In the Midst of Their Homes

Fifteen men of the 34th Infantry were killed during the Battle of Prairie Grove and sixety-nine were wounded, all of whom were within walking distance of their homes.

This heavily wooded area is where Confederate General James F. Fagan's infantry brigade deployed shortly after 10 a.m. Amoung them was the 34th Arkansas Infantry, a regiment that consisted heavily of men from the Prairie Grove area. The 34th Arkansas had formed and trained on these very same fields only six months prior, and were now prepared to defend their homelands. One soldier recalled, "We knew now that the battle was on and we knew very near where it would be. Right in the midst of our homes, within the hearing of our loved ones."

After withstanding a brutal artillery bombardment, the men of the 34th watched as Federal troops stormed the ridge, overtook one of their batteries, and advanced towards their posisition here in the woods.