Haunted Fort Smith & Van Buren by Bud Steed

Author:Bud Steed
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

GHOSTS OF THE MASSARD PRAIRIE BATTLEFIELD

On the southeast end of Fort Smith, at the junction of Red Pine Drive and Morgan’s Way, sits the five-acre park dedicated to an 1864 battle waged between the attacking Confederate forces of about six hundred men and the much smaller Union force of about two hundred men who were defending the outpost. At the time, it was a popular spot to graze horses and livestock, and the outpost was manned by Companies B, D, E and H of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry. The Union troops were camped in a spot that wasn’t easily defendable, and the Confederate troops knew it. They attacked at dawn, driving back the pickets and causing the Union troops to form a line basically down the center of their camp. The Confederates attacked from three sides, and it wasn’t long before the Federal troops broke and ran, the result being a running battle across two miles of open grassland. In the end, the Confederates captured, wounded or killed close to two companies of the Sixth Kansas, seized much-needed weapons and captured the entire herd of horses. The Battle of Massard Prairie was a firm Southern victory and set the stage for the Battle of Fort Smith, which was to come just a few days later.

Much of the original Massard battlefield has been developed, with neighborhoods leading right up to the park. The remaining bit of it that was preserved, about five acres, contains the parade ground, the mess (kitchen) area and the campsites of Companies B and D. Historical signs mark the location of the areas within the park as well as give a concise description of the battle.

But it would seem that the park and the neighborhoods around it still have a bit of the Civil War raging around them. Reports of the sounds of battle, the shouts and cries of men and the sounds of horses have all been reported. Several of the residents of the neighborhood that leads to the park were reluctant to talk to me about any paranormal activity that they might have seen in the neighborhood or while in the park; it seems that having Civil War ghosts still fighting and running about the place isn’t that good for property values. A few of them did speak up about some strange things they’ve seen around their homes and in the park, and a few of them had pretty good stories. One person told me about the ghost of a Union soldier that kept looking in their back window at night while they were watching TV, which I found to be pretty funny. It happened every night for a few weeks after they moved into the house and didn’t stop until the homeowner walked outside and told him in a very loud voice to knock it off, as he was scaring the kids. Although they never saw the spirit look through the window again, the man who owned the home was sitting out in the

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