Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park, Battlefield state park in Grant County, Arkansas, United States
Jenkins' Ferry Battleground State Park is a 40-acre site along the Saline River with historical markers and monuments placed across the grounds. The layout helps visitors trace the positions and movements of forces during the 1864 engagement.
In April 1864, Union forces crossed the swollen Saline River on a pontoon bridge while under attack during a military campaign. The battle showed how critical river crossings were to the larger conflict.
The park takes its name from Thomas Jenkins, whose ferry crossed the Saline River here from 1815, and the battlefield lies beside the old crossing and a stretch of the antebellum Little Rock and Camden road. Interpretive markers on the grounds recount the fighting of April 30, 1864, and the site is a contributing property of the Camden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, designated in 1994.
The park lies on the west side of Highway 46, 12 miles southwest of Sheridan and 9 miles northeast of Leola. It sits in a bend of the Saline River, with a pavilion, picnic tables, fire pits and a basic public toilet. Swimming and boating are possible on the river.
The original ferry crossing established by Thomas Jenkins in 1815 still sits within the park grounds, showing that this location mattered long before the battle. Sections of an old road from before the Civil War are also still visible on the site.
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