A brief history of the founding and settlement of Fort Smith, Arkansas - the original fort

An artist's conception of how the stockade probably appeared in its early period. Inside the walls were quarters, shops, magazine, hospital, kitchen and storehouses.  I overlaid a cutout of the original painting of the fort on a photo of the remaining foundation to give an idea of what it might look like if a replica of the fort was ever built.

The fort was a typical frontier fort, 132 feet square.  Enclosed within a ten foot palisade were several heavy log buildings used as quarters, shops, hospital and storage. The fort's outer walls sat on a stone foundation.  On opposite corners were two block houses and in the middle stood a flag pole.  The fort was atop an embankment fifty feet above the river giving it a commanding view of the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers.  As the hard work of erecting the fort progressed rations were scarce and sickness racked the soldiers.  When the fort was completed, the men tilled the ground and began to raise crops and livestock. The situation improved dramatically.  Some of the soldiers' wives even joined them at the fort, working as laundresses and drawing supplies from the post commissary.

The only real incident at the fort occurred in April, 1820 while the commander Major Bradford was away from the post.  Four hundred Osage warriors in war paint suddenly appeared on the north bank of the river directly across from the fort.  An alarm was sounded and the officer in charge, Lieutenant Martin Scott peered at the warriors through his spy glass.  The chief aptly named Bad-Tempered-Buffalo signaled that he wanted to cross with his warriors.  Scott sent an enlisted man in a boat with instructions to bring across only the chiefs.  When the Indian chiefs confronted Scott at the fort they demanded their warriors be allowed to come across.  They also demanded access to the fort.  Scott refused and sent the chiefs back across the river.

Sketch of the first fort drawn in 1820

The Indians began to cut down timber to build rafts.  Scott had the two six-pounder cannons rolled into position where the Indians could see them and loaded them with canister shot.  He then sent some men in boats across the river to rescue the family of a soldier living on the other side.  The Osage warriors were frustrated, and they vented their anger on other Indians and whites in the area.  The harassment went of for several days before the Osage warriors disappeared.

Trouble between the Osage and Cherokee continued until there was a threat of full-scale war between the two tribes and their allies.  Major Bradford in a daring move told the chiefs of both tribes that if they spilled one drop of white-man's blood, he would exterminate both tribes and would inform Washington that there was not a single Cherokee or Osage left alive west of the Mississippi. 

Congress decided to reinforce Fort Smith and sent five companies of the 7th Infantry from Fort Scott in Georgia to Fort Smith under the command of Colonel Mathew Arbuckle.  After a long and dreadful journey in which many of the 250 troops became ill and died, Arbuckle arrived at Fort Smith in February 1822.  When he relieved Bradford of command, Colonel Arbuckle had only 139 surviving men and officers.  Bradford's Rifles Regiment was disbanded and the men assigned to Arbuckle's 7th Infantry.

Arbuckle sent headquarters a glowing report on Major Bradford and the status of the Fort, and well he should have. Bradford for four years deep in the midst of Indian territory with warring tribes on all sides had maintained peace, constructed a strong and valuable fort and kept his men disciplined and fit.  Testimony to his ability as a commander and peace keeper was the fact that not one soldier under his command died from enemy action, or even fired a single shot at an Indian.

In July 1822 Arbuckle convened a Grand Council between the leaders of the Osage and Cherokee tribes.  After nearly two weeks, a treaty was finally signed and the two tribes were at relative peace with each other.  However, hostilities continued further west and when they once again escalated to the point of war, Arbuckle advised Washington that a fort should be established on the Arkansas and Verdigris, about eighty miles above Fort Smith (near present day Muskogee) where his troops could be more effective.

In March, 1825 General Winfield Scott ordered Arbuckle to remove his regiment from Fort Smith and establish the new fort.  No one was to be left at Fort Smith.  By the end of April 1825 the first Fort Smith was abandoned and what was to become Fort Gibson was founded.

All that remains of the original fort is the stone foundation. This view is from the side nearest the river looking back towards the town of Fort Smith.

A six-pound cannon of the 1820's sits guard over the site of the original Fort Smith.  This view is from the opposite side of the view on the left. The Poteau River can be seen on the left in the photo and the Arkansas River on the right.