Magnolia, AR– Fought in earnest: Civil War Arkansas, a free traveling exhibit chronicling major historical events in Arkansas between 1861 and 1865, will be displayed at SAU’s Magale Library, 100 East University, Magnolia on September 17 – October 10, 2014 from Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fought in earnest contains fifteen free-standing banners that showcase images from the Arkansas History Commission’s holdings. Original documents, photographs, maps, drawings, paintings and artifacts illustrate the story of the Civil War in Arkansas. These primary source materials offer a first-hand look at the lives of Confederate and Union soldiers, government officials and civilians from 1861 to 1865.
“We wanted to develop several types of materials to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Arkansas,” stated Dr. Lisa Speer, State Historian and the History Commission’s Director. She continued, “I am very pleased that Magale Library is sharing this intimate glimpse into Arkansas’s role in the Civil War with their visitors and community.”
Other Civil War materials developed by the Commission for the sesquicentennial include two books, Traveled through a fine country: The Journal of Captain Henry Brockman, and Documenting Arkansas; The Civil War 1861-1865, the companion book to Fought in earnest. Online order forms for these publications are available www.ark-ives.com/documenting.
During its 107 year existence the State Archives has actively collected materials from this crucial era in our nation and our state. Diaries written by soldiers and citizens; letters to mothers,
fathers, wives, sweethearts, brothers, and sisters; military orders, newspaper accounts, photographs, broadsides, and even party invitations recount the day-to-day lives of people caught up in the most significant event in nineteenth century America. These publications and exhibituse these primary source materials to tell the story of the Civil War from an Arkansas perspective. The variety of items represents the breadth of the Commission’s Civil War resources, while thousands more documents are available to researchers.
For more information about the exhibit at Magale Library, call (870) 235-4170 or email library@saumag.edu. To schedule the exhibit in your institution call the Arkansas History Commission at 501.682.6900 or e-mail state.archives@arkansas.gov.
This exhibit was produced in part by a grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, funded by the Arkansas Real Estate Transfer Tax.
Fought in earnest: Civil War Arkansas photos:
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- “Fought in earnest: Civil War Arkansas” is a traveling exhibit produced by the Arkansas History Commission, which features images of original Civil War documents, photographs, and artifacts from their collections. Image from the Arkansas History Commission.
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- Henry Clements and John McKamie Wilson Baird of Jacksonport enlisted in the “Jacksonport Guards” at the beginning of the Civil War. They participated in all major engagements with their unit, including Shiloh, Atlanta, and Chickamauga. Both men stayed with the unit until 1865. Image from the collections of the Arkansas History Commission.
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- Fort Curtis in Helena served as a U.S. Army post between 1862 and 1865. Image from the collections of the Arkansas History Commission.
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- Approximately 26,000 soldiers fought the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7-8, 1862. The Union victory helped secure Missouri for the Union and opened Arkansas to Union occupation. ¬¬¬Image from the collections of the Arkansas History Commission.
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- Proclamation from Governor Harris Flanagin to convene the Arkansas Confederate General Assembly in Washington on September 22, 1864. Washington, Arkansas was the capital of the Confederate state government of Arkansas from 1863–1865. Image from the collections of the Arkansas History Commission.
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- “To Arms! To Arms” broadside issued by Confederate Brigadier General N.B. Burrow at Fort Smith on February 25, 1862, required that all men subject to military service report for duty. Image from the collections of the Arkansas History Commission.
