Engineer’s Office, Headquarters Department of Arkansas,
Little Rock, Ark., April 8, 1865.
Maj. Gen. J. J. Reynolds, Commanding Department of Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark.
General—In obedience to your order I have the honor to submit the following distances obtained from all the best sources at my command. I have taken Paraclifta, in Sevier County, in the southwestern part of this State, as the assembling point. The different roads pursued will be numbered 1, 2, &c., respectively.
No. 1, Fort Smith to Paraclifta:
Fort Smith to Woodson’s plantation—24 miles
Woodson’s plantation to Waldron—18
Waldron to Thompson’s—18
Thompson’s to Dallas (Panther)—20
Dallas to McDonald’s plantation—20
McDonald’s to Davis’ plantation—17
Davis’ to Paraclifta—28
Total distance—145
No. 2, Fort Smith to Paraclifta:
Fort Smith to Waldron—42
Waldron to Mount Ida—40
Mount Ida to Caddo Gap—17
Caddo Gap to Center Point—49
Center Point to Paraclifta—21
Total distance—169
No. 3, Dardanelle to Paraclifta:
Dardanelle to Danville—12
Danville to Big Fourche—12
Big Fourche to South Fork—12
South Fork to Quinn’s Creek—12
Quinn’s Creek to Cedar Glades—15
Cedar Glades to Caddo Gap—33
Caddo Gap to Jones’ Mill—25
Jones’ Mill to Center Point—24
Center Point to Paraclifta—21
Total distance—166
No. 4, Dardanelle to Paraclifta:
Dardanelle to Danville—12
Danville to Mount Ida—45
Mount Ida to Caddo Gap—17
Caddo Gap to Paraclifta—70
Total distance—144
No. 5, Lewisburg to Paraclifta:
Lewisburg to Perryville—22
Perryville to Cedar Glades—45
Cedar Glades to Paraclifta—103
Total distance—170
No. 6, Little Rock to Paraclifta:
Little Rock to Ayliff’s—13
Ayliff’s to Benton—12
Benton to Dawson’s (Hot Springs road)—6
Dawson’s to Cooper’s (Tulip road)—5
Cooper’s to Rockport—10
Rockport to Arkadelphia—25
Arkadelphia to Spoonville—12
Spoonville to Antoine Creek—10
Antoine Creek to Little Missouri—7
Little Missouri to Washington—18
Washington to Columbus—10
Columbus to Paraclifta—28
Total distance—156
No. 7, Little Rock to Paraclifta:
Little Rock to Rockport—46
Rockport to Tulip—31
Tulip to Princeton—8
Princeton to Bayou Frio—28
Bayou Frio to Camden—12
Camden to Washington—60
Washington to Paraclifta—38
Total distance—223
No. 8, Pine Bluff to Paraclifta:
Pine Bluff to Mount Elba—30
Mount Elba to Camden—44
Camden to Washington—60
Washington to Paraclifta—38
Total distance—172
Roads Nos. 1 and 2 are the only two in the State of Arkansas by which carriages go from Fort Smith to Paraclifta. There are short cuts and by-roads which horsemen use, but they are rarely if ever used by wagons. Of these two roads No. 1 is the best; in ordinary weather a good road, but in wet weather the bottom lands on each side of the small streams are almost impassable. Streams are fordable with good gravelly bottoms. As a rule, grazing is good and well watered; no forage. It is generally known by the name of the Line road.
Road No. 2 is longer and rougher, less traveled than No. 1; not so much grass as on No. 1; well watered; some forage around Mount Ida and south of that point.
Road No. 3, which is the most traveled from Dardanelle to Paraclifta, passes through Cedar Glades, where a small quantity of forage may be obtained. Grass and water along the route, the first enough for small parties, the latter for any force.
Road No. 4, from Dardanelle, joins No. 2 at Mount Ida, and the remarks about No. 2 apply to this one. It is a shorter road than No. 3, but less traveled.
No. 5, from Lewisburg, joins No. 3 at Cedar Glades. From Cedar Glades down the remarks on No. 3 are made. From Lewisburg to Cedar Glades the road is mountainous and barren. It would be better to move from Dardanelle by way of river than to cross over at Lewisburg and across the mountains to Cedar Glades.
So far this information has been obtained mostly from Arkansans who are in, or have been in, our service, and who have traveled over the roads mentioned.
Routes Nos. 6, 7, and 8 have been traveled over by our forces for a considerable distance, and I have complete itineraries of them as far as traveled.
No. 6 is the old stage road, and known as the military road. On this road we cross Rocky Creek, Brodie’s Creek, Fourche Bayou, Hurricane Creek, Saline River, Ten-Mile Creek, Washita River, Blakely Creek, Dé Lilé Creek, Bayou Roche, Caddo Creek, Stroud’s Creek, Terre Noire Creek, Antoine Creek, and Little Missouri. All these streams rise rapidly, and at the present time most of them would have to be bridged. The bottom lands which border these streams are impassable for artillery in wet weather without corduroying. This is the route pursued by Major-General Steele in March, 1864, as far as the Antoine Creek, when be turned off due south and crossed the Little Missouri River at Elkins’ Ferry.
No. 7 goes through Princeton and by the way of Camden.
No. 8 joins No. 7 at Camden and, besides many small streams, with bad and steep crossings, crosses the Saline and Moro Creek. Both of these are well known as the worst streams in the State, both from the quickness with which they rise and overflow their banks and from the great width of the bottom lands, which after a rain become perfect quagmires.
If a movement be made from this line and from these points indicated, I deem it an absolute necessity that forage and subsistence be furnished and carried to Paraclifta.
Commencing at Fort Smith and going south as far as Ultima Thule, then east to Murfreesborough, then southeast to Camden, and thence east to the Mississippi River, we form a belt of country in the State of Arkansas over which our moving columns must pass if they use any of the roads I have given. The occupation of Waldron by our forces and scouting parties from this point toward the south, scouting parties from Dardanelle toward Mount Ida, the march of the Frontier Division in March, 1864, from Fort Smith, via Charleston, Danville, Hot Springs, and Rockport, to join General Steele’s command at Arkadelphia; the march of General Steele’s entire command from Little Rock toward Washington and occupation of Camden; the march of General Carr to Mount Elba in January last, and the many scouting parties from Pine Bluff to and in the vicinity of Monticello sent by General Clayton have all combined together in stripping this belt of country of forage and subsistence except for very small parties. To prevent their negroes from leaving them every planter in this section has moved to the Red River or into Texas. A very large number of residents of the country have moved in that direction, and deserted houses are more common to be seen than occupied ones. This portion of the State and, as far as that is concerned, the entire State, was never thickly settled, and hence these roads pass through a deserted country until you get to the southern boundary that I have named.
The character of the roads is so well known that I will merely state that since the rebellion no work has ever been done upon them by the inhabitants of the country through which they pass. Hence the bridges are all unsafe where any exist, and where the roads have been corduroyed they are in a worse condition than the ordinary mud road.
I think I am safe in saying that it is absolutely necessary that forage and subsistence must be taken as far as Paraclifta. The distances to be passed over, the difficulties to be met with in bad roads, and the scarcity and the poverty which prevails must be taken into consideration, and you, general, can better decide the number of days necessary to make the march than I can.
I have not discussed the roads leading through the Indian Territory to the same point, not deeming it necessary from our discussion of the matter.
I shall here drop the subject for the present. I have taken Paraclifta as the point of assembling, for from that place the column can move toward the Red River in any direction the general commanding may order, and on reaching and crossing this stream the army is in a country which has never been passed over by a moving force, and we may expect subsistence and forage in quantity.
Hoping sincerely, general, that I have drawn up what you wish in this letter, I remain, with respect, your obedient servant,
J. B. WHEELER,
Captain of Engineers, Chief Engineer of Department.