In my last blog post, I talked about seeing signs. Signs can be revelatory and beneficial, such as finding a road sign that directed us to the correct area of a regiment's position. Intangible signs can also serve as clues instrumental in self preservation, which is why you should always be aware of your surroundings, even when out Civil Warring. We utilized this exercise in discernment during our visit to the Reed's Bridge Battlefield, located just northeast of Little Rock near Jacksonville, Arkansas.
Part of the Little Rock Campaign, the Battle of Reed's Bridge, also known as the Battle of Bayou Meto, was fought August 27th, 1863. It was an attempt by the Confederates to preserve the Arkansas state capitol by hindering the Federal attempt to cross Bayou Meto, which they initially accomplished by burning the bridge.
Today, the battlefield consists of multiple sites along Highway 161. At the main location, you can see the modern bridge spanning the bayou.
We visited a couple of the other areas associated with the battle, including this one at the Union position facing the bridge:
And this one from the Confederate position on the other side of the bridge:
This was also the location of a duel between the Confederate commander at the battle, John Marmaduke, and his commander, Lucius Walker. The two men had a series of spats over miscommunication and perceived lack of respect, leading Walker to challenge his subordinate to a duel in which Marmaduke killed him.
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Marmaduke
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Lucius Walker
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But let's go back to the main site in the first picture above where you can see the modern bridge and look at more of its features. There, you will find a recreation of a homestead.
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If you turn completely around and look slightly to your right, you will see this vantage point of a field between the parking lot and treeline, which hides the bayou.
Mark and I walked to the treeline to see the bayou.
If you turn right from the location of the picture above, you will see that this treeline along the bayou runs perpendicular to another treeline. As we stood here upon the steep banks, we heard crunching and rustling of the underbrush behind us and to our right. Mark's initial thought was that it was an animal. But when I turned to look, I saw that he was incorrect. Or perhaps he really was right. More on that later. But what I saw was a man who seemed to have suddenly manifested out of nothingness like a ghost. I have no idea where he came from, but there he suddenly was making his way towards the bayou about twenty yards away from us through the treeline that ran perpendicular to the treeline we were standing in.
He was wearing a red hoodie with the hood up and was carrying a bicycle tire. Yes, you read that correctly. As I stood watching him, he turned his head towards us causing Mark to suddenly, but very calmly, suggest, "Okay, we need to go. Now." So hand in hand, we steadily made our way back across the field to our car. We didn't panic. We didn't run. But we wanted to. We sure had the creeps. This guy was completely out of place on a Civil War battlefield, or any other historic site for that matter.
When we were almost to the car, I turned back and saw he had been following and actually closed on us. He was about maybe ten yards away, and I could see he was probably in his 20's. The hoodie was not a hoodie but a t-shirt that he had pulled up over his head. And there was that bicycle tire he was carrying over his shoulder with his arm through the spokes. His eyes locked onto mine and bore pure hatred and evil into my soul. When you see that look, you will never forget it. I had seen it before. When I was a student in college, a friend suggested that a group of us go eat at this restaurant. I have no idea when was the last time this friend had eaten there, but it hadn't been any time soon. When we arrived in the parking lot, it was completely empty. Everything was dark, and the building was abandoned. So there we sat with the friend in the car wondering what had happened. At that time, a car suddenly pulled up beside us with the window down. A guy leaned out, but I could see he kept his right arm down out of sight, and I knew he had to have been holding a gun. So the friend stepped on it. And there we were, flying down Hardy Street trying to get away from what I believed were gang members upon whose territory we were unwittingly intruding. Thankfully, we got away. But the look on that guy's face way back then was the same wickedness that had permeated the visage of the guy at Reed's Bridge.
I thought about that as we hastily entered the car without incident. We debated on whether we wanted to see some of the other sites and decided that we would. (Those are the sites in the other pictures showing the positions of the Federals and Confederates.) We pulled out of the parking lot, visited another area, and got back on the highway to go to another one. And who did we see walking on the side of the road carrying a bicycle tire? Yep. As we drove by, we yet again locked eyes, and he still bore that same look of utter evil, an animal stalking its prey.
What was this guy's deal? Was he pursuing nefarious activities? Was he just having a bad day? I have no idea. We went by our instincts and erred on the side of caution. As I said before, that guy was out of place. It's important to take note of your surroundings. Look for signs. It's also imperative that you have someone else with you for safety.
Ultimately, we didn't see all that was there mainly due to time constraints. Perhaps we will be back in the Little Rock area and can check out the rest. I'm not letting this incident get in the way of Civil Warring.
Have you had a similar harrowing experience while visiting a battlefield or historic site?
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