GRAVETTE -- Fifth graders at Gravette Upper Elementary were treated to a special program last Thursday afternoon. Shelle Stormoe, education outreach coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program came to talk to them about Civil War sites and battlefields in Arkansas. Stormoe told the youngsters that AHPP's job is to identify, evaluate, register and preserve sites that are a part of Arkansas' cultural heritage.
She talked to them about the National Register of Historic Places and its requirements. For a site to be listed on the register, she said, something important happened there, someone important lived there or it had archeological or architectural significance.
The students listened attentively as Stormoe told them about the Civil War and its horrors. She noted that one out of eight men died in combat or from disease. She talked to them about the causes of the war, including the conflict over slavery. At the time of the war about 20 percent of the state's population were slaves, most living in southern Arkansas on the cotton plantations. After President Lincoln was elected, seven states seceded almost immediately. Others, including Arkansas, seceded later. There were few slave owners in northern Arkansas and most in this area didn't want to secede, but many changed their minds after the attack on Fort Sumter. Arkansas seceded on May 6, 1861.
Stormoe's slide presentation told the youngsters much about Arkansas' involvement in the Civil War, including facts on the Battle of Pea Ridge March 7 and 8, 1862. She showed photos of Elkhorn Tavern, used as a hospital during the war and burned by Confederate guerrillas in 1863. It was rebuilt after the war. There were 3,500 dead or wounded at Pea Ridge, 1,400 Union casualties and 2,000 Confederate.
Stormore focused on another nearby Civil War battle, at Prairie Grove, and displayed a map of the battlefield drawn by an eyewitness. It featured the Borden House, also seen in the painting "The Bayonet or Retreat." The Borden House was later burned by Union soldiers. Stormoe read an account written by the young daughter of the house about the day it was destroyed.
After the Union gained control of the Mississippi River, Stormoe said, essential supplies were cut off. Much of Arkansas was plunged into lawlessness and guerrilla warfare. Many Arkansans moved to other states, most Union sympathizers to Missouri and Confederates to Texas.
The third Arkansas Civil War action Stormoe told about was the Camden Expedition of 1864 which resulted in 2,300 Confederate and 2,700 Union casualties. This was an attempt to control Louisiana but, by the time Sherman made his march to the sea, the Union had won the war.
Between 600,000 and 850,000 soldiers died in the Civil War, Stormoe noted, but the slaves were freed and allowed to enjoy living independently after the war. Some of the more skilled workers, such as carpenters and blacksmiths, were able to get jobs and do well on their own; but many became sharecroppers and their lives were still controlled by others.
Stormoe concluded by telling the children that it is important to preserve the Civil War sites and battlefields to help people learn about our history. These sites provide a direct link to the past, and many area students have ancestors who fought in the battles at Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove. These historical sites also attract tourists from around the world, and the tourism dollars enrich the local economy.
Stormoe told the students they could learn more about the Civil War at www.arkansaspreservation.com. She conducted a question and answer session at the end of the program and said the work of the AHPP is still ongoing. One site in southern Arkansas has just raised enough money to protect and preserve its battlefield.
General News on 12/24/2014