April 16, 1863

Confederate brigadier general William L. Cabell’s cavalry, with about 900 men, left Ozark (Franklin County) with a mission to attack the Federal command at Fayetteville (Washington County). The Union army had occupied Fayetteville as a place to take care of its wounded soldiers following the bloody Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862. Although ensuing skirmishes were indecisive and the Confederates failed to achieve their goal, the Federal troops withdrew only a few days after the action, feeling that the area was exposed to attack and should be abandoned.