of Bluff City. It commemorates the Battle of Poison Spring in the American Civil War, which was part of the 1864 Camden Expedition, an element of a Union Army initiative to gain control of Shreveport, Louisiana, and get a foothold in Texas. In the battle, which was fought on April 18, 1864, Confederates and Choctaw Indians attacked and overcame a supply wagon train of Union soldiers. The term "poison spring" arises from the apocryphal story that Confederate soldiers poisoned nearby springwater. The battle hastened the failure of the Camden expedition, and garnered notoriety for the slaughter of black Union soldiers from Kansas by the Confederate forces, which took no prisoners. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 as Poison Springs State Park, and, with other sites, is part of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark. It was declared part of the National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Location

Chidester, Ouachita County, Arkansas
33.64707, -93.01816

Categories

MILITARY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Harvey's Grocery and Texaco Station
Industrial
6.7 mi
Richmond-Tufts House
Early Republic
6.9 mi
Two Bayou Methodist Church and Cemetery
Civil War
7.7 mi
Bragg House
Early Republic
8.2 mi
Camden to Washington Road-Rosston Segment
Early Republic
8.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Poison Spring State Park listed on the National Register?

Poison Spring State Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1969.

What type of historic resource is Poison Spring State Park?

Poison Spring State Park is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Poison Spring State Park a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Poison Spring State Park has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Poison Spring State Park?

The period of significance for Poison Spring State Park is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Poison Spring State Park?

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