—Dyer Hitchcock, private, 23rd Wisconsin Infantry —

A bitter winter rain had turned the ground to mud. But the Confederate
soldiers had to keep digging. These rifle pits, lying just a few feet from where
you stand, were far from finished. Though exhausted and hungry, the soldiers
were ordered to tear down their quarters—the huts they had just built—using
the logs to reinforce their defensive line. The men had to use boards as shovels.
A Texan recalled, "Each man working fully impressed. . . that every shovel of
dirt he piled in his front might save his hide."

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, but not peaceful. The ground shook
as the cannons roared. The Confederates fiercely defended their line. Though
ordered to.fight to the last man, that afternoon white flags appeared from the
rifle pits to the surprise of their leaders. "It was the only intelligible thing we
could do," explained a Texan. "The next charge would have annihilated us."

The men in the ditches fought like so many tigers...
Clinton W. Gerard, sergeant, 83rd Ohio Infantry

{Background photo caption}:
Fort Hindman
The rifle pits extended 700 yards across the peninsula, reaching from the fort on one end to an impassable swamp on the other.

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Show me all markers in:  Gillett, AR  |  Arkansas County  |  72055  |  Arkansas  |  United States of America

38,000 Reasons to Fight
On they come like an irresistible thunder bolt
Our ironclads and gunboats knocked the fort to pieces
Where is Fort Hindman?
The Post of Arkansas
The European Settlement
Stone from Ruins of Old Bank
The French Period
The Post under Spain
Republican France

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