A Preservation Plan for
Three Battles of the Camden Campaign
The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, the Battle of Prairie D’Ane,
and the Battle of Moscow Church
Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas
Funded By
National Park Service
American Battlefield
Protection Program
Washington, DC 20005
Prepared For
Prescott/Nevada County
Economic Development Office
Prescott, Arkansas 71857
Prepared By
Mudpuppy & Waterdog, Inc.
Versailles, Kentucky 40383
(GA-2255-07-012)
June 28, 2010
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign:
The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, the Battle of Prairie D’Ane
and the Battle of Moscow Church
Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas
Prepared For
Mary Godwin, Director of Economic Development
Prescott/Nevada County Economic Development Office
116 East 2nd Street
Prescott, Arkansas 71857
870-887-6208
Prepared By
Joseph E Brent
Maria Campbell Brent
Mudpuppy & Waterdog, Inc.
129 Walnut Street
Versailles, Kentucky 40383
859-879-8509
Funded By
National Park Service
American Battlefield Protection Program
1201 Eye Street, NW (2255)
Washington, DC 20005
(GA-2255-07-012)
June 28, 2010
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Table of Contents
List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures ....................................................................................................................v
Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................vi
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................... .3
Camden Expedition – Nevada & Clark Counties, Arkansas, April 2-13, 1864................. 8
The Battlefield Today....................................................................................................... 24
Cultural and Natural Resources....................................................................................... 33
Previous Preservation Activities....................................................................................... 40
The Planning Process....................................................................................................... 46
Preserving the Battlefields ............................................................................................... 52
Recommended Actions ................................................................................................... 74
Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 78
Appendix 1: Community Meeting Responses ................................................................. 81
Appendix 2: Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Priority Property Parcels .......................................... 83
Appendix 3: Battle of Prairie D’Ane Priority Property Parcels...................................... 102
Appendix 4: Battle of Moscow Church Priority Property Parcels ................................ 122
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
List of Figures
Gen. Frederick Steele, U.S.A. .........................................................................................8
Gen. John S. Marmaduke, C.S.A. ...................................................................................9
Gen. Jo Shelby, C.S.A. ...................................................................................................10
Thomas Hart Benton, Jr., Colonel, 29th Iowa ................................................................10
Lt. Col. J.W.Caldwell, U.S.A. .........................................................................................11
Gen. Sterling Price, C.S.A. .............................................................................................14
Gen. Eugene Carr, U.S.A. ...............................................................................................19
Col. John Edwards...........................................................................................................19
Gen. Samuel B. Maxey, C.S.A. ......................................................................................20
The site of the engagement known as the Battle of the Bees. ..........................................27
May Road, looking south toward the Little Missouri River ............................................27
Looking south across the Little Missouri from the end of May Road ............................27
County Road 37 at its end at the site of Elkin’s Ferry ....................................................28
A remnant of the grove of gum trees ..............................................................................30
Commercial development at Interstate 30 exit 44 ..........................................................30
Moscow Church Cemetery and interpretive wayside .....................................................31
Moscow Church battlefield near the intersection of CR 23 and CR 260 .......................31
Remnant of the Old Military Road ................................................................................33
Terre Noir Creek ............................................................................................................35
Little Missouri River ......................................................................................................35
Site of Elkin’s Ferry ........................................................................................................35
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Earthworks near intersection of CR 37 and CR 210 ......................................................36
Smyrna Cemetery ...........................................................................................................36
Missionary Grove Baptist Church ..................................................................................36
Prairie D’Ane .................................................................................................................37
Gum Grove ....................................................................................................................37
Moscow Methodist Church ...........................................................................................37
Two headstones and the memorial at the Nevada County Depot Museum ...................41
Civil War exhibit, Nevada County Depot Museum .......................................................44
Interpretive wayside at Moscow Methodist Church .......................................................44
Three signs erected by Clark County Historical Society .................................................45
Community meeting, April 9, 2009 ................................................................................47
Inappropriate development at Richmond, Kentucky ......................................................48
Aerial view of industrial development in Prescott ..........................................................51
May Road, looking toward the Little Missouri River and the site of Elkin’s Ferry ........58
Timberland on CR 37 near Missionary Grove Baptist Church .....................................58
View of ridge looking east from CR 37 ..........................................................................58
Elkin’s Ferry Battlefield near the intersection of CR 37 and CR 215W .........................58
Residential development on the battlefield .....................................................................60
Gas line crossing the Prairie D’Ane Battlefield ..............................................................63
The Prairie D’Ane Battlefield from CR 23 and the abandoned railroad .........................64
Commercial development at exit 46 ...............................................................................64
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
View from Moscow Church Cemetery ..........................................................................68
Moscow Church Battlefield from the intersection of CR 23 and CR 260 .....................68
Looking north on CR 50 from Moscow Church ...........................................................69
iv
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
List of Maps
Map 1: Project Location .................................................................................................5
Map 2: Engagements in Clark and Nevada counties, April 2-13, 1864 ..........................7
Map 3: Camden Expedition, March 23-May 3, 1864 ....................................................9
Map 4: Battle of Elkin’s Ferry .........................................................................................12
Map 5: Battle of Prairie D’Ane ......................................................................................16
Map 6: Battle of Moscow Church ..................................................................................21
Map 7: Overview Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, April 3-4, 1864 ..............................................25
Map 8: Battle of Elkin’s Ferry NHL and Core & Study Area Boundaries .....................26
Map 9: Battle of Prairie D’Ane NHL and Core & Study Area Boundaries ...................29
Map 10: Battle of Moscow Church NHL and Core & Study Area Boundaries ............32
Map 11: Cultural and Natural Resources .......................................................................34
Map 12: The Area Zoned Industrial ...............................................................................65
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Acknowledgments
P
lanning efforts are the work of many individuals. The authors wish to thank the many
people in Clark and Nevada counties that took the time to show us the battlefields, to
share their knowledge and research, and help us with this plan in so many other ways. We
thank the following individuals and organizations for their assistance. Any errors are, of
course, the fault of the authors.
Pam Box – Tax Assessor, Nevada County
Jequetta Berry – Deputy Assistant Assessor, Clark County
Dr. Trey Berry – Deputy Director for the Department of Arkansas Heritage
Baker Butler – Nevada County Judge
Mark Christ – Community Outreach Director, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
Bobby Downs – Local Historian, Clark County
Tony Feaster – GIS Coordinator, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
Joyce Gibson – Director, Nevada County Public Library
Mary Godwin – Director of Economic Development, Prescott-Nevada County Chamber
of Commerce and Office of Economic Development
Peggy Lloyd – South Arkansas Regional Archives
Gail Mason – Chief Deputy Assessor, Nevada County
Max Phillips – Nevada County Depot Museum
Jessica Reyenga – Deputy Assessor, Nevada County
Deliza Seales – Clark County Historical Museum
Kasey Summerville – Clark County Assessor
Howard Taylor – Mayor of Prescott
“This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park
Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those
vi
of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.”
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Executive Summary
T
he funding for A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: The
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, the Battle of Prairie D’Ane, and The Battle of Moscow Church,
Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas was provided by the American Battlefield Protection
Program, Grant GA-2255-07-012. The project was initiated by The Partnership, The
Prescott/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Office, in
2007.
Purpose of the Plan
This project was initiated to develop a preservation plan for the Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie
D’Ane Civil War battlefields. The plan explores land preservation strategies including
protection options, funding opportunities, partnerships with land conservation and
economic development agencies and other strategies. Recommended actions are outlined.
Priorities for protection are described in detail, and specific recommendations are made
for purchase and protection through easements.
The Battles
Five engagements were fought between Confederate forces under the command of Gen.
Sterling Price and Union forces under Gen. Frederick Steele in April, 1864, as part of
the Camden Campaign of March-May 1864. On April 3, Confederate forces attacked
the front and rear of Steele’s Army at Okolona and at Elkin’s Ferry. On April 4, 1864, the
Union army drove the Confederates from Elkin’s Ferry and crossed the Little Missouri
River. The Battle of Prairie D’Ane began on April 10, 1864 and lasted four days. The
most intense fighting took place on the first day and lasted late into the night. The armies
1
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
skirmished for two more days before the Confederates withdrew toward Washington,
hoping the Federals would follow. They did not. The final engagement was fought near
Moscow Church southeast of Prescott on April 13. The victorious Union army continued
on to Camden, where the second phase of the campaign began.
The Battlefields
The battlefields addressed in this plan occupy slightly less than 10,000 acres in Clark and
Nevada counties, Arkansas. The battlefield in Clark County begins about one mile north
of Okolona and continues south to the Little Missouri River at the site of Elkin’s Ferry.
In Nevada County, the battlefields stretch from Elkin’s Ferry down CR 37 to Missionary
Grove Baptist Church. The largest of all the battlefields, Prairie D’Ane is located just
north of I-30, roughly between exits 44 and 46 and extending approximately 1.5 miles
northwest of the interstate. The Moscow Church battlefield is southeast of Prescott. It
straddles CR 23 roughly between CR 261 and CR 291. While it is treated separately
in this plan, the Battle of Moscow Church, is part of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane. This
plan focuses on the battles of Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane, and Moscow Church. Some
3,158 acres of those three battlefields are listed as National Historic Landmarks, the most
prestigious designation a historic site can be awarded.
Preservation Priorities
None of the battlefield land in either county is protected. It is recommended that all of
the land within Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane National Historic Landmark boundary,
which includes the land at Moscow Church, be protected by purchase. Other land
associated with the battlefield Core Area should also be protected, either by purchase or
easement.

Purchase 277 parcels totaling just over 6,273 acres in the National Historic
Landmark boundary and the Core Area

Ensure that the battlefield is preserved in perpetuity

Enable implementation of a comprehensive interpretive program

Ensure that professional archaeological investigations can be conducted

Protect 110 parcels totaling 3,829 acres in the NHL boundary and Core Area with
easements

Ensure that visitors experience the battlefield without inappropriate distractions

Ensure that those who wish to continue farming can do so
2
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Introduction
T
he funding for A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: The
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, the Battle of Prairie D’Ane, and the Battle of Moscow Church,
Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas was provided by the American Battlefield Protection
Program, Grant GA-2255-07-012. A program of the National Park Service, the
American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) was created to help local governments
and organizations protect battlefields. The Nevada County Economic Development
Office was the recipient of the ABPP funding. That organization is part of a partnership
of local organizations seeking to generate economic development in Nevada County.
The battlefield preservation project’s goal is to preserve the battlefields and to generate
economic development through heritage tourism.
TheABPP helps local communities protect, manage and interpret their battlefield
resources. The program has been working with local organizations since 1990 and has
established a process for battlefield preservation that has worked well over the years.
Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane battlefields are listed in the National Register of Historic
Places, which is part of that process, as is a preservation plan.
This preservation planning project is community consensus-based, ensuring that everyone
in the community working to preserve the battlefield has the opportunity to comment on,
and contribute to, the planning process. This plan identifies battlefield land that should
be preserved and potential preservation partners. It outlines a series of strategies to assist
in preservation efforts, providing a blueprint for the project partners that will help them
preserve these significant historic resources.
3
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The Battlefields
The Elkin’s Ferry battlefield is in south central Arkansas, south of Okolona in Clark
County. Elkin’s Ferry was located on the Little Missouri River at the south end of May
Road in Clark County and the north end of CR 37 in Nevada County. The Prairie D’Ane
battlefield is west of the city limits of Prescott in Nevada County, generally south of SR
19, north of CR 30, west of I-30, and east of CR 61. The Battle of Moscow Church,
which is part of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane but physically separate, is also in Nevada
County. It is southeast of Prescott and is bisected east-west by CR 23 and north-south by
CR 60 (Map 1).
The two battlefields are part of the seventeen Civil War battlefields identified in Arkansas
by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) in 1993. Prairie D’Ane was
listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. All three main engagement
areas are part of the Camden Expedition National Historic Landmark, which was listed
in 1994. These battlefields retain good integrity and merit preservation. Large portions
of both battlefields are in agricultural use. Portions of the Elkin’s Ferry battlefield are in
timber, most of which is leased to hunting clubs. Prairie D’Ane is mostly in pasture.
The Battles – April 3-13, 1864
The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry began on April 3, 1864, as Gen. Frederick Steele’s Union army
marched south from Arkadelphia toward Elkin’s Ferry on the Old Military Road. On
April 3, Confederate cavalry attacked the Union column from the rear near the village of
Okolona, and the vanguard just south of the Little Missouri River at Elkin’s Ferry. The
engagement continued on the south side of the river the next day, with the Union army
successfully driving off the Confederate cavalry sent to impede the river crossing.
A few days after crossing the river, Steele’s column was augmented by Gen. John Thayer’s
Army of the Frontier, which had crossed the Little Missouri at Elkin’s Ferry, joining
Steele at the Cornelius farm. The next day, April 10, 1864, the Battle of Prairie D’Ane
began. Steele’s column, numbering roughly 12,000 men—mostly infantry—pushed across
the prairie and attacked the Confederate cavalry sent to slow them down. All day long the
infantry pushed the Confederates south across the prairie. The battle continued long after
dark, with the Union army eventually taking and holding the high ground.
The following day each army waited for the other to make a move. There was sporadic
skirmishing all day, but no decisive action. The night of April 11 the Confederates
withdrew from their fortified position, hoping to draw the Union army to a place of their
choosing. Confederate Gen. Sterling Price hoped to defeat, or at least force the Federals
4
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Project Location
Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas
ARKANSAS
51
U
ni
o
n
Project
Location
Center
Okolona
Ro
ad
182
466
Road
ver
Hale R
d.
Ri
PIKE
le
COUNTY
R
Dickers o n
Ro a
d
s
Hay
Missouri
51
iver
May
Litt
Churc
h
Grove
Burtsell
19
ad
Ro
BATTLE OF
ELKIN’S FERRY
CL
AR
NE
F216
K
CO
D
UN
VA
A
37
COUNTY
F200
TY
CO
214
F42
UN
TY
51
F215
F207
67
60
30
202
F200
66E
e
35S
sour
Pleasant
Hill
i
BATTLE OF
PRAIRIE D’ANE
61
Mis
63
37
Fairview
19
Litt l
HEMPSTEAD
202
Boughton
Ri
ver
242
67
35
249
46
30
20
Prescott
Midway
18
44
371
Redland
246
30
332
24
240
26
67
23
BATTLE OF
MOSCOW CHURCH
249
371
60
Map 1: Project Location
5
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
away from the Confederate capital at Washington, Arkansas. On April 12, Steele, who
never intended to attack Washington, feinted toward Price’s position and then swung his
army east toward Camden.
The following day when Price realized what had happened, he sent most of his cavalry
toward Camden in an attempt to beat Steele to the town. A second detachment was sent
to attack the rear of the Union column. The action resulting from this attack was the
Battle of Moscow Church, the last engagement of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane and the
third Union victory (Map 2).
6
Terre
Engagement at Terre Noire Creek
April 2, 1864
Cr
iler
Tra
k
ee
Spoonville
ir
No
ek
Cre
e
Br u s h y
Cre
ek
ad
Moo
res
ili
C
O
C ree
k
ld
ek
re
M
ta
ry
Ro
Lo
Antoine
ve
Engagement at Okolona
April 3, 1864
U
ni
o
n
Okolona
Ri
h
Sout
ver
k
For
Litt
le
Missouri
Riv
er
Terre
N o i re
ard
How
C
k
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
April 3 and 4, 1864
dl e
Mid
Creek
k
ree
le
Litt
rd
M
wa
Ho
C ree
s ou
ri
is
Peggy
B l a ck
R
ive
r
k
Cre e
Ol
d
M
ili
Br ush
y
Cre e k
tar
y
Ro ad
Cre e k
Creek
n
lso
Wi
Engagements in Nevada and Clark
Counties, April 2-13, 1864
Union position
Confederate position
Civil War era Roads
Battle of Prairie D’Ane
April 10-13, 1864
and
0
½
C
C re e k
ek
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
MILE
Ste
e
l
To Washington
Battle of Moscow Church
April 13, 1864
7
Map 2: Engagements in Clark and Nevada counties, April 2-13, 1864.
Background illustrates modern roads and other features.
1
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Camden Expedition,
Clark & Nevada Counties, Arkansas, April 2-13, 1864
T
he battles of Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane are part of the Camden Expedition,
March 23 – May 3, 1864, which was a part of the Red River Campaign. Union
General Frederick Steele was ordered to move south from Little Rock and link with
General Nathaniel P. Banks’ army at Shreveport, Louisiana. The combined army was
then to march into Texas. Nothing went right on either the Camden Expedition or the
Red River Campaign. Banks was defeated at Mansfield, Louisiana, and never made it to
Shreveport. His naval support was forced to turn back due to low water. Steele suffered
from poor roads and a lack of coordination between his column and the Army of the
Frontier marching from Fort Smith. The most serious problems Steele faced were a lack
of supplies on the front end of the march and fierce Confederate resistance on the march
back to Little Rock. Steele took Arkadelphia, defeated
the Confederates at Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane, and
successfully made his way to Camden. The Union army then
lost engagements at Poison Spring, Marks’ Mills, and finally
winning at Jenkins’ Ferry. The Camden Expedition was one
of the largest Union campaigns in the Trans-Mississippi
(Map 3).
Prelude
Gen. Frederick Steele’s VII Corps arrived in Arkadelphia on
March 29, 1864. He rested his tired, hungry army and waited
for Thayer’s Army of the Frontier. Gen. John Thayer’s 5,000
men were due to arrive in Arkadelphia on April 1. After
Gen. Frederick Steele, U.S.A.
8
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Steele’s Camden Expedition
March 23-May 3,1864
Little Rock
as
Arka ns
achia R i ver
Ou
Hot
Springs
Ri v e
Rockport
r
Jenkins’
Ferry
Arkadelphia
Pine Bluff
e
L ittl
ss o
Mi
Elkin’s
Ferry
uri
Red
Poison
Spring
Camden
r
Rive
Spring
Hill
Saline
Prairie
D’Ane
Marks’
Mills
R ive r
Monticello
River
El Dorado
Map 3: General Frederick Steele’s Camden Expedition, March 23-May 3, 1864
spending two days in the Clark County seat, Steele decided that he could not afford to
wait any longer and pushed forward. Steele sent his cavalry ahead and then began moving
his infantry and supply train south along the Old
Military Road in the general direction of Washington.1
The Union army made twelve miles the first day and
camped near the village of Spoonville. The peaceful
march south ended abruptly on April 2, 1864. Gen.
Sterling Price ordered newly promoted Gen. Jo Shelby
to harass the rear of Steele’s column, and Gen. John S.
Marmaduke to attack the front. Shelby struck first.2
Gen. John S. Marmaduke, C.S.A.
Steele’s long wagon train snaked through the pine trees
in the hot spring morning. Gen. Samuel Rice’s brigade
was assigned the duty of rear guard. It was Rice’s soldiers
who bore the brunt of Jo Shelby’s assault. Rice strung his
brigade out along the route of the wagon train, with the
9
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
9th Wisconsin and a section of artillery in the rear. Shelby
struck as the last of the wagons crossed Gentry Creek.
Shelby, with 1,200 or so troopers and two pieces of artillery,
hit the single regiment of infantry and pressed them. Rice
sent the 50th Indiana and the 29th Iowa to reinforce the
Badgers; the Federals checked the Confederate attack and
fell back to Terre Noir Creek, about a half mile from the
initial engagement.3
Gen. Jo Shelby, C.S.A.
At Terre Noir Creek, Rice
took the high ground and deployed his infantry and
artillery in line of battle. The fighting was fierce and close.
Shelby reported, “The pursuit was rapid and resolved” and
his men fired their pistols at point blank range. Shelby
pushed two of Rice’s regiments, at one point reaching
the summit on the Federal left before the Union infantry
Thomas Hart Benton, Jr.
charged and drove them from the hill. The engagement
Colonel, 29th Iowa
continued for hours with Shelby’s Confederates charging
the Union infantry as it deployed in line to meet the Southerners and then withdrew to
catch the wagons. The two sides fought almost continuously until about six o’clock in the
evening, when Shelby pulled back.4
The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
Steele’s column advanced to Okolona where it camped for the night. Steele sent cavalry
to screen his tired column and then drew up his rear guard in line of battle. The next
morning, Jo Shelby’s Confederates found the Union cavalry vedettes about a mile north
of Okolona, and it was there he struck. Shelby’s determined assault drove in the Union
cavalry, forcing Federal infantry to intervene. The attack became a general engagement
along the Union line in the rear of the supply train. As the morning fighting heated up so
did the weather. The sky grew black and a thunderstorm struck. The storm was so severe
that it was mentioned in numerous after action reports. Hail, rain, high winds, perhaps
even a tornado, suspended the fighting. According to Jo Shelby’s chronicler, the fighting
finally ended when numerous hives of bees were upended either by the storm or artillery.
According to John N. Edwards “. . . a swarm, then a cloud – buzzing, singing, biting,
stinging. All among the horses; in the hair and in the faces of the men; in the rear, in
front, on flanks, everywhere the mimic battle went on.” According to Edwards, Shelby,
powerless to control the insects, withdrew.5
10
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
It may have been the bees; it may have been the
thunderstorm; or it might have been the overwhelming
numbers of Union infantry—for whatever reason, Shelby
pulled his men off the line. Late that afternoon Shelby
withdrew to Antoine on the Union River. A detachment of
Steele’s cavalry followed, seeking contact with the wayward
Thayer. Shelby, fearing a trap, fought a brief skirmish with
the Union horsemen before crossing the Union River to
link up with Marmaduke on the south bank.6
Steele knew that he had to hold Elkin’s Ferry if he was to
Lt. Col. J.W.Caldwell, U.S.A.
get his infantry and the all-important supply train across the
Little Missouri River. A small detachment of Lt. Col. J. W. Caldwell’s 1st Iowa Cavalry
went forward to hold the south bank. Col. William McLean, commander of Steele’s
Second Brigade, ordered Lt. Col. Frances M. Drake to take six companies of infantry
across the river to reinforce the cavalry and hold the crossing until the rest of the army
could come up (Map 4).7
Drake proved to be a very energetic officer, quickly assessing the situation on the south
bank of the river and making the best use of the forces at his command. When Drake
crossed the river he found the 1st Iowa skirmishing with Marmaduke’s Confederates.
Drake rode forward and quickly determined that he was facing a large force of the enemy.
He requested and was sent artillery. Drake pushed enough infantry forward to ensure that
Marmaduke could not get the upper hand. It was about 5p.m. when Drake arrived, the
artillery coming on line sometime later. Drake pulled his skirmishers back and redeployed
a cavalry screen and then prepared for the fight he knew was coming the next day.8
I deployed Companies D, G, and A, Thirty-sixth Iowa, on the right of the
road at intervals of 100 paces between companies, making D my center,
placed at the road. I deployed Companies E, H, and C, Forty-third Indiana,
at same company intervals on the left of the road, the battery taking position
about 200 paces in rear of my center, and threw well forward and to my
flanks a strong infantry picket. I ordered each company to keep up a few
watchers, the balance to sleep on their arms.9
Drake was facing part of Col. Colton Greene’s brigade. Greene had sent Col. William
J. Preston’s regiment forward to determine the strength of the Federals on the south
bank of the Little Missouri. Preston found the Iowa cavalry and pushed it back. Drake’s
11
April 3: Skirmish at ferry.
April 4: Engagement at ferry, Confederates
retreat toward Prairie D’Ane.
L itt
le
uri
sso
Mi
MARMADUKE
MCLEAN
River
April 3: Skirmishing along
road between Elkin’s Ferry
and Cornelius Farm.
April 3: Confederate position
at the end of the day.
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
April 3-4, 1864
Cornelius farm
Union Forces
Confederate Forces
Earthworks
Military Road
½
0
MILE
Map 4: The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, April 3-4, 1864.
Based on USGS 7.5 minute topogrpahic maps, Okolona South and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
12
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
timely arrival with his infantry stabilized the Union position south of the Little Missouri.
On the north bank, the fighting between Shelby’s cavalry and the rear guard of Steele’s
army held the Union army in check. Shelby’s actions froze Steele. The cautious general
failed to cross the Little Missouri in force and secure Elkin’s Ferry, which was held
by less than a full regiment of infantry and cavalry and a section of artillery. That the
Confederates failed to marshal all of their available troops on the south bank and push
Lt. Col. Drake’s command into the river is perplexing. At Elkin’s Ferry the Confederates
had the opportunity to force Steele to either find an alternate route, or at least to make
him cross under fire. It was the Confederates’ best opportunity to cripple Steele. Shelby
had drawn the attention of the Union army north of the river but Marmaduke was
satisfied with merely making a show with Greene’s brigade after Drake forced Preston to
withdraw. After deploying Greene’s Brigade in line of battle just north of Cornelius’ farm,
Marmaduke called a halt to the proceedings.10
When the sun set at Elkin’s Ferry on April 3, 1864, the Union toehold on the south bank
held. Shelby’s bold assault on the Federal rear was all for naught. Steele now held Elkin’s
Ferry. All he had to do was get his army across the river.
Marmaduke failed to push the Federals into the river on April 3, but in the early morning
hours of April 4 he finally tested them in strength. Greene’s brigade slammed into the
Union line, now under the command of Col. William E. McLean. Greene’s cavalry of
about 1,200 pushed the Union line steadily back. Marmaduke arrived on the field with a
section of artillery and Col. James C. Monroe’s 1st Arkansas. With this renewed effort,
the Confederates nearly broke the Union right flank, which was stretched out across an
orchard. The timely arrival of Gen. Samuel Rice with two more regiments of infantry
stopped the Confederate advance and stabilized the line.11
In his after action report Col. Colton Greene stated:
He retreated to the river, leaving his dead on the field. Our right was
advanced to within 75 yards of his line, when it gave way. The field was ours.
General Marmaduke then ordered the command to withdraw 2 miles to a
point naturally inaccessible, and which was strengthened by hasty works of
timber.12
Greene’s choice of words is curious. If the field was the Confederates’, why withdraw?
Why not send in reinforcements and press the advantage? Marmaduke’s report provides
some answers. He wrote that his attack was designed to determine where Steele would
cross the Little Missouri and to impede that crossing. After the action on April 4 the
13
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Confederates conceded Elkin’s Ferry to Steele. Marmaduke may have found out where
Steele was crossing, but he did little to impede the crossing. It is unlikely, given the size
of Steele’s army and the lack of infantry, that Marmaduke could have done more than he
did.13
By noon the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry was over. Steele had his crossing point and the
Confederates knew where he was and where he was going, or so they thought. The losses
on both sides were light. Marmaduke lost 50 wounded and 18 killed. The Union losses
were slightly less; McLean reported less than 30 casualties.14
The Interlude
The day after the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Steele finally received word that Thayer’s Army
of the Frontier had passed through Rockport and would unite the two columns in a
few days. Steele crossed his army on April 5 and moved it to the Cornelius farm where
the Confederates had camped two days earlier. Steele secured the area and waited for
Thayer.15
Shortly before Thayer arrived at Elkin’s Ferry it began to rain. The rain turned the roads
into quagmires and the river rose three feet, making it impossible to ford. Capt. Junius B.
Wheeler, Steele’s engineer, took work parties back to the river. He repaired the road and
by nightfall April 8 Thayer arrived on the north bank of the Little Missouri. Wheeler
completed the 140-foot pontoon bridge across the river and on April 9, after sixteen
weeks in the field, Thayer finally united with Steele.16
While Steele united his columns just north of
Prairie D’Ane, the Confederates revised their plans.
Gen. Sterling Price left Camden on April 5, 1864,
with all of his troops and made for Prairie D’Ane
where Marmaduke had constructed a strong line of
fortifications between his command and Steele’s. Gen.
Edmund Kirby Smith, the Confederate commander
in the Trans-Mississippi, had decided that Steele was
headed for Washington. Price was sent to stop him.17
Steele’s feint had worked. He left Arkadelphia and
fought his way down the Old Military Road to Elkin’s
Ferry. He had hoped to make the Confederates believe he was headed to Washington,
thus threatening the Confederate capital of Arkansas. Price had been ordered to Prairie
Gen. Sterling Price, C.S.A.
14
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
D’Ane to protect the government. Now all Steele had to do was to complete the ruse and
then turn for Camden, where he hoped to obtain supplies. All that stood between him
and his goal were the Confederates at Prairie D’Ane.18
Price arrived at Prairie D’Ane on April 7. He brought with him Fagan’s Cavalry Division,
which included Col. William Crawford’s Brigade and Gen. Thomas P. Dockery’s Brigade.
Dockery’s Brigade had been routed at Mt. Elba but was once again in the field, a tribute
to its commander. In addition, another 1,500 men arrived from the Indian Territory—
DeMorse’s Texas Brigade and Tandy Walker’s Choctaw Brigade. All told, Price had about
7,000 cavalry available at Prairie D’Ane.19
The Battle of Prairie D’Ane
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies, generallly refered to as the Official Records are very confusing regarding the day
on which the battle of Prairie D’Ane began. The Confederate reports of Shelby and
Marmaduke place the opening engagement on April 9, while the Union reports generally
agree on April 10. Since it appears that Thayer did not cross the Little Missouri until
April 9, and both Marmaduke and Shelby’s after action reports were written in May,
they probably have the day wrong. This would also account for John Edwards, Shelby’s
chronicler, having placed the opening of the battle on April 9 (Map 5).
By all accounts, the main engagement on the first day began in the late afternoon. Steele’s
command was bulky and slow and was made even more so with the addition of Thayer’s
troops and supply train. One account gives Steele’s strength at approximately 13,000,
others place it at 12,000 and yet another at 10,400 cavalry and infantry. Regardless of
the actual number, Steele outnumbered Price, who had 7,000 cavalry facing a far greater
number of infantry. Steele also had some 12,000 horses and mules, 800 wagons, and at
least 30 pieces of artillery. As the Union juggernaut pushed south on the Old Military
Road toward the prairie, skirmishing began. Steele placed Gen. Frederick Salomon’s Third
Division in the vanguard, and it was Salomon who met Shelby and Dockery on Prairie
D’Ane.20
The Confederates’ main line was just north of where the Missouri Pacific Railroad crosses
the prairie today. Shelby and Dockery were sent forward to contest the movement of
Steele’s infantry across the prairie. Their position was about halfway between the north
edge of the prairie and the Confederate fortification near the present-day rail line (now
inactive). The Confederate skirmishers had been pushed back steadily all afternoon,
giving ground slowly. Once the battle became general, the artillery on both sides
15
Battle of Prairie D’Ane
April 10-12, 1864
Union Forces
Confederate Forces
Earthworks
Military Road
0
½
1
MILE
STEELE
PRICE
Gum Grove
To Washington
To Moscow Church
Map 5: The Battle of Prairie D’Ane, April 10-12, 1864.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
16
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
became engaged. The cannon boomed across the prairie for hours. The Federal artillery
outnumbered their Confederate counterparts, but the Southern cannon continued to fire
long after dark.21
The dismounted Confederate cavalry was no match for the Union infantry. Salomon’s
division pushed forward, dislodging the stubborn Confederates. According to Edwards,
Dockery was forced to retire, leaving Shelby alone to fight the whole of Steele’s army, or
at least the Third Division. For three hours, until night fell, Shelby held but in the end
the overwhelming Union numbers of men and artillery forced the Confederates from the
field.22
Confederate Gen. John S. Maraduke, wrote of his cavalry’s fight on the prairie:
The picket fighting soon assumed the proportions of a battle. The enemy
threw out lines overlapping Shelby’s line, opened upon him with fifteen
pieces of artillery, and continued to advance. But the resistance was as
dogged as their advance was overwhelming.23
Major H. D. Gibson, 33rd Iowa discribed the fight from the Federal perspective:
I was ordered to form line of battle and move to the left of the Fiftieth
Indiana, which was done. I was then ordered to form column by division,
and in that order I moved forward onto the prairie. While crossing a slough
in the timber joining the prairie, a shell from the enemy’s gun exploded near
the regiment, killing 1 man and breaking several guns. On reaching the open
ground I again deployed, sending forward two companies as skirmishers,
with instructions to move steadily forward, which they did, driving the
enemy before them, the regiment moving to their support. In this order
I moved forward till the regiment rested where the enemy’s artillery first
opened fire.24
The fight was not out of the Confederates. In a rare night battle Shelby attacked the
Union position. Steele’s army had seized the high ground and was threatening the main
Confederate position. Shelby threw out 400 men as skirmishers and ordered his artillery
to pound the Union positions. The accounts of the fighting are contradictory but both
sides agree there was a series of attacks that lasted until midnight. Silence then shrouded
the battlefield.25
Gen. Frederick Salomon reported:
From 10 p.m. until midnight Vaughn’s battery and the infantry supporting
17
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
it were subjected to repeated attacks from the enemy; these, however, were
successfully repulsed without serious loss.26
A. F. Sperry, 33rd Iowa wrote:
Sometime before mid-night, we were suddenly waked by the fierce firing of
small arms near us. The rebels were making a bold sortie, to capture one of
our guns; but they were repulsed before we could even move toward them.27
Gen. Jo Shelby recorded:
For three hours more the fight went on, the whole heavens lit up with bursting
bombs and the falling flames of muskets. Their advance was checked for the
night and at 12 p.m. I drew off, after eight hours of severe fighting.28
Gen. John S. Marmaduke summed up the Confederate fight:
That night, supposing Shelby had withdrawn, the foe continued to advance,
but still the brave brigade withstood the platoon of artillery, and still Collins
swept their ranks with shot and shell.29
The first day ended with the Confederates about a mile south of the earthworks near
the present-day Missouri Pacific Railroad and a grove of gum trees. The Union army
held the high ground. The next day neither side did much. Steele, ever cautious, was
content to wait for Price’s next move. Steele’s men had slept on their arms without fires.
The next day the cold, tired and hungry soldiers whiled away the day hunting rabbits,
playing cards, and reading. Eventually, the Federals were ordered forward and engaged
Price’s men in some light skirmishing. At the end of the day, Steele’s men returned to
their original position. They did not seriously test the Confederate fortifications, and the
Confederates did not test them.30
During the night Price pulled his men out of the fortifications and retreated, forming a
new line about eight miles from Washington where the Confederates constructed a line
of formidable and easily defended works. Price still believed that Steele’s objective was
Washington. He planned to draw Steele toward his new position near the Confederate
capital where he felt he held the advantage, which he had not had on the prairie.
On the morning of the 12th, the Union infantry and cavalry advanced on the position
the Confederates had abandoned the night before.31 Charles H. Lothrop, a surgeon in
the 1st Iowa recalled: “About a thousand yards to our rear our entire army advanced in
the open prairie in line of battle. The prairie level as a floor showed every regiment with
18
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
bayonets glistening in the morning sun, every battle flag
unfurled and proudly waving in the gentle breeze.”32 When
the Union soldiers reached the earthworks they discovered
that Price was gone.
Price had done just what Steele hoped he would do—move
toward Washington and leave the route to Camden open.
Now all Steele had to do was to convince Price that his
plan had worked, while surreptitiously moving most of his
army toward Camden, where he planned to obtain supplies
and then push on toward Shreveport. After taking the
earthworks, Steele ordered Gen. Eugene Carr’s Cavalry
Gen. Eugene Carr, U.S.A.
Division to pursue Price. With a cavalry screen between
him and Price, Steele turned his army east and made for Camden. A portion of Carr’s
cavalry rode ahead, the infantry strung out to guard the supply train. Steele left Thayer
in Moscow to act as the rear guard. He hoped he had put enough space between his
infantry and Price’s cavalry to allow his men to win the race to Camden. 33
Battle of Moscow Church
Thayer’s Army of the Frontier drew the duty of protecting
Steele’s rear and wagons from Confederate attack. Steele’s
army had to cross Terre Rouge Swamp, which A. F.
Sperry described as “the worse swamp ever traversed by
mortal man.” Thayer’s detachment lingered, waiting for
the rest of the column to clear the swamp. It was nearly a
full day before the rest of the Union column moved out
toward Camden and Thayer got under way.34
Col. John Edwards
Price, now aware of Steele’s plan, sent Marmaduke and
Shelby racing ahead to try and get in front of Steele. He
then sent Dockery and Gen. Samuel B. Maxey with Gano’s Texas Brigade and Walker’s
Choctaw Brigade to hit the rear of the fleeing Federals. Dockery’s cavalry slammed into
Thayer’s men. The Third Brigade under Col. John Edwards was all that stood between
Dockery and the wagons. The Confederates pushed the surprised Union soldiers back
and captured a section of artillery. The way to the Union supply train was now open
and Dockery made a dash for it. Col. John Edwards rallied his 18th Iowa Infantry and
stubbornly resisted the Confederate onslaught. Edwards dogged Iowans were soon
joined by the 1st Arkansas (US) and 1st Kansas Colored Infantry who added their guns
19
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
to the fight (Map 6).35
As the fighting grew hotter, more of Thayer’s Army of
the Frontier hastened toward the sound of the guns. The
Federals recaptured the artillery and the 2nd Indiana
Battery began to make the Confederates pay, ultimately
firing over 2,000 rounds during the fight. With order
restored, Thayer gathered his soldiers at the edge of the
prairie. The combined firepower of his artillery, infantry,
and cavalry drove off the Confederates. Thayer’s cavalry
then pursued the defeated Confederates four or five miles
before returning to the column. The Battle of Moscow
Gen. Samuel B. Maxey, C.S.A.
Church ended the action at Prairie D’Ane. Neither side lost
many men during the fight. Dockery’s attack came close to capturing Steele’s wagons
but Price did not support the small brigade with more men. Once again Steele slipped
away; once again he bested Price.36
20
To Washington
PRICE
Moscow Church
(MAXEY AND FAGAN)
THAYER
Battle of Moscow Church
April 13, 1864
Union Forces
Confederate Forces
Military Road
To Camden
0
½
1
MILE
Map 6: The Battle of Moscow Church, April 13, 1864.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Prescott East Quadrangles.
21
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Endnotes
1. Michael J. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity Lost by the Confederacy to Change
the Civil War, McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2003, pp. 82-83. Ira D. Richards, “The
Camden Expedition, March 23-May 3, 1864,” MA Thesis, University of Arkansas, 1958, p. 40.
2. Albert Castel, General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West, Louisiana State University Press, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, 1968, p. 174.
3. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 83; Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” pp. 43-44; William D. Baker,
The Camden Expedition of 1864, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas, ND. p.
5 and United States War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the
Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1880-1901, Series I, Vol.
XXXIV Part I, pp. 693-694, hereinafter cited as O.R.
4. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, pp. 694 and 837 and Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” pp. 45-47.
5. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, pp. 837-838; Mark H. Knipping, A History of 27th Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry Regiment in the War of the Rebellion 1862-1865, Mead Public Library, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 2001,
pp. 85-86 and John N. Edwards, Shelby and His Men: or, The War in the West, Miami Printing and Publishing
Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1867, p. 261.
6. Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” p. 49.
7. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, pp. 705 and 710 and Charles H. Lothrop, A History of the First Iowa
Cavalry Veteran Volunteers, Beers & Eaton, Printers, Lyons, Iowa, 1890, p. 151.
8. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 710 and Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” p. 50.
9. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 710.
10. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, pp. 823 and 831.
11. Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” p. 51 and Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 85.
12. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 832.
13. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 823.
14. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, pp. 823 and 706 and Baker, The Camden Expedition of 1864, p. 6.
15. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 85.
16. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 675 and Lonnie J. White, editor, “A Bluecoat’s Account of the
Camden Expedition,” The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 1, Spring, 1965, p. 85.
17. Castel, General Sterling Price, p. 175.
18. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 84 and Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” pp. 52-53.
19. Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” pp. 35-36 and 54 and Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 93.
20. J. H. Atkinson, “The Action at Prairie De Ann,” The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. XIX No. 1 Spring
1960, p. 43.
21. Edwards, Shelby and His Men, p. 264.
22. Atkinson, “The Action at Prairie De Ann,” pp. 46-47; Richards, “The Camden Expedition,” pp. 57-58
and Edwards, Shelby and His Men, p. 265.
23. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 824.
24. A. A. Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments: History of Iowa Regiments in the War of the Rebellion, Mills &
Company, Des Moines, Iowa, 1865, pp. 498-499.
22
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
25. Atkinson, “The Action at Prairie De Ann,” pp. 46-48.
26. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 687.
27. A. F. Sperry, History of the 33D Iowa Infantry Volunteer Regiment 1863-6, University Press of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1999, p. 82.
28. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 838.
29. O.R., Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I, p. 824.
30. Sperry, History of the 33D Iowa Infantry, pp. 82-83 and Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 96.
31. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 96.
32. Lothrop, A History of the First Iowa Cavalry, p. 160.
33. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, pp. 97-98.
34. Atkinson, “The Action at Prairie De Ann,” p. 49 and Sperry, History of the 33D Iowa Infantry, p. 85.
35. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, pp. 98-99 and Stuart, Iowa Colonels and Regiments, pp. 347-348.
36. Forsyth, The Camden Expedition, p. 99 and Atkinson, “The Action at Prairie De Ann,” p. 50.
23
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The Battlefield Today
E
lkin’s Ferry battlefield and Prairie D’Ane battlefield, of which the Battle of Moscow
Church is a part, have good to excellent integrity overall. This plan focuses on the
Core Area and the National Historic Landmark boundaries of the three battlefields. The
Core Area, as defined by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, is the part of the
battlefield where the fighting took place. The Study Area of a battlefield includes all places
related or contributing to the battle event: where troops deployed and maneuvered before,
during, and after the engagement; it is the maximum delineation of the historical site.
area. For the most part, the Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane battlefields are agricultural
land, generally pasture with a small fraction in row crops and the remainder in timber.
There is very little development.
Elkin’s Ferry
The Elkin’s Ferry battlefield extends from the engagement site about one mile north of
Okolona south to the old river crossing at the end of May Road. It is the second largest
of the three main engagement sites, having had less than 4,000 soldiers engaged in the
battle at any given time. The Battle of Elkin’s Ferry is part of the Camden Expedition
Sites National Historic Landmark, and as such is also listed in the National Register of
Historic Places. Approximately one hundred acres of the 575 acres listed in the National
Register is in Clark County, the remainder is in Nevada County. Neither the National
Historic Landmark nor the National Register includes the engagement north of Okolona
known as the Battle of the Bees (Maps 7 and 8).
With the exception of the small town of Okolona, the battlefield in Clark County retains
24
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Terre
Engagement at Terre Noire Creek
April 2, 1864
Cr
iler
Tra
k
ee
Spoonville
ir
No
ek
Cre
ry
C
ita
O
ld
C ree
k
M
ek
re
il
Cre
ek
Moo
res
d
Ro
a
Br u s h y
e
Lo
Antoine
ve
Engagement at Okolona
April 3, 1864
U
ni
o
n
Okolona
Ri
h
Sout
ver
k
For
Litt
le
Missouri
reek
Engagements AssociatedCWith
le
The Battle MofiddElkin’s
Ferry,
April 2-13, 1864
Riv
er
Terre
N o i re
ard
How
Creek
ry
lita
Old
Mi
ive
r
Creek
k
Cree
Cre e k
Cornelius Farm
Br ush
y
s ou
ri
R
Cre e k
B l a ck
Peggy
1
is
MILE
Ro a
d
le
Litt
M
½
k
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
April 3 and 4, 1864
Union position
Confederate position
Civil War era Roads
0
C ree
n
lso
Wi
Map 7: Overview of the area encompassed by the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, April 3-4, 1864
25
L it
tle
uri
sso
Mi
River
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Survey Core & Study Areas
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Survey Study Area
0
½
MILE
Missionary Grove Church
Map 8: Battle of Elkin’s Ferry showing National Historic Landmark boundary
and Civil War Sites Advisory Commission battlefield core area.
Based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Okolona South and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
26
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The site of the engagement known
as the Battle of the Bees.
excellent integrity. The engagement area
north of Okolona is in pasture and forest
with a farmstead and a handful of other
structures in the area. The historical
marker erected by the Clark County
Historical Society just off Smyrna Road
is thought to be at or near the center of
the engagement area. The two lane road
through the engagement area site has
probably has changed little since 1864,
although it has been paved and save
some curves may have been eliminated.
The area between Okolona and the Little
Missouri River also retains excellent
integrity. The battlefield extends south
along Hwy. 51 to the intersection with
Hale Road (CR 459), along Hale Road
to May Road (CR 14), and then follows
May Road to its end on the north bank
of the Little Missouri River.
May Road, looking south toward
the Little Missouri River.
Looking south across the Little Missouri
from the end of May Road.
There is a scattering of houses and
farmsteads along Hale and May roads
but for the most part the road winds
through forest, pasture and some row
crops. It is flat, open floodplain that rises
as you go north from the river. Neither
Hale Road nor May Road is paved.
May Road narrows as it nears the river,
becoming an unimproved two-track by
the time it reaches the Little Missouri.
With the exception of a few residences,
the appearance of the road is largely
unchanged from the time of the battle.
What is now May Road is probably the
same route the soldiers took in 1864, and
it is probably the original route of the
Old Military Road.
27
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The battlefield on the south side of the
Little Missouri River in Nevada County
also retains a high degree of integrity.
The battlefield National Register
boundary extends from the boat launch
at the north end of County Road 37 to
just south of Howard Creek. This area
is almost entirely forest. There are no
structures and the road is not paved.
The road appears somewhat straighter
County Road 37 at its end
than it might have been in 1864, but
at the site of Elkin’s Ferry.
other than that and the addition of a
concrete boat ramp very little has changed since 1864. The boat ramp is maintained by the
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which owns just over one acre at the river. Most
of the remaining land in the National Register boundary is owned by timber companies
and much of it is leased by hunting clubs. These annual leases give the leaseholder and
its members the right to hunt on the property in season. Timber land frequently changes
hands, though the sales generally transfer land from one timber company to another.
Prairie D’Ane
The Battle of Prairie D’Ane was listed in the National Register in 1974. It was designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1994 as part of the Camden Expedition Sites National
Historic Landmark. It is the largest of the three battles—all of Steele’s force except the
Army of the Frontier was engaged. There were approximately 7,000 soldiers in line of
battle; the Confederates had just 2,000 to 2,500.
As defined in the National Historic Landmark, the Prairie D’Ane battlefield is bounded
on the northwest by CR 19, on the west by a line running from a point due west of SR
19 across parts of sections 25, 26 and 35 in Range 23W, on the south by the abandoned
Missouri Pacific railroad track, and on the east by I-30 at the intersection of the railroad
tracks north to exit 46 and the intersection with CR 19 (Map 9).
The National Historic Landmark, which encompasses 2,346 acres, has excellent integrity.
The land is mostly open, a mix of planted pine forest and pasture crossed by a few county
and farm roads. There are a few farms and single family residences, but all in all the area
that was the prairie is in excellent shape. What remains of the old grove of gum trees is
just outside of the NHL boundary south of the railroad track, in a triangle formed by the
railroad track and I-30 just north of exit 44. This is a very small but significant remnant of
28
Battle of Prairie D’Ane
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Survey Core & Study Areas
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Survey Study Area
0
½
1
MILE
Map 9: Battle of Prairie D’Ane, showing National Historic Landmark Boundary
and Civil War Sites Advisory Commission battlefield core area.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
29
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
this battlefield feature.
A remnant of the grove of gum trees.
Commercial development at
Interstate 30 exit 44.
The integrity of the area south and east
of the NHL boundary, which is in the
Core Area of the battlefield, has been
compromised by the development of
the Prescott-Nevada County Industrial
Park. The industrial park is centered on
I-30 exit 44 (US 371/Blevins Road).
Industrial development continues
along US 371 to the intersection of CR
24, where residential and commercial
development associated with the
city of Prescott begins. Commercial
development is also underway at both
exit 44 and exit 46.
To the northwest of the boundary, where
SR 19 intersects CR 61 & 62, large
poultry buildings have been constructed.
Except for the poultry houses and the
truck stop at exit 46, the area from the
NHL boundary to one mile north of the
boundary retains excellent integrity and
the viewshed is good.
The area between US 371 from exit 44 and the railroad that marks the southern boundary
of the NHL also retains good integrity. And, except for the development immediately
surrounding exit 44 and some industrial development along US 371, the viewshed of the
Core Area between US 371 and SR 332 southeast of I-30 also retains good integrity.
Battle of Moscow Church
The Battle of Moscow Church is the smallest of the three NHL boundaries addressed by
this plan. The engagement may have involved slightly fewer or about the same number
of troops as Elkin’s Ferry, but the combat area was more compact. This last engagement
of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane was a rearguard action by the Union Army of the Frontier
against Dockery’s and Maxey’s Confederate cavalry. This action is significant because
Native Americans and African Americans were engaged in the fight as well as white
30
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
troops.
The battlefield as defined by the National
Historic Landmark begins at a point
on CR 23 about one-half mile north of
Moscow Church and extends almost
one and one-half miles southwest. There
the boundary turns east for almost one
and one-half miles before turning north
for one mile. From that point it extends
northwest to intersect with the starting
point on CR 23. The area encompassed
by the NHL is approximately 327 acres
and includes Moscow Church and
Cemetery (Map 10).
Of the three engagement areas, the
Battle of Moscow Church has the most
inappropriate development within the
NHL boundary, including numerous
single-family houses and farms. The
current Moscow Church building, located
at the intersection of CR 23 and CR 260,
was built in the 20th century, although the
cemetery does date from the battle period.
Moscow Church Cemetery and interpretive wayside.
Moscow Church battlefield near the
intersection of CR 23 and CR 260.
In spite of the modern intrusions, the area retains good integrity. Only the main roads
are paved. The landscape is bisected by numerous streams that form uplands and valleys,
limiting the viewshed much more than the open land of the battlefield on the prairie. The
section roads are gravel and the area retains a rural look and feeling.
The battlefields in Nevada and Clark counties retain good to excellent integrity and
present a very real opportunity for preservation. If preserved and interpreted, the
battlefields can serve as outdoor learning centers for area schools and could become a
tourism resource, attracting visitors nationwide. The Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and
Moscow Church battlefields became hallowed ground almost 150 years ago. They have
survived relatively intact; their continued survival is the issue. Preservation of these
significant national landmarks will require planning—planning that respects and protects
the battlefield resources while allowing necessary residential, industrial, and commercial
31
Battle of
Prairie D’Ane
Core Area
Battle of Moscow Church
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
Survey Core & Study Areas
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Study Area
0
½
1
MILE
Map 10: Battle of Moscow Church showing National Historic Landmark boundary
and Civil War Sites Advisory Commission battlefield core area.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Prescott East Quadrangles.
32
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
development.
Cultural and Natural Resources
In 1864, the area that is now Nevada County was Hempstead County. Clark County, formed
in 1819, was one of five original counties in the state, although the county borders did not
assume their present configuration until 1877. In 1864, Arkadelphia was a significant town
and there were scattered settlements along the roads that ran through the region. Union
Gen. Frederick Steele’s troops passed through Spoonville and Okolona in Clark County,
and Moscow in Nevada County. The Old Military Road ran from Arkadelphia to Antoine,
from there following a circuitous route through the middle of Prairie D’Ane, which was
sparsely settled with a few farms on the edges. There were few structures in this area in
1864, and none of the structures now standing in the areas that fall under this planning
effort date from the time of the battles of Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane or Moscow Church.
The landmarks and defining features for the battles are mostly terrain features (Map 11).
1. The Old Military Road. According to recent
research the Old Military Road crossed
the Union River at Antoine. The Union
army turned off the Old Military Road
at Spoonville (Hollywood) and followed
a secondary road to Elkin’s Ferry, where
they crossed the river. By all accounts the
Old Military Road ran through Prairie
D’Ane. The Union army pushed southwest
on the road, convincing the Confederates
that the Union objective was Washington,
Remnant of the Old Military Road
33
Road
T
Bo bo
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May
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182
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RK
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CO
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UN
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37
214
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BATTLE OF
ELKIN'S FERRY
k
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Dickers o n
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ar
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51
4
F42
COUNTY
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37
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1. The Old Military Road
2. Terre Noire Creek
3. Okolona
4. Little Missouri River
Antoine
5. Elkin’s Ferry
6. Earthworks
7. Smyrna Cemetery
8. Cornelius Farm
9. Prairie D’Ane
U
ni
o
10. High Ridge
11. Gum Grove
12. Moscow Church
13. Washington-Camden Road
53
e
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res
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rna
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ad
26
2
ek
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26
Ha
lfw
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Hollywood
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ai l
1
Cultural and Natural Resources
Litt
e
Tra
il
Road
0
Hig
ni t
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iler
Tra
Gravel
Cr
Roa
Terre
low
ar
L ic
Parks
Union
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62
i
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Boughton
9
242
67
r e ek
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ee
30
BATTLE OF
PRAIRIE D’ANE
46
Cr
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G
C
C re e k
nd
20
ar
PRESCOTT
ox
18
44
371
249
C
11
Midway
ver
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246
30
332
Ste
e
l
24
240
BATTLE OF
MOSCOW CHURCH
26
12
67
249
23
371
13
60
34
Map 11. Cultural and natural resources associated with the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry,
the Battle of Prairie D’Ane, and the Battle of Moscow Church, Nevada and Clark Counties, Arkansas.
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
the Confederate capital of Arkansas. The Confederates pulled out of Camden to defend
Washington and in doing so, left the way open for Steele to march southeast for Camden
after the Battle of Prairie D’Ane. Some modern roads follow the general route of the Old
Military Road, and isolated segments of the old road bed are extant in both counties.
2. Terre Noir Creek. The Old Military Road
crossed this creek just west of Spoonville
(Hollywood). A fairly large skirmish was
fought at the creek on April 2, 1864.
3. Okolona. This small town was a village in
1864 when Steele’s army marched through en
route to Elkin’s Ferry. A major engagement
was fought just north of town between
Steele’s rear guard and Confederate troops
under the command of Gen. Jo Shelby.
Okolona remains, but no Civil War structures
or features are known to have survived.
4. Little Missouri River. This meandering
stream, which today forms the boundary
between Clark and Nevada counties, was the
last natural barrier between Steele and the
Confederate capital at Washington. Steele
crossed the river almost unchallenged at
Elkin’s Ferry. The river was dammed in the
1940s but fortunately the section within the
battlefield has not been impounded.
5. Elkin’s Ferry. General Frederick Steele
turned off the Old Military Road and
crossed the Little Missouri at Elkin’s Ferry.
In the Official Records Elkin’s Ferry is almost
exclusively called Elkin’s Ford. The shallow,
gravel bottom ford was a suitable crossing in
times of normal and low water, but just days
after Steele’s main force crossed, the river rose
and the ford had to be bridged to allow the
Terre Noir Creek
Little Missouri River
Site of Elkin’s Ferry
35
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Union Army of the Frontier to cross. Today
there is a boat ramp at the approximate
location of Elkin’s Ferry on the Nevada
County side.
6. Earthworks. There are several extant
earthworks associated with the battlefields
in Nevada County. One is associated with
the Confederate occupation of the Cornelius
farm on a ridge north of the intersection of
CR 37 and CR 210. Earthworks are also
present on the main Prairie D’Ane battlefield
near the abandoned railroad but have not
been mapped.
7. Smyrna Cemetery. This small post-bellum
cemetery was associated with a church or
small community that flourished in this area
after the Civil War. The cemetery is located
in the southeast quarter of Section 19 R22W
T10S just off CR 60. Several Civil War
veterans are buried here.
Earthworks near intersection of
CR 37 and CR 210
Smyrna Cemetery
8. Cornelius farm. The Official Records mention
the Cornelius farm, Cornelius plantation, and
the Widow Cornelius place. The Confederates
bivouacked there on April 3, 1864, and the
Union army camped there from April 4
until April 10, 1864. The Cornelius house
is no longer extant. The exact location is not
known though local tradition holds, and local
historians believe, that it was at or near the
present location of Missionary Grove Baptist
Church.
9. Prairie D’Ane. This upland prairie encompassed approximately 25 to 30 square miles
in what is today northwest Nevada County.
Missionary Grove Baptist Church, which is
located on the site of the historic Cornelius farm.
36
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The prairie was a circular-shaped grassland,
crisscrossed by streams and surrounded by
forest. Today, what remains of the prairie is
generally within or adjacent to the Battle of
Prairie D’Ane NHL boundary and is mostly
pasture. Much of the surrounding forest was
harvested in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main engagement of the Battle of
Prairie D’Ane was fought on the prairie.
Prairie D’Ane
10. High Ridge. This ridge is located approximately where the abandoned Missouri Pacific
railroad is today. The Confederates put up the stiffest resistance that Steele had faced
during the first part of the campaign on this high ground on the prairie. The Confederates
fortified the ridge with earthworks and planned to hold the position long enough for
Price to establish a final line eight miles to the southwest, between the Union army and
Washington. The ridge west of the interstate is intact.
11. Gum Grove. The gum grove was a stand
of gum trees within Prairie D’Ane. The
Confederate name for the battle, The Battle
of Gum Grove, was derived from this natural
feature. The grove was located east of the
Old Military Road and it was just beyond or
perhaps within the grove, which was just south
of the high ridge, where the final Confederate
position was established on the night of April
10, 1864. Most of the gum grove is now
gone but there is a remnant just south of the
railroad tracks and east of the interstate about
one-quarter mile north of exit 44.
12. Moscow Church. Moscow Methodist
Church is all that remains of the village of
Moscow. This small town located on the
Washington-Camden Road survived until
the founding of Prescott and the coming of
the railroad in 1873. It was in the vicinity of
this church that the last engagement of the
Gum Grove
Moscow Methodist Church
37
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane was fought. The current Moscow Methodist Church is located at
the intersection of CR 23 and CR 260. It is a simple frame structure with an end gable roof
supported by Craftsman influenced brackets. The church building has a single door at the
entry and two rear doors; there are three windows on either side. The building rests on piers
and has an asphalt shingle roof. This structure was built in the 1940s and tradition says that
some of the materials from the previous antebellum structure were used in its construction.
The church and cemetery are listed in the National Register of Historic Places; they now
belong to the Moscow Cemetery Association. This is the only site in Nevada County where
the Battle of Prairie D’Ane is interpreted.
13. Washington-Camden Road. This antebellum road ran between Washington, which in
1864 was the Confederate capital of Arkansas, and Camden, on the Ouachita River. The
Old Military Road crossed this road where Steele turned his army at the southern edge of
the prairie and marched for Camden. CR 23, which runs in front of Moscow Church, is
part of this old road.
KOCOA Terrain Analysis
KOCOA analysis uses tactical aspects of an area to identify and classify important or
defining terrain features. These defining features are examined and classified into one
or more of the following terrain elements: Key Terrain (K), Observation and Fields of
Fire (O), Cover and Concealment (C), Obstacles (O), and Avenues of Approach and
Retreat (A). These elements can be both natural (rivers, ridges, mountains, vegetation) and
cultural (roads, buildings, fortifications) in origin and are defined as follows:
1) Key Terrain – These are defined as “any locality that affords a marked advantage to
which ever combatant seizes, retains and controls it.” Key terrain often includes
high ground, natural barriers that help with defense such as dense woods or rivers,
and strategic points such as road junctions and bridges.
2) Observation and Fields of Fire – These two elements include only natural or
cultural landscape points that allow good observation of enemy movements, good
communication (such as a signed station) and the acquisition of enemy targets.
High ground, such as hills and ridge tops, tall buildings, and approaches to
entrenched positions would be examples of important observation points.
3) Cover and Concealment – This includes natural or cultural landscape features
that provide protection from enemy fire (cover) and concealment from enemy
observation. Walls, buildings, dense woods, sunken roads, embankments, ravines,
and military entrenchments are examples of these features.
4) Obstacles – These are natural or man-made landscape elements that impede the
movement of military forces. Examples of these elements include rivers, walls,
fences, dense vegetation, swamps, steep slopes, ravines, and fortifications.
38
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The Old Military Road
X
Terre Noir Creek
X
Okolona
X
Avenues
of Approach
Obstacles
Cover and
Concealment
Observation
and Fields of
Fire
Key Terrain
5) Avenues of Approach – These are natural or man-made corridors used to transfer
troops to the battle area. During the Civil War, roads were the main avenues of
approach, but railroads, navigable rivers, paths, and creek beds could also be used.
In the table that follows, the defining terrain features within and around battles of
Elkin’s ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow will be examined and classified as one or
more of the above five terrain elements within the table. The general location of
the features can be seen on Map 11.
X
X
Little Missouri River
X
Elkin’s Ferry
X
X
Cornelius farm
X
X
Earthworks
X
X
X
Prairie D’Ane
X
X
X
High Ridge
X
X
X
Gum Grove
X
Washington-Camden Road
X
Moscow Church
X
X
X
Smyrna Cemetery
X
X
X
KOCOA definitions based on Stephen Fonzo, A Documentary and landscape
Analysis of the Buckland Mills Battlefields (Va042). Buckland Preservation Society,
Gainsville, Virginia, 2008 and John Latschar, Battlefield Rehabilitation at
Gettysburg, 2009. http://www.nps.gov/gett/parknews/gett-battlefield-rehab.htm.
39
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Previous Preservation Activities
T
he guns at the battle of Moscow Church fell silent on the evening of April 13, 1864.
The Union army marched for Camden and the Confederates followed. Since that
day the battlefields in Clark and Nevada counties have been part of the landscape, though
they have seen many changes since the Civil War. The great forests were logged after the
coming of the railroad in the last quarter of the 19th century. The City of Prescott was
created on the edge of the prairie in the 1870s, its birth spurred by the railroad. Nevada
County was carved out of Hempstead and parts of other counties in 1871. The railroad,
the timber industry, and later cotton farming brought people to Nevada County, which
grew and prospered.
Transportation patterns changed with the railroad, and then again with the coming of
the automobile in the first quarter of the 20th century. The old roads vanished or were
straightened. The construction of I-30 completed the cycle. The original railroad line
is now abandoned and cars and trucks dominate transportation. Manufacturing jobs
replaced agriculture, though the timber industry remains a vital part of the region’s
economy.
Despite the changes the battlefields remain. The landscape remains; the battlefields can be
read, though sometimes it is hard to make out the fine print. Over the years, individuals
and organizations have worked to commemorate the battles and raise awareness of their
significance. In 1954, the American Legion in Prescott erected three headstones and a
small memorial plaque to the two armies that clashed 90 years earlier. Those markers
were placed at or near the intersection of CR 30 and the Missouri Pacific Railroad in the
40
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section
1 R 23 W T 11 S. The three headstones were
inscribed: Edward H. Bates/ 27 Wisconsin / April
10, 1864; Erasmus D. Lackman/ Co. H / 50 Indiana
Infantry/April 11, 1864; William P. Funk / Co. I. / 33
Iowa Infantry / April 12, 1864. The memorial reads:
Civil War Memorial/ Dedicated to the memory of the
gallant/ who fought here at the battle/ of Prairie De
Ann or Gum Grove. / April 9, 1864/ General Frederic
Steele, Commander. / Union Army/ General Sterling Price, Commander. / Confederate
Army/ Erected by the American Legion/ November 11, 1954.
Two of the headstones and the memorial have since been moved from their location on
the battlefield to the Nevada County Depot Museum. The headstone to Edward H. Bates
is no longer extant. It is not clear if these stones marked graves or if they were simply
memorials to soldiers known to have died during the battle.
In 1974, the Prairie De Ann Battlefield was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. The listing recognized the battlefield as having statewide significance. This was the
first National Register listing in Nevada County.
The next significant preservation activity affecting the battlefields was the Civil War
Sites Advisory Commission Survey in 1991-92. Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas was
one of the sponsors of the bill that created the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission
(CWSAC). The fifteen-member commission was established in 1990 because Civil War
battlefields were disappearing at an alarming rate. The CWSAC survey identified 384
battlefields as the nation’s most significant and endangered. The Commission visited
battlefields and listened to testimony from landowners, preservationists, educators and
the general public. Seventeen of those battlefields are in Arkansas including the battles
of Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane. These battlefields are among five Camden Expedition
sites recognized by the Commission.
Elkin’s Ferry was determined to be a Priority II.3 Class C site. The priority and class
ranking has to do with the integrity of the battlefield resource and the site’s historic
significance. Priority II battlefields are sites “. . . with opportunities for comprehensive
preservation.” A Priority II.3 battlefield means that it had good or fair integrity with
high or moderate threats when surveyed in 1991-92. A Class C ranking is based on the
historical significance of the battle. Class C battlefields had an observable influence on
the outcome of a campaign.
41
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
In short, the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry had an impact on the outcome of the Camden
Expedition; the battlefield has a high degree of integrity, and is threatened with
inappropriate development or other actions that might adversely impact that integrity.
The Prairie D’Ane battlefield received a Priority II.2 Class B ranking. A Priority II.2
designation means the battlefield has good or fair integrity and low threats, and that less
than 20% of the Core Area has been protected. A Class B ranking means that the battle
had a direct and decisive influence on the campaign.
The Battle of Prairie D’Ane had a significant impact on the outcome of the Camden
Expedition. The battlefield’s integrity is good but is threatened with inappropriate
development or other actions that might adversely impact that integrity. The ranking
given to Prairie D’Ane indicated that it was less threatened than Elkin’s Ferry when
surveyed in the early 1990s. Today, the reverse is true.
The CWSAC survey included the engagement at Moscow Church in the Prairie D’Ane
core area and the engagement north of Okolona in the Elkin’s Ferry core area. Because
they were included in the CWSAC survey, these battlefields are eligible for funding
from Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants, administered by the National Park
Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. This money can be used to purchase
battlefield land or interest in that land (i.e. easements). These battlefields are also eligible
for funding through the Battlefield Planning Grants for survey and planning, which
includes plans such as this one, interpretation, research and archeology.
While the CWSAC survey did not preserve any portion of the battlefields, it did make
these sites eligible for funding that will facilitate their preservation. The battlefields were
identified and their Core Areas (where combat took place) and Study Areas (area where
troops maneuvered, deployed, and fought immediately before, during, and after combat)
were identified and mapped.
In 1994, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, working with the CWSAC data,
and after undertaking additional historic research, prepared a context for the Camden
Campaign of 1864. This context was used to develop the Camden Expedition Sites
National Historic Landmark nomination. National Historic Landmark (NHL) status
is the highest honor a historic place can obtain. Becoming an NHL is a significant
achievement. NHL properties are nationally significant historic places designated by the
Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or
interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this
42
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
national distinction. [From the National Park Service’s National Historic Landmark Program website
http://www.nps.gov/nhl/]
Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane were listed as part of the Camden Expedition National
Historic Landmark. This significant honor demonstrates beyond any doubt that these
battlefields are worthy of preservation.
In 2005, Congress asked the American Battlefield Protection Program to resurvey the
CWSAC battlefields and update the information obtained in the 1990s. Each surveyed
battlefield was revisited and reevaluated to assess changes, to determine the current
condition of each, and to map each site using GIS. The survey data for Arkansas was not
complete when this plan was written. It should be available to the public by the end of
2010.
Raising Public Awareness
For any battlefield preservation program to succeed, the public has to be aware of the
historic significance of a battlefield. People cannot be moved to protect a place that
they do not know exists or that they do not see as relevant. Several local and statewide
initiatives have helped raise awareness of the battlefields in Nevada and Clark counties.
In 1994, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program published two documents
to facilitate and encourage the development of a statewide program devoted to the
preservation and interpretation of Arkansas’ Civil War resources, A Civil War Heritage
Resources Plan for Arkansas and A Guide to Developing Civil War Resources. These brief
documents created a plan and an action agenda for the creation of a statewide trail and
a grassroots organization that led to the formation of the Arkansas Civil War Heritage
Trail (ACWHT).
The ACWHT is an organization of six regional, private nonprofit, volunteer
organizations working to identify, preserve, interpret and promote Arkansas’ Civil Warrelated sites. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department
of Arkansas Heritage, provides guidance for the groups and a web presence. Clark and
Nevada counties are in the Southwest region or Southwest Arkansas Civil War Heritage
Trail (SWACWHT). The Southwest Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trail includes Polk,
Montgomery, Garland, Howard, Pike, Clark, Hot Spring, Dallas, Sevier, Little River,
Hempstead, Nevada, Ouachita, Calhoun, Miller, Lafayette, Columbia, and Union
counties. This organization provides a framework for groups in the region to share ideas
and to work together on projects that can be mutually beneficial.
43
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
In 1999, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and the Arkansas Historic
Preservation Program published the Arkansas Civil War Discovery Trail Guide. It divided
the state into five regions; Prescott is part of the Timberlands region. This 17-page
guide to Civil War sites in Arkansas was created to encourage and facilitate visitation
of the state’s Civil War sites provides a brief history of each site, location and contact
information, and a brief description of the site’s interpretation. The publication is still
available in limited quantities.
The Red River Campaign in Arkansas
brochure was created by Arkansas State
Parks to highlight Poison Springs,
Marks’ Mill and Jenkins’ Ferry, which
are historic state parks. It includes
Arkadelphia and Prescott on the map,
and provides brief descriptions of the
engagements at Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie
D’Ane. This brochure includes a history
of the campaign and information on
interpretation and visitor facilities at
each site.
Interpretive wayside at Moscow Methodist Church
Civil War exhibit, Nevada County Depot Museum
Currently, there is limited interpretation
for the battles. The Clark County
Historical Museum and the Nevada
County Depot Museum feature
exhibits on the Civil War in their
respective counties. The Arkansas
Historic Preservation Program placed
one interpretive wayside at Moscow
Church. This fiberglass embedded
wayside interprets the April 13, 1864,
Battle of Moscow Church. The site is
accessible to the public and, in fact, is
the only tract of land associated with the
Battle of Prairie D’Ane that is currently
protected.
44
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The Clark County Historical Society has erected three signs to mark the sites of
engagements related to the Camden Expedition campaign. In 2001, a sign for the
Battle of the Bees, the April 3, 1864, engagement associated with Elkin’s Ferry, was
placed on Smyrna Road about a mile north of Okolona. In 2004, the CCHS placed two
more signs, one for the Engagement at Elkin’s Ferry about 2.8 miles north of the Little
Missouri River, and a second for the Skirmish at Spoonville located 2.3 miles south of
the intersection of CR 53 and CR 26 just west of Hollywood. These signs, below, are at or
near the areas where the fighting occurred. They resemble historical markers and present
short descriptions of the engagements.
A great deal has been accomplished in Clark and Nevada counties to make people aware
of the significance of the battlefields and the events that took place there. However, the
only land that has any protection is the Moscow Church tract which is owned by the
Moscow Church Association. The Arkansas Department of Game and Fish owns 1.22
acres at Elkin’s Ferry, but that parcel is not protected with an easement.
The infrastructure for battlefield preservation is in place. The battlefields have been
identified and have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places and, in fact, are
listed as National Historic Landmarks. There is a blank canvas ready to be painted. Now
is the time to begin.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The Planning Process
T
his project encompasses battlefields in two counties with three major engagements—
Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church. In addition, there are three
smaller engagements in Clark County—at Terre Noir Creek, at Antoine, and at Okolona.
Of these, the April 3, 1864, engagement at Okolona is directly associated with the Battle
of Elkin’s Ferry.
The planning process was designed to determine what the focus of preservation efforts
should be and how to proceed. Comments and information obtained at the initial
community meeting and in meetings with interested individuals, elected officials, and
members of the Nevada County and Clark County historical societies were used to
develop priorities to guide those working to preserve the battlefields and associated sites.
First Community Meeting
On April 27, 2009, a community meeting was held at the Collom and Carney
Community Room, 1431 West 1st Street, in Prescott. The purpose of the meeting was to
solicit comments and opinions to aid in the development of preservation priorities. Joseph
E. Brent of Mudpuppy & Waterdog, Inc. facilitated the meeting. Maria Campbell Brent,
Mudpuppy & Waterdog, Inc., assisted Mr. Brent. Mark Christ, Community Outreach
Director, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, gave a presentation on the Arkansas
Civil War Sesquicentennial Project and its role in battlefield preservation. Mr. Brent
followed with a presentation on battlefield preservation and its economic benefits for
communities. A visioning session was held as part of the meeting and those attending
were also asked to complete a questionnaire (Appendix 1).
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
A small but enthusiastic group of people
attended the meeting and offered their
suggestions regarding the battlefield resources
and what should be done to preserve them.
Comments received at the community
meeting, in conjunction with those received
in discussions with individuals and data from
historical and field research were used to
determine priorities for preservation.
Community meeting, April 9, 2009.
Five priorities emerged:

Preserve battlefield land

Create an interpreted battlefield park

Develop partnerships

Reach out to landowners

Integrate battlefield preservation into economic development plans
These priorities, which are not listed in any particular order, are interdependent. When
the planning process began there was no battlefield preservation organization in Nevada
and Clark counties. However, one is now being organized. Interpretation is limited to
exhibits in the two historical society museums and very limited interpretation on the
battlefields.
Battlefield Priorities
It is not necessary to accomplish these priorities in any particular order, although
preserving battlefield land is necessary before some other priorities can be realized. All
carry equal weight. All should be pursued.
Preserve battlefield land
Preserving battlefield land did not emerge as a priority at the community meeting.
Perhaps, since this is a battlefield preservation plan, those in attendance simply took
land preservation as a given. However, preserving battlefield land is necessary to create
a battlefield park, to develop heritage tourism, and to focus the efforts of the partners.
Without land the story of the battle remains but the battlefield is lost. The inability to
walk the land, to see the ridges, the streams, and the prairie—the features that played
key roles in the outcome of the battle—makes it impossible to connect with place and
diminishes the experience heritage travelers seek. These battlefields have survived 149
years in private hands; the landowners have been good stewards. The excellent integrity
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
of these battlefields is a testimony to their
care. The battlefields may remain in private
hands and continue to survive, or they
could fall to housing developments or other
construction activities that destroy the
resource.
Create an interpreted battlefield park
When those attending the community
Inappropriate development on the Richmond
meetings were asked, “What is your vision
Battlefield, Madison County, Kentucky
for the future of the battlefield?”, the replies
were almost exclusively related to interpretation and the development of a battlefield park.
Visitor center
Prairie restoration
Interpretive program that brings the stories to life
Interpreted battlefield area
The Nevada County Depot Museum is one of the county’s foremost attractions. The
museum has displays that trace the history of the county, including one on the Civil War
that discusses the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry and the Battle of Prairie D’Ane. The history of
the battles is well known in both counties and is retold in the published county histories.
A battlefield park, or at least battlefield interpretation, is a logical next step. The
battlefields retain good integrity and can be interpreted from the road without any land
being owned by a not-for-profit preservation organization. A numbered-post driving tour
could be implemented for little cost. All that is required is a brochure with a map and
directions that takes visitors from one part of the battlefield to another. At each stop there
is a number keyed to written interpretation in the brochure. This would be an inexpensive
way to get people out onto the battlefield. It would help visitors better understand the
battles and it would help the residents of Nevada and Clark counties understand the size
and scope of their battlefield resources. Residents would quickly come to realize just how
much of the battlefields remain. Seeing and understanding the battlefield are the first
steps to appreciating the resource and stewardship.
A battlefield park with a visitor center, a restored prairie, archaeological investigations,
and a comprehensive interpretive program cannot be realized without owning some
property. Owning a parcel of land anywhere on the battlefield gives the community and
visitors a place where they can experience the battlefield, even if this experience is limited
to a small parcel of the prairie or ferry area.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Develop partnerships
Partnerships are the key to preserving and interpreting the battlefields. Neither county is
wealthy; both are striving to slow or reverse the outmigration of talented young people.
Creating a battlefield organization that cooperates across county lines, that brings
elected officials together, and that reaches out to landowners will be necessary to achieve
battlefield preservation and interpretation. Those attending the community meeting
identified opportunities for a number of local and regional partnerships.
City of Prescott
Clark County
Nevada County
State agencies
Landowners
Foundations
Museums
Civil War roundtables
Reenactors
Camden Expeditions sites
Partnerships are important for a number of reasons and funding is one of the biggest.
National partnerships were not mentioned, but The Civil War Preservation Trust has
worked with landowners to purchase land at other battlefields. The American Battlefield
Protection Program funded this plan, and could provide funding for land or easement
purchase as well as interpretive planning, archaeological investigations, and research.
All elected officials are potential partners. The mayors of Prescott and Okolona, the
county judges of Clark and Nevada counties, state representatives, and representatives in
Congress and the Senate should all be made aware of the significance of the battlefield
resources and the economic benefits of their preservation and interpretation. All of these
people are potential supporters and potential sources of funds. The Arkansas Civil War
Sesquicentennial Project offers another partnership opportunity.
Partnerships will be a significant part of the long-term preservation effort. However, nothing is
ever accomplished without a strong local leader—someone to harness the enthusiasm, to plan the
events, write grants, and keep the project moving forward. Every successful preservation effort is
a grassroots effort led by one or more dedicated individuals.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reach out to landowners
Those who own battlefield land have already demonstrated their willingness to participate
in efforts to recognize the battlefields. In the 1990s, over 3,000 acres of battlefield, mostly
in Nevada County, were listed as part of the National Historic Landmark study. At least
51% of the landowners had to agree before the listing could go forward. The Arkansas
Historic Preservation Program answered questions regarding the listing and the process.
They explained to the landowners what the listing meant and that it would not affect
what they could do to or with their land.
That was fifteen years ago. It is likely that many of the parcels have changed hands.
To move forward with a more ambitious project, one that includes land or easement
purchase, landowner cooperation and support will be necessary. Unfortunately, no
battlefield landowners attended the community meeting and one of the most significant
landowners lives out of state.
It is important that landowners understand that the preservation organization is asking
for their support, but that they are under no compunction to sell land or easements. All
decisions rest with them. No thought is being given to any sort of government taking.
That option is not on the table. The best way to proceed with this or any battlefield
preservation project is an honest and upfront approach. Let the landowners who live on
the battlefield know that they live on historically significant property. Let them know that
the battlefield preservation organization wants to see that property preserved for future
generations. Express willingness to work with them; ascertain their goals and determine if
or how they might complement your preservation objectives.
There will be landowners who want nothing to do with any preservation effort. Some will
be fearful of government intervention with their rights or perceived government control.
Others may want to participate. Some may know that they own battlefield land. There
may be older landowners who want to preserve their property “the way it has always
been.” This is a local preservation effort. Those who lead it will be working with their
friends and neighbors. If those friends and neighbors are comfortable with the process
and the individuals they are working with, the project becomes much easier.
Integrate battlefield preservation into economic development plans
The grant to prepare this preservation plan was made to the Prescott/Nevada County
Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Office, also known as The
Partnership. Economic development is this organization’s priority. Battlefield preservation
can generate economic development through heritage tourism. To develop heritage
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
tourism there must be something for visitors to see—and it must be the real thing.
Preservation of the battlefield resource will give The Partnership another economic
development tool. A preserved and interpreted battlefield will draw visitors. It will bring
people to the Clark-Nevada County area, and when they come they will spend money.
The longer they stay the more money they will spend. The key ingredients are preservation
of the land, comprehensive interpretation, and the infrastructure to accommodate
visitors—restaurants, hotel/motel facilities and shopping.
There is no industrial development in the area of Clark County where the battlefield
exists. Industrial development in Nevada County is located within the Core Area of the
battlefield east of I-30 on either side of, or just off of, US 371/CR 24 (Blevins Road)
between the interstate and Prescott. There is an opportunity for The Partnership to work
with the industrial development office to set aside land for industrial development while
at the same time preserving the battlefield resource. The two are not mutually exclusive,
and a highly visible cultural resource such as a battlefield is a positive asset when selling
the region to potential employers.
An important priority for any organization working to preserve a battlefield is to help the
policy makers in business and government understand that this course of action is not
simply an aesthetic or altruistic goal, but one that has economic value. Once battlefield
preservation is seen as a positive benefit for all aspects of the community it is much easier
to rally the support of political and business leaders.
Aerial photo showing industrial
development east of I-30 at Prescott
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Preserving the Battlefields
W
hy preserve a Civil War battlefield? Preserving a Civil War battlefield is not just
the right thing to do, it makes solid economic sense.
A Civil War battlefield – whether protected and open to visitors or preserved by a private
owner as open space – can be a significant component of a community’s economy, yielding
economic, cultural and environmental benefits.1
According to Blue, Gray and Green: Why Saving Civil War Battlefields Makes Economic
Sense, created by the Civil War Preservation Trust, a preserved Civil War battlefield is an
asset to the surrounding area. The battlefield, once preserved and interpreted, can also be
an asset to the business community. Visitors who pay for local services translate into more
jobs, higher incomes for residents, and more tax revenue for state and local governments.
The driving force behind the economic engine is Civil War travelers—who tend to be
middle-aged, affluent, and better educated visitors very interested in the Civil War.
Surveys confirm that these visitors have more leisure time and more disposable income
than other vacationers. They spend more money and stay longer than the average leisure
traveler. Civil War travelers are very discriminating visitors who often specifically come to
an area just to visit a Civil War battlefield, and often visit a place just for its history.
The Civil War Preservation Trust study has demonstrated that over half of the travelers
visited a particular place because of a battlefield. Those same people had visited and
will visit other Civil War sites and recommend the sites they find interesting and well
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
interpreted to others. Thus, being part of a regional, statewide, or national Civil War trail
will only improve the prospect for visitation. The Civil War traveler often visits multiple
sites on any given trip.
How does this translate to dollars and cents? According to the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, the average heritage tourist spends $50 per person per day and stays an
average of two days. If 20,000 people visit the battlefields over the course of a year they
could be expected to generate $2 million for the local economy.
In order to have a Civil War battlefield that will draw visitors, at least some of the
battlefield must be preserved. For the site to keep people in the area for any length
of time, at least a portion of the battlefield must be open to the public. There must be
someplace where people can go to experience the battlefield firsthand—to walk the fields
and see the area as the soldiers saw it. It is this experience that attracts heritage travelers.
Providing it requires owning land.
Land Protection Options
In many ways the battlefield preservation effort for Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane is
starting from scratch. No preservation organization is in place and there is no history of
any one person or organization spearheading past efforts. That may seem like a handicap,
but may be a positive thing. Whatever organization emerges as a result of this plan will
be starting fresh. There is no history to either capitalize upon or overcome. Because the
funding for this project passed through the Economic Development Office, those who
begin the preservation process will have an advantage in that they will know, or have
access, to individuals or organizations seeking positive economic development for the
county.
The first important step is underway, a battlefield preservation not-for-profit, a 501 (c) 3
is being created. This organization will provide a rallying point for those who wish to help
with the battlefield preservation effort and will create an identity for that effort, giving it a
name and an organization that people can join.
The success or failure of the battlefield preservation project will hinge on the ability of
the organization seeking to preserve the battlefields to protect land. There are a number
of tools that can aid in protecting land, but in the end land protection comes down to
easements or purchasing property.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Conservation Easement Opportunities
Funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is the source of monies
for the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, can be used to buy easements. The
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program can hold an easement on an historic property
if that property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civil War
Preservation Trust has worked in other places in Arkansas to help protect battlefield land.
Both Elkin’s Ferry and Prairie D’Ane battlefields qualify for the federal funding above;
the CWPT will probably be very willing to help any organization associated with the
battlefields to find a way to protect the land.
Easements offer the opportunity to preserve land without owning it. This option keeps
the land on the tax rolls and keeps it in agriculture, which protects viewshed. Easements
can either be purchased from the landowner or the landowner can donate the easement.
There are two types of easements: The first is a Historic Preservation or Conservation
Easement, the second is an Agricultural Conservation Easement. Landowner consent is
necessary to obtain either. Funding is available for both options.
The United States Department of Agriculture has funding available for the purchase
of conservation easements through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can provide information on the
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The United States Forest Service or your
local state forester’s office has information on the Forest Legacy Program, which can
be used to protect forest land with easements. Conservation easements should not be
confused with other conservation programs funded through the 2002 Farm Bill, such
as the Conservation Reserve or Conservation Security Programs. Entering into either
of the Farm Bill conservation programs is simply a contractual agreement between the
NRCS and the producer for a specified period of time. A conservation easement for the
protection of battlefield land is in perpetuity—that is, forever. The easement would be
attached to the deed and remain with the land in the event it is sold.
Conservation easements allow landowners to preserve or limit current and
future uses of their farms and forests. Under certain circumstances, they
can provide substantial tax benefits for landowners and/or allow landowners
to convert some of their equity into cash. They provide an attractive
option for landowners and land trusts because they allow landowners to
retain ownership while foregoing the rights to future development. Thus,
through conservation easements, landowners can achieve conservation or
preservation aims while retaining limited rights to continued use of their
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
property for themselves and for future generations. To do so, conservation
easements should be carefully tailored to fit individual circumstances and
should be made flexible enough to accommodate changes in farm and forest
practices and conditions. In addition, tax incentives are contingent both upon
individual landowner circumstances and a properly structured easement.
Landowners are strongly encouraged to retain competent professionals to
assist them through the process.2
Easements should not be viewed as an alternative to the purchase of priority land or
land that is necessary for interpretive purposes. However, easements are an alternative to
protect large tracts of land that are not necessary for on-site interpretation, and to protect
viewshed. Viewsheds associated with most of this battlefield land is still pristine. A buffer
between residential development and industrial development is essential to maintain not
only the feel of the site but its integrity. Preserving viewshed will also keep green space
around the City of Prescott. Battlefield preservation will help maintain the rural character
of Prescott, Okolona, and Clark and Nevada counties.
Easements are but one option in the preservation arsenal. There is no doubt that the best
way to protect land is to buy it. Purchasing property ensures that it will be protected and
will be used in a way that respects the resource.
Right of First Refusal
A right of first refusal is a legally binding agreement that specifies a given time span
during which the holder of the agreement has the opportunity to purchase the land at
a price determined by the landowner. One of the preservation priorities is to reach out
to landowners. Beginning a dialog battlefield with landowners is the first step toward
obtaining a right of first refusal option on priority battlefield land. A right of first refusal
option gives the battlefield preservation organization the first chance to purchase land
when it becomes available and provides lead-time to put together necessary funding. It is
a very effective, proactive tool.
Options
Options are another tool that can be used when a willing landowner has been identified.
The purchase of an option provides a group or individual time to raise the money to
purchase the land. Insures that the land will not be sold for the length of the option
while funds are being raised. The cost of the option can be applied to the cost of the land.
However, if funds cannot be raised within the prescribed time the cost of the option is
lost.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Buying Land
The simplest way to protect land is to buy it outright. This is the best option but it is
also the most costly. Maintain an open dialogue with battlefield landowners. Keep them
informed about the battlefield project. Let them know what is going on. The more they
know, the more comfortable they will be with the battlefield effort.
Fortunately, both of the battlefields are eligible for funding through the Land and
Water Conservation Fund, which funds the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program
administered through the American Battlefield Protection Program. The funding is often
used by the Civil War Preservation Trust to purchase property on behalf of preservation
organizations. Because both battlefields are priority II sites, applications for funding can
be made at any time. The program requires a 50-50 match.
Bargain Sale
A bargain sale is the purchase of land at a price below its fair market value. Once a
battlefield not-for-profit is formed, this type of sale would entitle the seller to state and
federal tax deductions for a charitable contribution. This type of sale is dependent upon
the seller’s willingness to take a loss in order to get the tax benefit. The tax deduction is
based on the difference between the fair market value and the selling price.
Zoning Opportunities
There is no zoning in either county outside of the metropolitan areas of Arkadelphia and
Prescott. Only very small areas of the Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church battlefields are
zoned. There are also some conservation zones associated with riparian areas near rivers
and other principal waterways. None of the zoning offers any protection to battlefield
land.
THE BATTLEFIELDS
Over 3,000 acres of land associated with the battles of Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane, and
Moscow Church are listed as National Historic Landmarks and therefore are also listed
in the National Register of Historic Places. There are two boundaries for Prairie D’Ane.
The 1974 battlefield boundary listed approximately 5,740 acres. Much of this boundary
is outside of what is today considered the Core Area. It includes most, but not all, of
the NHL boundary. According to Mark Christ of the Arkansas Historic Preservation
Program, the NHL boundary was drawn to include all of the Core Area of the battlefield
that retained a high degree of integrity. While this plan makes note of the 1974 boundary,
the suggested preservation options were generally based on the NHL boundary.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
E LKIN ’ S F ERRY
Most of the listed property for the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry is in Nevada County, but a
significant portion of the battlefield is immediately across the Little Missouri River in
Clark County. In addition, the engagement just north of Okolona, which took place on
April 3, 1864, is in Clark County. Although it took place several miles north of the river
crossing, this action is part of the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry.
Roughly, 1,000 acres of the engagement north of Okolona was included in the 1993
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Survey, but this area was not listed as a part of the
National Historic Landmark study. Given the size of the fight north of Okolona, and that
there were probably less than 4,000 troops engaged, the size of the Core Area designated
in 1993 is probably more than adequate.
The contemporary accounts of the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry definitely include this action as
part of the battle. Shelby’s attack on the rear guard of Steele’s army kept the main part of
that army occupied. Consequently, Steele was only able to send a small contingent south
to Elkin’s Ferry to secure the river crossing. That detachment engaged Confederate forces
south of the Little Missouri on April 3, 1864.
The problem with the engagement north of Okolona, sometimes called the “Battle of
the Bees,” is that its exact location is unknown. The battlefield land to the south has
been listed as a National Historic Landmark because research documented the actions
that took place there. This has not been the case at Okolona. The area north of Okolona
retains good integrity. Like the site for the principal engagement of the Battle of Elkin’s
Ferry, this area is in either timberland or pasture. There are a few houses associated with
farms in the area, but nothing that would compromise the integrity of the site.
The engagement at Okolona should be preserved. However, more research should be
undertaken to determine, at least generally, what area should be preserved. The 1993 Core
Area was north of Okolona, while the proposed 2010 Core Area is the general area of
Okolona. If the latter is correct, the site has less integrity. Additional research should be
undertaken before a preservation strategy for this area is formulated.
The main engagement area of the Elkin’s Ferry battlefield is approximately four miles
south of Okolona. Union cavalry reinforced with a few companies of infantry fought
Confederate cavalry on April 3, 1864. The Federals managed to push the Confederates
south, skirmishing most of the way from the ferry to the Cornelius farm, where the
Confederates were reinforced. They deployed in line of battle and held their ground. The
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Union detachment retreated back to the ferry.
The next day, April 4, a third engagement was fought at Elkin’s Ferry. The Union
detachment was heavily reinforced with infantry and artillery. It held the river crossing,
pushed forward and eventually bivouacked at the Cornelius farm. Steele’s army remained
at the Cornelius farm until it marched for Prairie D’Ane.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission owns 1.22 acres and operates a boat launch at,
or near, the site of Elkin’s Ferry. This property is not protected by an easement and there is
no interpretation at the site. Other than this small unprotected parcel no land associated
with Elkin’s Ferry is publicly owned. There are two signs in Clark County that interpret
the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry, but there is no publicly owned land associated with the battle
in Clark County either.
The Core Area of the battlefield encompasses the main engagement near the Little
Missouri River and extends southwest to an area adjacent to the Missionary Grove
Baptist Church, which is near the former Cornelius farm where the Confederates camped
on the night of April 3. Union and Confederate forces skirmished down the road to the
farm on the evening of April 3, and the Confederates marched back up the road to the
ferry landing on April 4. Steele encamped on and around the Cornelius farm after the
battle. The Core Area encompasses the area between the ferry and the Cornelius farm on
either side of CR 37 (Map 8).
Near the river the Core Area is floodplain
drained by the Little Missouri River. In Clark
County the land is wetlands, with several oxbow
lakes and unnamed streams. Union troops staged
here before crossing to engage Confederates
across the river. The Nevada County side is also
floodplain associated with the Little Missouri
River, Middle Creek, and Howard Creek.
Vegetation along the stream edge is mostly
mixed hardwoods with some pine. On the Clark
County side at least a portion of the Core Area
is in cultivation.
May Road, looking toward the Little Missouri
River and the site of Elkin’s Ferry
Between the river and the ridge just north of the Cornelius farm the ground rises. For
the most part it is cultivated timberland—planted pine in various stages of development.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
There are a few houses scattered along
CR 37, which runs southwest from the
river. The larger tracts of land are owned
by timber companies and most are leased
by hunting clubs.
Timberland on CR 37 near Missionary
Grove Baptist Church
View of ridge looking east from CR 37
The Core Area extends just beyond a
ridge, locally known as Nubbin Hill.
There are earthworks on this ridge, and
this is where the Confederate cavalry
deployed in line of battle on the evening
of April 3, 1864. The fighting on April 3
probably ended at the ridge.
Beyond the ridge in the general area of
the Cornelius farm is open cultivated
land. The gently rolling land is mostly
pasture. In this area CR 37 intersects
with CR 219, CR 69, CR 66 and CR 22.
There are probably more small farms and
residences in this area than in the rest of
the Elkin’s Ferry battlefield put together.
Cattle and horses are raised on these
farms, along with some corn and hay.
This area, as the crow flies, is less than
two miles from I-30.
Short and Long-Term Threats
There is no protection for any of the land
in the Elkin’s Ferry battlefield, either the
NHL boundary or the Core Area. The
battlefield is all in private hands with the
exception of the 1.22 acres that the state
owns to operate the boat launch.
The Elkin’s Ferry Battlefield near the
intersection of CR 37 and CR 215W
The land within the Core Area has been
timbered and replanted several times
since 1864. While timbering activities
might not damage the landscape, they do
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
pose a real threat to the archeological resources associated with the battlefield.
Timbering is both a short and a long-term threat. The timber industry at this time offers
some protection to the land—that is, it takes 20 years or so to harvest a pine forest. Some
of the trees in the core are mature, some have recently been harvested, and some are not
yet mature. There will be some lag time before the next harvest and given the state of the
economy there might be more than usual. This time frame might present an opportunity
to work with the landowners to purchase or protect the property.
Residential development is probably the greatest long-term threat to the Elkin’s Ferry
area. In 2009, twenty-nine out of the 100
parcels, just less than one-third, contained
less than 10 acres. It seems unlikely that
the area adjacent to the river would ever be
developed, given that the land is floodplain
and is low and wet, but the area in the
extreme south end of the Core Area is
threatened with residential construction.
The land along the ridge in the area of the
historic Cornelius farm and in the upland both north and south of the ridge already has
a great deal of residential development. This part of the battlefield is approximately three
to four miles from I-30 exit 46. This location allows for an easy commute either north or
south along the interstate. While no subdivisions are now planned, growth will probably
continue. Keep in mind that battlefield preservation is a never-ending process; it is
important to plan and act with the future in mind.
Utilities are another long-term threat. A gas line already runs through the heart of Prairie
D’Ane. High lines (electric power lines on multi-tiered metal or wood poles), gas lines,
and the ever increasing numbers of cell towers pose serious threats to the integrity of
both the archeological resources associated with a battlefield and its viewshed. This is
particularly true of cell towers and high lines.
Priority Parcels
There are 100 parcels totaling approximately 3,188 acres in the Core Area of the Elkin’s
Ferry battlefield in both counties. In a perfect world, it would be simple enough to buy
them. The world is not perfect and land costs money. This plan calls for the purchase of 42
parcels and suggests seeking easements to protect the other 58 (Appendix 2, Tables 1 and
2).
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battlefield preservation is a long-term process. The parcels recommended for purchase
represent the land that is most historically significant, had the heaviest fighting, or
retains important battlefield features. These areas also have the greatest potential for
interpretation. Just because a parcel is listed in this document as an easement property
does not mean it should not be purchased. If the opportunity arises to acquire property,
do so. Be proactive. You never know when or how an opportunity might arise to save land.
Land Protection
This plan recommends the purchase of a total of some 1,746 acres in two parts of the
Core Area. The first is in the northern part at the river where the main engagement took
place. The parcels are in sections 21, 27, and 28 at the river there is a 1.22 acre parcel
that is already owned by the State of Arkansas. The total at the main engagement area
is approximately 934 acres, some 629 in Nevada County and 305 in Clark County. All
of this land is either in timber or under cultivation. Some 359 acres north of the Little
Missouri in Clark County are recommended for easement protection (Appendix 2).
The purchase of this property will provide an area where the battle can be interpreted.
Trails would allow visitors to walk on the battlefield and revisit the terrain over which the
troops fought. Almost all of the land recommended for purchase at the main engagement
site is in the NHL boundary. This land is perhaps the most historically significant in
the Elkin’s Ferry Core Area. It is hallowed ground where most of the battle casualties
occurred.
Easements are suggested for the Core Area between the two ends of the battlefield. Given
the ephemeral nature of the skirmishing between the river and the historic Cornelius
farm and the fact that the area has been logged and replanted, this strategy makes the
most sense. However, if an opportunity for purchase arises by all means buy the property.
Approximately 1,016 acres in sections 4, 33, and 34 should be secured with conservation
easements. County Road 37, a lightly traveled gravel road, traverses this area adding to
the historic feel of the site and contributing to the integrity of the Core Area.
The second area where purchase is suggested is along the ridge line near Missionary
Grove Baptist Church, the historic site of the Cornelius farm. It was in this area that
the Confederates ended the first day of the Battle of Elkin’s Ferry by drawing up in
line of battle on the ridge and turning back the Union pursuit. This is where the main
Confederate army bivouacked before the battle, and the Union army encamped after the
battle. There are extant earthworks in this area and there may well be intact archeological
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
resources associated with the encampment sites. This plan recommends the purchase of
812 acres in the southern end of the Core Area in sections 8 and 9.
The remaining 69 acres in the southern portion of the Core Area should be protected
with conservation easements. The route by which visitors will approach the battlefield
from I-30 and Prescott will pass through this area. Keeping this area in farms and timber
will maintain its historic rural character. In 1864, this area was very sparsely populated.
While it is much more populated now, by almost any standard density is light and there
is a great deal of open space. CR 37 is gravel throughout much of the battlefield Core
Area. It is an excellent road and it helps transport visitors to a different time and gives the
battlefield the authentic feel so important to a heritage destination (Appendix 2.)
While specific parcels are not addressed, securing easements for large tracts of land
adjacent to the Core Area will help ensure an excellent viewshed throughout the Core
Area. Given the current configuration of roads in the northern portion of the Core Area,
viewshed is not an issue, but that could change.
P RAIRIE D’A NE
The Battle of Prairie D’Ane was the largest of the battles in Nevada County. Most, if not
all, of both armies were engaged at some point during the four-day battle. This is perhaps
the best known of all of the battlefields, and though a portion of this battlefield has been
compromised with industrial and commercial development, it still retains very good
integrity. There are 145 parcels containing some 5,738 acres within the Core Area that
retain integrity. Approximately 2,346 acres of the battlefield is within the NHL boundary.
The heart of the preservation effort suggested by this plan focuses on the NHL boundary,
though parts in the Core Area that retain integrity are also included. Most of the well
preserved land associated with this battlefield is north of I-30 and roughly between exits
44 and 46, extending west to CR 61 (Map 9).
This four day battle began on April 10, 1864, when Steele’s Union infantry crossed
Prairie D’Ane in search of Price’s Confederate cavalry. The most significant fighting took
place on April 10 and lasted long into the night. Reconnaissance in force and large scale
skirmishing took place over the next two days but no decisive actions were fought. The
Confederates withdrew from their defensive position hoping to draw the Federals into
a trap closer to Washington. Steele, seeking an escape route to Camden, allowed Price
to think his plan had worked by sending cavalry in pursuit of the Confederates while
his main army turned east. The final engagement of the battle took place on April 13 at
Moscow Church.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
No land within the Core Area of the Prairie D’Ane battlefield is protected. There is
nothing in the NHL or Core Area to indicate that a nationally significant Civil War
battle was fought here. What remains is the open space that was Prairie D’Ane. The road
system that the soldiers used to cross the prairie is gone, replaced by a modern system of
interstate highways and paved state and county routes. A gas pipeline crosses the prairie
in roughly the same location as the Old
Military Road. The utility line can be
seen on both the USGS quad map and in
modern aerial photographs.
At the time of the battle no one lived
on the prairie, choosing instead to live
on its edges. This accounts for the lack
of cultural resources associated with this
battlefield. However, the natural resource
remains. The native grasslands of the
Gas line crossing the Prairie D’Ane Battlefield
mid-19th century Arkansas prairie have
been replaced with pasture, but the landscape looks much the same. The viewsheds across
the battlefield are for the most part outstanding. The rolling nature of the terrain and
the lack of access roads within the NHL boundary have helped maintain the setting and
feeling of this battlefield.
The landscape of the battlefield is a series of uplands that begin on a knob 450 feet
high in the northeast end of the Core Area. This is probably where the battle began.
The remainder of the Core Area is gently rolling uplands bisected by unnamed seasonal
drainages. A good size lake has been created near the center of the NHL boundary and
there are several farm ponds scattered throughout. The high or central ridge described in
the Official Records as the site of the Confederate main line is northeast of the abandoned
railroad that crosses the battlefield northwest to southeast.
The areas where the integrity of the battlefield has been severely compromised are at the
interstate exits and south of the interstate between the highway and Prescott. The interior
of the battlefield is sparsely populated. Most of the battlefield is pasture, though there are
a few stands of timber within the Core Area.
Short and Long-Term Threats
The Core Area of the battlefield extends south and east of I-30 beyond the NHL
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
boundary. The Core Area between the
interstate and Blevins Road and the
City of Prescott has been compromised.
Industrial and commercial development
precluded the NHL listing beyond the
interstate in 1994. In addition, there are
several residential developments within
the city limits in the Core Area.
Industrial and Commercial Development
The Prairie D’Ane Battlefield as seen from the
intersection of CR 23 and the abandoned railroad.
The most significant threat to the battlefield
has been industrial and commercial
development at I-30 and along Blevins Road (SR 24) east, between the interstate and
Prescott. There are three large industrial complexes in the area from exit 44 and eastward.
There are truck stops, fast food restaurants, and gas stations at and around both exits on
I-30.
There is no planning and zoning in Nevada County but the City of Prescott does have
zoning. Most of the land within the city limits between exit 44 to the main city grid south
and north of Blevins Road and north of SR 332 at the city limits is zoned I-1 or C-2. I-1
zoning is in essence the city’s industrial park. C-2 zoning is designed for businesses that
would benefit from being at or near the interstate such as motels, gas stations, truck stops
and restaurants (Map 12).
At exit 46 there are two truck stops and other commercial establishments. Toward
Prescott on SR 19 there is a subdivision, a water treatment plant, and commercial and
residential development along the road frontage. If not officially, it seems in practice that
the area south of the interstate between SR 19 and the old railroad has been set aside
for industrial, commercial, and other
development.
Agribusiness development in the form
of poultry houses exists near the Core
Area and NHL boundary. There is a
large poultry operation just off of SR
19 and just beyond the northeast corner
Commercial development at exit 46
64
Battle of Prairie D’Ane
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Core Area
Prescott City Limits
Area Zoned I-1 (Industrial)
0
½
1
MILE
Map 12: Area Zoned I-1 (Industrial) in relation to Battle of Prairie D’Ane core area.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
of the NHL boundary and Core Area. It should be noted that large poultry operations
have begun to spring up all over rural America. Near the Old Fort Wayne battlefield
in Adair County, Oklahoma, a number of large poultry buildings are scattered within
the battlefield area. Agribusiness of this nature poses as much of a threat to a battlefield
landscape as strip malls and other commercial development.
If the contemporary accounts and the 1993 CWSAC survey are correct, a portion
of the Confederate right/Union left from the April 10 engagement has been lost to
industrial and commercial development. Because of that loss, and the desire to create a
plan that accommodates both the inevitable growth of Prescott and the preservation and
interpretation of the Prairie D’Ane battlefield, the focus of this preservation effort is on
the area in the NHL boundary and the Core Area north and west of the interstate.
Residential Development
There is very little residential development in the NHL boundary of the Prairie D’Ane
battlefield. There is a small subdivision in the Core Area of the battlefield just west of SR
19 in Section 5, Township 11 South. There is only a scattering of houses within the NHL
boundary and most of those are associated with agricultural operations. In fact, in most
of the Core Area north and west of I-30 there are very few residential structures and they,
too, are associated with agriculture.
Given the current downturn in the economy, a boom in housing starts in Nevada County
does not seem likely at this time. However, the economy fluctuates and in ten years there
could well be a large growth of the population in this part of the county. Easy access to
the interstate and the proximity to potential employment opportunities could make this
a growth area in the future. Lack of planning and zoning in the county will allow anyone
who wishes to subdivide and develop their property to do so.
At this time no part of the battlefield is protected. The future could bring any kind of
development to the battlefield area. Only by making an effort to work with landowners
to plan for the future of the battlefield can this significant piece of American history be
saved.
Land Protection
There are roughly 8,000 acres in the Prairie D’Ane battlefield Core Area. This includes
the industrial park, parts of the City of Prescott and the land adjacent to the interstate
exits. About one-quarter of that land is lost or compromised. This plan recommends
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
protecting the approximately 5,735 acres that retain good integrity (Appendix 3, Table 3).
This plan recommends the purchase of 3,921 acres, most of which is in or adjacent to
the NHL boundary. Control of this property will provide the opportunity to interpret
the battlefield and to create the battlefield park and interpretive program envisioned at
the community meeting. This is a lot of land to buy. However, owning this much land
would not only protect the heart of the battlefield, it would preserve the greenspace that
currently exists north of the interstate, allow for onsite interpretation, and presents an
opportunity to restore the historic prairie flora.
Priority Parcels
The land to be purchased is located in all or parts of sections 26, 25, 30, 35, 36, 31, 1 and
6. This area includes the main engagement site, the historic Old Military Road trace, the
central or high ridge, some extant earthworks, and the heart of what was Prairie D’Ane.
There is a high likelihood of intact archeological deposits in this area. This is hallowed
ground; this is what remains of the area where the most intense fight occurred (Appendix
3).
This plan also recommends protecting another 1,813 acres in sections 20, 24, 19, 29 and
32 with conservation easements. These parcels are adjacent to those slated for purchase.
Easement protection will help secure viewshed and maintain the rural setting on and near
the battlefield. While easements will not allow those trying to preserve the battlefield to
use the land for interpretive purposes it will ensure that inappropriate development does
not occur (Appendix 3, Table 3).
M OSCOW C HURCH
The battle at Moscow Church was the last engagement in Nevada County that was part
of the Camden Campaign. This rear guard action turned back the Confederate cavalry
and allowed the main body of the Union army to march to Camden.
This is the smallest of the three battlefields, and while it is treated separately in this plan,
it is part of the Battle of Prairie D’Ane. It was the last engagement of the battle that
began on April 10, 1864. The Battle of Prairie D’Ane ended when the smoke cleared near
Moscow Church on the afternoon of April 13, 1864. Nevada County has a very rich Civil
War history that includes three intact battlefields.
The Core Area of the Moscow Church battlefield is southeast of Prescott, generally along
and on either side of CR 23 in Nevada County. North of the road is a broad ridge or
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
hill that extends south of CR 23 just
southeast of the church. The ridge is
isolated on the east by Sewer Creek and
on the west by a fork of Sewer Creek.
These creeks form narrow valleys on
either side of the ridge. It is likely that
the Union line was anchored just east
of the valley west of Moscow Church
(Map 10).
View from Moscow Church Cemetery
View of the Moscow Church Battlefield from
the intersection of CR 23 and CR 260
The Moscow Church battlefield is on
the edge of Prescott and a portion of
the Core Area inside the city limits is
zoned R-1. Of the three main battle
sites, Moscow Church has the most
development in the NHL boundary and
Core Area. Much of section 16 in the
northeast quadrant of the Core Area is
in the city and has been compromised
by residential development. Section 15,
which is the northeastern portion of
the Core Area, is mostly larger lots and
retains good integrity.
The NHL boundary is located in sections 21 and 22. The land south of CR 23 just
beyond the church in section 22 is divided into nine lots ranging in size from 2.1 to 6.25
acres. These lots are occupied by single family houses and are perhaps the most significant
challenge to the integrity of the NHL boundary, though, they do not compromise it.
Except for the small lots along the road frontage the land south of CR 23 is in excellent
shape. It is farmland, generally in pasture, and has excellent viewsheds.
Short and Long-Term Threats
The major threat in this area is residential development. Commercial development in the
form of retail establishments associated with residential development is also a threat. In
fact, given the lack of land use planning, just about anything could be constructed in the
battlefield area. However, residential development seems to be the most significant threat
for the foreseeable future.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
The high school and the elementary school are on the south side of Prescott. That does
not necessarily translate to residential development, but it doesn’t preclude it either. There
has been development north of the battlefield along CR 23. Given the current state of the
economy, nothing may happen for the next few years, but this can and will change. Given
that large tracts of land in the other two battlefield areas are owned by timber companies
or a few individuals, it would seem that residential development is more likely in this
area than the other three and will probably prove the greatest challenge to preserving the
Moscow Church battlefield.
Land Protection
The four acres associated with the church and cemetery is the largest area of protected
land in Nevada County. The wayside at the church is the only on-site interpretation in
Nevada County. Yet the interpretation has an issue of sorts because there is no place for
visitors to park to access the wayside. One suggestion is to work with the organization
that owns the church to make access easier and more formal with, perhaps, a gravel
parking area.
There are approximately 327 acres in the National Historic Landmark boundary at
Moscow Church. All of the land within the NHL boundary is slated for purchase by
this plan. The area within the Core Area north of the NHL boundary is within the area
suggested as easement opportunities. As with all of the other sites, if research either in
the form of archival or archeological research
determines that the battle lines extended
beyond the NHL boundary, the protection
strategy should change.
Priority Parcels
There are forty-two parcels containing
approximately 859.5 acres in the Moscow
Church area recommended for preservation,
Looking north on CR 50 from Moscow Church
all of which are either in the Core Area and/
or in the NHL boundary. Over half of the
parcels in the area to be preserved are less than ten acres. The lot size speaks to the type of
land use within the Core Area and, for the most part, the NHL boundary (Appendix 4,
Table 4).
The plan recommends the purchase of approximately 606.5 acres in sections 21 and 22.
This includes the entire NHL boundary, three-quarters of the Core Area, and Moscow
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Church and cemetery. Easement protection is recommended for 253 acres in sections 15
and 16, which includes the other quarter of the Core Area.
BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION STRATEGY
The people in Clark and Nevada counties who want to preserve the battlefields have
a clean slate with which to begin. While this means that it will take time to get an
organization up and running, it also means that there are some easy early victories, which
when won will give the organization momentum.
Make It Official
The first action should be to create a separate battlefield preservation organization.
Creating a 501 (c) 3 that has as its goal the preservation of the battlefield gives the
effort a single focus and will facilitate implementation of the preservation strategies.
Easement donation, bargain sales, and other property preservation strategies that involve
tax incentives must involve a not-for-profit in order for the donations to trigger the tax
incentives.
Just creating a not-for-profit is a newsworthy event. The 501 (c) 3 should be a
membership organization that gives individuals interested in preserving the battlefields
a place to meet like-minded individuals and to focus their attention and energy. It also
takes the preservation effort to a wider audience. Anyone, anywhere, can support the
preservation effort through their membership and tax-deductible contributions. An
organization with officers and a board gives the preservation effort a public face and lets
the area, region, state, and nation know who is trying to save the battlefields.
Partnerships
Band together with like-minded people locally, across the state, region and nation is
imperative to a successful preservation effort. Forget about county lines—Nevada County
did not even exist at the time of the Civil War. Nationwide it is not uncommon to see
competition between adjoining counties. Often there is competition between county seat
towns and the county government. Suggesting that this be ignored will not make it so;
cooperation should be a goal. Keep in mind that visitors don’t pay any attention to county
lines. If they come to see the battlefield, they’ll want to see it all.
Both Clark and Nevada counties have pristine battlefield land. There is more in Nevada
County but to tell the whole story of the action that ended at Moscow Church one really
should start in Arkadelphia. The two county historical societies are natural partners. They
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
both have historians who have studied the Civil War in their county. No doubt some of
the historical societies’ members will want to join in the preservation effort.
Local government officials are vital to partnerships. Make sure that all of the appropriate
officials are aware of this plan; give them a copy. If officials change, make sure the new
officeholders are given a copy. If the zoning ordinance in Prescott is expanded to include
battlefield land make sure that officials are aware of the existence and significance of
the battlefield. Educate them on the significance of the National Historic Landmark
designation. Any zoning changes should take the historical significance of the property
into account and be designed to protect these historically and economically important
resources.
Who will ultimately own the battlefield? A partnership with a local government is
important to the long-term goals of any preservation project. If the new battlefield
preservation organization is able to purchase land will the county or city take the land if it
is given to them? Will the local government be willing to own, administer, and maintain
a battlefield park? A local government offers stability. If a local government agrees to
own the park that does not negate the need for a battlefield not-for-profit. With public
ownership of the secured battlefield land, the friends organization can continue to raise
money for additional land purchase and interpretive and educational programs.
The Southwest Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trail (SWACWHT) presents another
partnership opportunity. This regional organization includes eighteen counties in
southwest Arkansas, including Clark and Nevada. It also includes Poison Spring and
Camden, which are important parts of the Camden Campaign trail. This organization has
access to a website and meets regularly. Representatives from the battlefield preservation
organization should become active members of this group.
The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial presents another excellent partnership
opportunity. Part of the sesquicentennial celebration includes a statewide historical
marker program. The Commission has some funding to help counties that have no
markers to erect them. By applying for and erecting markers on the battlefields, the
preservation organization will garner positive publicity and will raise awareness of the
battlefields and the preservation effort.
The partnership established with the American Battlefield Protection Program should
be expanded. There are many projects on the battlefields that the ABPP will fund,
including research, mapping, interpretive planning, and archeology. The new preservation
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
organization should seek additional funding for a needed project.
Continue and expand the partnership with the Prescott-Nevada County Economic
Development Office. Use this plan and information available from the Civil War
Preservation Trust to demonstrate to those interested in improving the economic climate
of the county how a preserved and interpreted battlefield can help achieve that end.
For this effort to work a partnership between the community’s business leaders and
the battlefield preservation organization will be necessary. If business leaders come to
understand that battlefield preservation and economic development are not mutually
exclusive goals the chance of success is much greater.
Get to know the Civil War Preservation Trust. This organization has years of experience
in property acquisition. They can help with land protection and have people with wide
experience in land purchase and financing. This is a partnership that will literally pay for
itself over the years.
Conservation Partners
In Kentucky, some Civil War sites have used alternative funding sources to preserve
Civil War sites. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has purchased at least two properties
associated with Civil War battlefields in Kentucky. Generally, land The Nature
Conservancy will purchase must fall within their mission. The Nature Conservancy may
well be interested in prairie restoration at Prairie D’Ane or in protecting areas along the
Little Missouri River. It is worth contacting the local TNC chapter to see if they might
be interested in the effort in Nevada County.
Another potential partner is the Central Arkansas Land Trust (CALT). This is a local
organization headquartered in Hot Springs that is affiliated with the Land Trust Alliance.
The mission of the CALT is to “. . . preserve, study, and manage these properties in order
to enhance their conservation, and to ensure their environmental, scientific, educational, and
recreational features in perpetuity.” The CALT also holds easements.
Partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS has
information on programs that are available to preserve agricultural land. The Farm and
Ranch Lands Protection Program is a natural fit for many of the properties slated for
easement protection. There is federal funding attached to this program.
The Forest Legacy Program might be another national program that could be used to
help secure battlefield land. This program “. . . purchases land and establishes conservation
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
easements to protect environmentally important forests.” Contact the local forestry
professional to see if this program can be tailored to work as a part of the preservation
organization’s tool kit.
Embrace the Plan
A preservation plan can work as a blueprint to help the preservation partners determine
the best way to preserve a battlefield. This plan identifies areas that can and should be
protected and offers ideas on how that can be accomplished. Now that a plan is in place,
the designated battlefield preservation organization can approach landowners and funders
with clear goals in mind.
This plan will demonstrate to all that this is not some disorganized group trying to do the
right thing, but rather an organization that has done its homework and is ready to begin
the challenge of preserving some of Arkansas’s most significant Civil War battlefields.
The plan is available to guide the organization, to demonstrate to all that this is a well
thought-out and serious effort.
Endnotes
1. Frances H. Kennedy and Douglas R. Porter, Dollar$ and Sense of Battlefield Preservation: The
Economic Benefits of Protecting Civil War Battlefields, The Preservation Press, National Trust for Historic
Preservation, Washington, DC, 1992, p. 1.
2. Christopher D. Clark, Larry Tankersley, George F. Smith and Daniel Starnes, Farm and Forest Land
Preservation with Conservation Easements, Southern Regional Water Program, Knoxville, Tennessee,
2007, p. 10.
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Recommended Actions
T
here are a number of actions that can and should be taken immediately. Some will
have little to do directly with land preservation; however, they will jump-start the
preservation effort and garner positive publicity. This plan was written to guide a local
preservation effort. That effort cannot succeed without strong local leadership. Finding a
dedicated individual willing to lead the preservation effort is imperative.
2010-2011
Create a 501 (c) 3 battlefield not-for-profit.
Identify a strong leader to head the organization and dedicated individuals to
serve on the board.
Create a website for the preservation effort.
A website lets the world know what you are doing, how much you have done,
and what help you need. Today people expect a serious organization to have a
website.
Develop a numbered post driving tour for the battlefields.
A numbered post driving tour is a simple tour created with numbered posts
placed on the roadside. The posts are keyed to an illustrated brochure. A
numbered post driving tour is a way to provide basic interpretation of the
battlefields and will help draw attention to their historic significance and the
preservation effort.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Begin partnership building.
Reach out to local, regional, state, and national organizations that can help the
battlefield preservation organization achieve its mission.
Make contact with landowners.
Reach out to landowners. Explain the project; inform them about your
long-term plans. Try to determine which landowners are sympathetic to the
preservation effort.
Buy some property.
Make it a priority to acquire at least one parcel of battlefield property before
the end of 2011. This is first year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial; acquiring
even a small piece of property will demonstrate that the preservation effort is
serious.
Apply for an Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial marker for each battlefield.
A historical marker for each battlefield will identify the site, raising public
awareness of the battlefields’ presence and their significance. Historical
markers are perceived as “official recognition” by the public.
Celebrate the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
Use 2011-2015 as an opportunity to highlight the significance of the
battlefields. Raise public awareness by having special programs and events.
Use the sesquicentennial as a fund-raising opportunity for land purchase and
interpretation.
Invite the Civil War Preservation Trust to visit the battlefields.
Call the Civil War Preservation Trust and tell them about your battlefields,
your preservation plan, and what you hope to accomplish. Ask them to come
to Prescott to give you advice and so that you can show off what you have.
Invite the American Battlefield Protection Program to visit the battlefields.
The sites are National Historic Landmarks; this national significance is
important. American Battlefield Protection Program staff enjoys leaving
Washington and visiting sites. It will help your future endeavors if they are
familiar with you and your battlefields.
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A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Apply for additional ABPP funding.
Apply for another grant from the ABPP for survey, inventory, archeology and
historical research. While there has been a great deal written on the battles
it would be useful to conduct additional archival research, particularly in the
states the troops were from. This may uncover more details than are currently
known. Archeology would help pin down exactly where the action occured
and where the encampments were located.
2012-2014
Continue land preservation activities.
Continue working with landowners to purchase land and/or obtain easements.
Work with the Civil War Preservation Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Central
Arkansas Land Trust, and others to locate and secure funding.
Seek funding for an interpretive plan.
The Civil War Sesquicentennial is an excellent time to create a professional
interpretive program. Apply for ABPP funding for a comprehensive
interpretive plan.
Embrace the Sesquicentennial.
The Sesquicentennial presents an ideal time to host events, raise funds, and
identify sources of public and private support. Partner with other Camden
Campaign sites to have a year-long commemoration of the Camden
Campaign. Use this event as the centerpiece of the effort to create a battlefield
park.
Tie the battlefield to the community.
Work with the local tourism commission and the city and county governments
to recognize the battles as the centerpiece of the county’s history and heritage
and an important part of what the county has to offer visitors.
Develop several events related to the battlefields.
Hold a living history demonstration, a lecture series, or a ball. Hold three or
four events each year that invite the community to experience the history of
these important places and events.
76
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
2015-2020
Continue land preservation efforts.
Continue to work with landowners to purchase land and/or obtain easements.
Work with the ABPP, Civil War Preservation Trust, The Nature Conservancy,
Central Arkansas Land Trust, and others to locate and secure funding.
End the Sesquicentennial with a bang!
2015 marks the end of the Civil War Sesquicentennial and the fifth year of
the battlefield preservation process. By now, land has been purchased and
the battlefield preservation organization recognized for its work in the area.
Land has been secured and the community is embracing the battlefields. The
purchase of a significant parcel in 2015 would end the commemoration on a
high note.
Open a visitor contact center for the battlefields.
The Depot Museum has served well, but by 2020 the battlefields will have
become a significant attraction and will merit a larger physical presence.
Open battlefield trails and expand the interpretive program.
Since the numbered-post driving tour was developed in 2011 the battlefield
preservation process has worked—land has been secured and the battlefields
are attracting increasing numbers of visitors to the area. Replace the numbered
posts with interpretive waysides; create one or more interpreted pedestrian
trails on the battlefields.
Apply for funding to update the preservation plan.
By this time, much of what was recommended in the original preservation
plan will have been accomplished. In the last nine years much has changed. A
new plan will give the board and staff fresh ideas and a new focus. Apply to
the ABPP for funding for an updated preservation and management plan.
77
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Bibliography
Arkansas Department of Parks and Department of Arkansas Heritage. Arkansas Civil War
Discovery Trail. Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1999.
Atkinson, J. H. “The Action at Prairie De Ann.” The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Vol.
XIX No. 1 Spring 1960.
Baker, William D. The Camden Expedition of 1864. Arkansas Historic Preservation
Program, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1993.
Baker, William D. The Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark nomination,
1993. On file at the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Castel, Albert. General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West. Louisiana State
University Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1968.
Civil War Preservation Trust. Blue, Gray and Green: A Battlefield Benefits Guide for
Community Leaders. Civil War Preservation Trust, Washington, DC, 2005.
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the
Nation’s Civil War Battlefields. Civil War Sites Advisory Commission c/o National Park
Service, Washington, DC, 1993.
78
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on
the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields, Technical Volume II: Battle Summaries. Civil War Sites
Advisory Commission c/o National Park Service, Washington, DC, 1993.
Clark, Christopher D., Larry Tankersley, George F. Smith and Daniel Starnes. Farm and
Forest Land Preservation with Conservation Easements. Southern Regional Water Program,
Knoxville, Tennessee, 2007.
Downs, Bobby. Arkansas Fifteenth (Gee-Johnson) Regiment Infantry 1861-1865. Clark
County Historical Association, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, 1998.
Downs, Bobby and Jacynda Ammons. Driving Tour of Clark County: Clark County
Historical Sites. Clark County Historical Association, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, 2008.
Edwards, John N. Shelby and His Men: or, The War in the West. Miami Printing and
Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1867.
Fonzo, Stephen. A Documentary and landscape Analysis of the Buckland Mills Battlefields
(Va042). Buckland Preservation Society, Gainsville, Virginia, 2008.
Forsyth, Michael J. The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity Lost by the
Confederacy to Change the Civil War. McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina,
2003.
Kennedy, Frances H. and Douglas R. Porter. Dollar$ and Sense of Battlefield Preservation:
The Economic Benefits of Protecting Civil War Battlefields. The Preservation Press, National
Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC, 1992.
Knipping, Mark H. A History of 27th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the War of
the Rebellion 1862-1865. Mead Public Library, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 2001.
Latschar, John. Battlefield Rehabilitation at Gettysburg, 2009. http://www.nps.gov/gett/
parknews/gett-battlefield-rehab.htm.
Lothrop, Charles H. A History of the First Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers. Beers &
Eaton, Printers, Lyons, Iowa, 1890.
79
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Miller, Jay S. The Red River Campaign in Arkansas. Arkansas State Parks, Little Rock,
Arkansas, N.D.
Prescott Planning Commission. Zoning Ordinance for City of Prescott, Arkansas. Prescott
Planning Commission, Prescott, Arkansas, 1979.
Pumphrey, Clint. “The Beaten Path: A Cartographical and Historical Study of the
Southwest Trail in Clark County, Arkansas.” Senior Thesis, Ouachita Baptist University,
2006.
Richards, Ira D. “The Camden Expedition, March 23-May 3, 1864,” MA Thesis, University
of Arkansas, 1958.
Richter, Wendy, editor. Clark County Historical Journal. Clark County Historical
Association, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, 1998.
Ron Copeland & Associates, Inc. A Civil War Heritage Resources Plan for Arkansas.
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1994.
Ron Copeland & Associates, Inc. A Guide to Developing Civil War Heritage Resources.
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1994.
Sperry, A. F. History of the 33D Iowa Infantry Volunteer Regiment 1863-6. University Press
of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1999.
Stinson, Mrs. Vernie (Betty A. Twining). Prescott-Nevada County Centennial, May 1972.
Prescott-Nevada Centennial Committee, Prescott, Arkansas, 1972.
Stuart, A. A. Iowa Colonels and Regiments: History of Iowa Regiments in the War of the
Rebellion. Mills & Company, Des Moines, Iowa, 1865.
United States War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, US Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC, 1880-1901, Series I, Vol. XXXIV Part I.
White, Lonnie J., editor. “A Bluecoat’s Account of the Camden Expedition,” The Arkansas
Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXIV No. 1, Spring, 1965.
80
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Appendix 1
Elkin’s Ferry – Prairie D’ Ane
Battlefield Planning Questionnaire Answers
Do you live in Clark County? __0__ Nevada County? __19__ check one
Two were not checked and one person was from Hempstead County
Would you join a local battlefield preservation association? Yes: 12
No: 9
Do you own battlefield land?
Yes: 0
No: 21
Would you support a local battlefield park?
Yes: 15
No: 4
Do you belong to the Civil War Preservation Trust?
Yes: 1
No: 20
Have you visited other Civil War battlefields?
Yes: 12
No: 9
Have you visited the Clark County Historical Museum?
Yes: 2
No: 19
Have you visited the Nevada County Depot & Museum?
Yes: 19
No: 2
Of the twenty-one responses, eleven people signed their names.
81
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Elkin’s Ferry & Prairie D’ Ane Battlefields
Responses from Visioning Session
What is your vision for the future of the battlefields?
1. Interpreted area at exit #44 where you could see the battlefield overlooking the
Hale Property
2. Visitor Center at exit 44
3. Restore the prairie
4. Archeological investigations
5. See the stories come alive
What partnerships will be crucial to the success of this project?
1. City (Prescott)
2. County (Nevada)
3. Depot museum
4. Clark County
5. Foundations – local Ross and Cabe
6. State agencies
7. Landowners
8. Community
9. Reenactor groups in Arkansas and out of state groups whose ancestors were in
Arkansas
10. Civil War roundtables
11. Camden
12. Regional partners
13. Texas
What do you feel are the greatest concerns or issues regarding the battlefields?
1. Landowners fearful of losing control of their property
2. Developed inappropriately
3. Funding
4. Local leadership
What areas or places help define the battlefields for you? Should those be preserved?
1. Location where you can see the landscape – Prairie D’ Ane
2. Area adjacent to CR 200
3. Ferry Crossing
4. Moscow Church
82
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Appendix 2
Table 1
Elkin’s Ferry Priority Land Parcels in Clark County
Reference
No.
Section
Township
Range
Parcel #
Acres
Priority
1
21
9S
22W
01-12014-000
76
purchase
2
3
4
22
22
22
9S
9S
9S
22W
22W
22W
01-12018-000
01-12022-000
01-12024-000
200
80
79
easement
easement
easement
5
6
7
27
27
27
9S
9S
9S
22W
22W
22W
01-12086-000
01-12084-000
01-12085-000
47
129
40
purchase
purchase
purchase
8
28
9S
22W
01-12088-000
12.5
purchase
83
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Table 2
Elkin’s Ferry Priority Land Parcels in Nevada County
Reference
Section
No.
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
1
21
9S
22W
To be determined
?
purchase
2
3
4
5
5
7
28
28
28
28
28
28
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05020-000
001-05019-000
001-05019-001E
001-05025-000
001-05025-001
001-05026-001
80
128.02
1.22
45
35
55
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
8
9
10
11
12
13
27
27
27
27
27
27
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05014-000
001-05013-000
001-05015-000
001-05016-000
001-05017-000
001-05018-000
44.38
17.63
80
40
40
63.40
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
9S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05066-000
001-05065-000
001-05063-000
001-05063-001
001-05064-001
001-05064-000
001-05068-000
001-05967-000
001-05074-000
001-05078-000
001-05077-000
001-05076-000
001-05075-000
40
20
7.5
2.5
2.5
7.5
40
40
80
40
3.18
1
35.82
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
27
34
9S
22W
001-05080-000
80
easement
84
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
No.
Section
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05412-000
001-05143-000
001-05144-000
001-05146-000
001-05147-000
001-05139-000
001-05140-000
001-05141-000
001-05149-000
001-05150-000
001-05151-000
001-05148-000
20
21.41
5
15
25
83.88
40
40
80
85.94
40
160
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
40
41
42
43
44
45
8
8
8
8
8
8
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05179-000
001-05180-000
001-05187-000
001-05187-001
001-05186-000
001-05191-000
80
80
2
18
20
40
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05193-000
001-05196-000
001-05194-000
001-05195-000
001-05192-000
001-05210-000
001-05211-000
001-05213-001
001-05213-000
001-05212-000
001-05204-000
001-05204-001
001-05204-002
001-05205-000
001-05202-000
80
40
20
20
160
40
40
40
39
1
5.09
2
7.5
3.65
10.91
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
easement
easement
85
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
No.
Section
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
61
62
63
64
65
65
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05203-000E
001-05202-001
001-05201-000
001-05198-000
001-05197-000
001-05200-000
001-05199-000
001-05209-001
001-05209-000
001-05207-001
001-05208-000
001-05207-000
001-05206-001
001-05206-000
4
5.939
1
3
.5
30
6
4
36
14
1
5
10
10
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
purchase
easement
purchase
purchase
easement
easement
purchase
purchase
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05326-000
001-05325-000
001-05325-002
001-05325-001
001-05321-001
001-05319-000
001-05320-000
001-05321-000
001-05323-000
001-5323-001
001-05322-000
001-05317-000
001-05317-001
001-05318-001
001-05318-000
001-05318-002
001-05324-000
001-05327-000
40
13
13
13
.5
1.5
1.4
16.6
30
7.82
2.18
10
10
1.30
30
28.70
20
80
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
86
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Section 21
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Clark Co. Map 1
Section 22
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Clark Co. Map 2
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
Section 28
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Clark Co. Map 4
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Section 27
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Clark Co. Map 3
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Core Area
Key to Clark County property parcel maps for Elkin’s Ferry battlefield.
Based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Okolona South and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
0
½
MILE
87
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Clark County Map 1 of 4
Core Area
Section: 21
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 1
May Road
N
E
W
A
AD
EV
N
CO
1
T
UN
Y
S
88
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Clark County Map 2 of 4
Core Area
Section: 22
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 1
May
Roa
d
N
E
W
4
2
3
S
89
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Clark County Map 3 of 4
Core Area
Section: 27
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 1
N
6
5
NEVAD
A
7
CO
TY
UN
E
W
S
90
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Clark County Map 4 of 4
Core Area
Section: 28
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 1
N
8
E
W
S
91
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Section 21
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 1
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry
Section 28
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 2
Section 33
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 4
Section 27
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 3
Section 34
Township 9 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 5
Section 4
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 6
Section 8
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 7
Section 9
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 8
Section 16
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Nevada Co. Map 9
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Core Area
Key to Nevada County property parcel maps for Elkin’s Ferry battlefield.
Based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Okolona South and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
0
½
MILE
92
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 1 of 9
Core Area
Section: 21
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 1
May Road
N
CLARK
CO
TY
UN
W
E
1
(all land south of river in
Section 21 is Parcel 1)
S
93
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 2 of 9
Section: 28
Core Area
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
4
CL
AR
K
CO
TY
UN
2
3
E
W
5
7
6
S
94
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 3 of 9
Section: 27
Core Area
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
CLARK
Little
TY
Riv
er
CO
UN
Missouri
8
9
E
W
10
13
11
12
S
95
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 4 of 9
Section: 33
Core Area
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
16
14
17
18
15
19
21
20
E
W
22
26
25
23
24
S
96
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 5 of 9
Core Area
Section: 34
Township: 9 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
27
E
W
S
97
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 6 of 9
Core Area
Section: 4
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
28
211
33
29
30
31
37
34
35
32
E
W
37
36
39
38
S
98
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 7 of 9
Core Area
Section: 8
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
40
41
W
42
E
43
44
45
S
99
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 8 of 9
Core Area
Section: 9
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
46
50
47
48
49
E
W
56
60
57
73
65
52
58
59
63
61
66
62 64
74
69
55
72
71
51
67
54
53
70
68
S
100
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Elkin’s Ferry Property Parcels
Nevada County Map 9 of 9
Core Area
Section: 16
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
22
86
82
79
87
80 81
75
76
77
78
22
85
88
84
83
90
89
91
92
E
W
S
101
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Appendix 3
Table 3
Prairie D’Ane Priority Land Parcels
Reference
Section
No.
Township
Range
Parcel No,
Acres
Priority
1
2
3
4
5
6
24
24
24
24
24
24
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08809-000
001-08810-000
001-08811-000
001-08812-000
001-08815-000
001-08816-000
14
25
10
24.17
13.94
60
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
7
8
9
10
11
12
19
19
19
19
19
19
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05411-000
001-05410-000
001-05410-001
001-05412-000
001-05414-000
001-05413-000
42.15
40
40
41.97
158
2
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
13
20
10S
22W
001-05425-000
40
easement
102
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
Section
No.
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
14
15
16
17
20
20
20
20
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05426-000
001-05427-000
001-05429-000
001-05428-000
40
80
80
80
easement
easement
easement
easement
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08817-000
001-08818-000
001-08819-000
001-08821-002
001-08821-003
001-08821-004
001-08822-000
001-08821-000
001-08823-000
001-08824-001
001-08824-000
001-08825-000
001-08826-000
001-08827-000
80
68.41
11.24
35.85
10
10
13.40
67.72
50.90
20
89.10
40
80
40
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05665-000
001-05664-000
001-05668-001
001-05668-000
001-05666-000
001-05662-000
001-05661-000
40.87
40
65.717
11.363
2
80
40
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05663-000
001-05680-000
001-05681-000
001-05667-000
001-05674-000-E
001-05675-000
001-05673-000
001-05672-000
40
80
79.81
2
9.35
20.32
7.75
2.07
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
103
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
No.
Section
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05669-000
001-05670-000
001-05671-000
001-05678-000
001-05679-000
001-05679-001
001-05677-000
001-05676-000
34.22
4.49
3.7
3.72
28.65
1.5
3.3
41.66
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05649-000
001-05649-001
001-05648-000
001-05651-000
001-05650-000
001-05645-000
001-05643-000
001-05643-001
001-05646-001
001-05646-000
001-05652-000
001-05657-000
001-05659-000
001-05659-002
001-05659-001
001-05660-000
001-05658-000
001-05654-000
001-05655-000
39.77
0.23
40
40
40
40
39.94
24
0.93
31.61
61.07
40
6.42
3.58
10
20
40
40
61.52
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
74
75
76
77
26
26
26
26
10S
10S
10S
10S
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08843-000
001-08842-000
001-08844-000
001-08845-000
40
40
40
40
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
78
79
35
35
10S
10S
23W
23W
001-08887-000
001-08886-000
80
145
purchase
purchase
104
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
Section
No.
Township
Range
Parcel Np.
Acres
Priority
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08886-001
001-08888-000
001-08889-000
001-08890-000
001-08891-000
001-08892-000
001-08894-000
001-08895-000
001-08896-000
001-08897-000
15
40
40
80
80
40
40
40
37.75
2.25
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
90
91
92
93
36
36
36
36
10S
10S
10S
10S
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08899-000
001-08900-00
001-08901-000
001-08898-000
40
40
80
480
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05694-001
001-05693-000
001-05694-000
001-05695-000
001-05685-000
001-05685-006C
001-05685-008C
001-05682-000
001-04584-000
001-05690-000
001-05692-000
001-05688-000
070-01726-005-A
070-01726-009-A
001-05699-000
001-05696-000
070-01726-001-A
070-01726-003-A
070-01726-002-A
41.63
40
41.17
40
27.21
6.5
3
36.41
0.03
5
12.5
2.5
57.86
40
73.43
33.3
0.5
29.26
1
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
105
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
Section
No.
Township
Range
Parcel No.
Acres
Priority
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
32
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
10S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05716-000E
001-05715-000
001-05714-000
001-05718-000
001-05718-001
001-05713-000
070-01727-003-A
001-05720-000
01727-000-A
001-05719-000
001-05721-001
7.23
19.04
40
39.99
40
140
29.08
30
10
79.2
8.67
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
124
2
11S
23W
001-08913-000
138.13
purchase
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
23W
001-08906-000
001-08995-000
001-08907-000
001-08906-001
001-08902-000
001-08903-002
001-08903-003
001-08903-000
001-08903-001
070-02106-000-A
001-08908-000
001-08909-000
001-08909-002
001-08909-001
85.917
8
40
0.82
54.88
20.653
20.653
20.653
20.653
77.49
80
35.479
3
1.521
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-05894-000
001-05893-000
001-05895-000
001-05895-001
001-05887-000
001-05889-000
001-05900-00
1.65
58.32
36.19
5.17
12.22
1
8.91
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
106
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane
0
Section 24
Township 10 S
Range 23 W
Section 19
Township 10S
Range 22 W
Section 20
Township 10S
Range 22 W
MAP 1
MAP 2
MAP 3
Section 26
Township 10 S
Range 23 W
Section 19
Township 10 S
Range 23 W
Section 30
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Section 29
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
MAP 7
MAP 4
MAP 5
MAP 6
Section 35
Township 10 S
Range 23 W
Section 36
Township 10 S
Range 23 W
Section 31
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
Section 32
Township 10 S
Range 22 W
MAP 8
MAP 9
MAP 10
MAP 11
Section 2
Township 11 S
Range 23 W
Section 1
Township 11 S
Range 23 W
Section 6
Township 11 S
Range 22 W
MAP 12
MAP 13
MAP 14
½
1
MILE
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Prescott City Limits
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Core Area
Area Zoned I-1 (Industrial)
Key to property parcel maps for Prairie D’Ane battlefield.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Piney Grove Quadrangles.
107
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 1 of 14
Core Area
Section: 24
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 3
N
E
W
1
4
3
2
5
6
S
108
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 2 of 14
Core Area
Section: 19
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
N
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
64
64S
42N
E
W
12
8
7
11
60
10
9
S
109
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 3 of 14
Core Area
Section: 20
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
E
W
14
13
16
17
15
S
110
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 4 of 14
Core Area
Section: 25
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
23
25
20
18
22
21
19
24
24
E
W
27
29
26
30
28
31
S
111
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 5 of 14
Core Area
Section: 30
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
32
33
38
37
36
42N
W
39
34
35
42
E
44
43
45
40
47
19
46
48
53
49
52
50
54
41
51
S
112
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 6 of 14
Core Area
Section: 29
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
55
60
57
61
56
59
64
58
62
63
W
E
30
72
65
66
67
68
69
73
71
70
S
113
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 7 of 14
Core Area
Section: 26
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
E
W
74
75
(in NHL Boundary)
76
77
S
114
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 8 of 14
Core Area
Section: 35
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
78
79
80
81
82
E
W
83
85
86
87
84
88
89
S
115
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 9 of 14
Core Area
Section: 36
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
90
91
93
W
E
92
S
116
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 10 of 14
Core Area
Section: 31
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
98
100
95
94
101
99
102
105
I-30 Exit 46
97
96
W
110
109
108
103
3
I-
0
R
ig
ht
104
ay
W
f
o
E
107
106
AR
19
111
112
S
117
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 11 of 14
Core Area
Section: 32
Township: 10 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
113
115
I-
30
118
114
117
116
E
W
120
PR
ES
CO
TT
121
CI
122
TY
123
LI
M
S
19
IT
119
S
118
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 12 of 14
Core Area
Section: 2
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
124
E
W
S
119
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 13 of 14
Core Area
Section: 1
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 23 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
126
125
129
127
130
132
131
128
W
133
E
135
134
137
136
II-30
30
E
it 44
Exit
138
S
120
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Prairie D’Ane Property Parcels
Map 14 of 14
Core Area
Section: 6
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 2
N
Section line as drawn on PVA map
143
140
139
144
141
30
I-
142
W
E
145
Area within Prescott city limits
S
121
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Appendix 4
Table 4
Moscow Church Priority Land Parcels
Reference
#
Section
Township
Range
Parcel #
1
2
3
16
16
16
11S
11S
11S
22W
22W
22W
001-06028-000
001-06029-000
001-06029-001
4
15
11S
22W
Number and size of
parcels unknown. No
map at PVA office.
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
001-06196-000
001-06108-00-U
001-06107-000
001-06114-000
001-06134-000
001-06132-000
001-06133-000
001-06133-001
Acres
40
22
16
160±
20.14
12.91
6.15
40
50
20
10
10
Priority
easement
easement
easement
easement
easement
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
122
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Reference
No.
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
Section
Township
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
11S
Range
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
22W
Parcel No.
001-06146-000
001-06146-001
00106146-002
001-06148-000-E
001-06144-000
001-06145-000
001-06144-001
001-06144-002
001-06144-003
001-06150-001
001-06150-003
001-06150-004
001-06150-004
001-06150-005
001-06150-006
001-06150-007
001-06150-002
001-06150-011
001-06150-010
001-06150-000
001-06150-008
001-06138-000
001-06137-000
001-06140-000
001-06139-000
001-06157-000
001-06151-000
001-06151-001
001-06152-001
001-06152-000
Acres
Priority
3.69
10.81
1
4
1.98
.88
1.03
1
5.598
27.68
3.625
3
4
3.125
6.25
6.25
3.21
3.21
3.251
3.211
3.211
71.39
62
1.85
2.1
80
40
40
20
20
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
purchase
123
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Moscow Church
Section 16
Township 11 S
Range 22 W
Section 15
Township 11 S
Range 22 W
Map 1
Map 2
Section 21
Township 11 S
Range 22 W
Section 22
Township 11 S
Range 22 W
Map 3
Map 4
Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Survey Core Area
National Historic
Landmark Boundary
Key to property parcel maps for Moscow Church battlefield.
Map based on USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps, Prescott West and Prescott East Quadrangles.
0
½
1
MILE
124
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Moscow Church Property Parcels
Map 1 of 4
Core Area
Section: 16
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 4
N
Area within Prescott city limits
23
E
W
No map avialable
for area in the city limits,
subdivided
2
1
3
S
125
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Moscow Church Property Parcels
Map 2 of 4
Core Area
Section: 15
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 4
N
23
E
W
4
There are approximately 175 acres in the core
area in Section 15, in an unknown number of
parcels. At the time of the project, the PVA
map was being updated and was unavailable.
S
126
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Moscow Church Property Parcels
Map 3 of 4
Core Area
Section: 21
Township: 11 S
1
Range: 22 W
Reference Number Keyed to Table 4
N
5
261
6
7
260
8
371
E
W
10
9
11
12
In National Historic
Landmark Boundary
50
28
S
127
A Preservation Plan for Three Battles of the Camden Campaign: Elkin’s Ferry, Prairie D’Ane and Moscow Church
Battle of Moscow Church Property Parcels
Map 4 of 4
Section: 22
Core Area
Township: 11 S
Moscow Church and Cemetery
Range: 22 W
1
Reference Number Keyed to Table 4
N
13
14
17
18
19
20
21
16
15
34
29
22
30
31
28
32
33
W
27 26
25 24
23 37 36 35
23
E
41
50
42
40
38
39
S
128