There is no park at Dripping Springs, but the site of the battle can be viewed from the intersection of Highway 220 and Dripping Springs Road north of Van Buren, Arkansas.
On Dec 28, 1862, the Union Army of the Frontier came out of the Boston Mountains and attacked Confederate troops at Dripping Springs and Van Buren. Three weeks after the bloody stalemate at Prairie Grove, south east of Fayetteville, Union and Confederate forces battled again, this time for control of the Arkansas River and city of Van Buren on the north bank of the river. The Battle of Van Buren was the last fight of the Prairie Grove Campaign.
Recognizing that he lacked the men and supplies to continue his advance into Missouri, Confederate Gen Hindman withdrew back across the mountains south of Fort Smith. Van Buren had once been his base of operations; after the battle of Prairie Grove he, again, retreated to Van Buren.
The speed and ease that Hindman and his troops traveled in and out of the mountains, confused the Union commanders; they hesitated pursuing due to the severe casualties they suffered at Prairie Grove and winter weather blocking the mountain passes. The Union remained camped around Prairie Grove for about 3 weeks.
While encamped at Prairie Grove, news reached the Union camps that Hindman was getting reinforcements. In reality, Hindman, now camped near Van Buren and Fort Smith, was struggling to hold his army together and for better protection, he moved most of his Union commanders Blunt and Herron moved from their camps around Prairie Grove, Cane Hill and Rhea's Mill on the morning of Dec 27.
Deciding to launch a preemptive strike, Blunt and Herron marched south into the mountains. Herron advanced via the old Telegraph or Wire road (a former route of the Butterfield Stage Line), while Blunt moved down Cove Creek Road into the mountains. The total Union force was 8,000 men with 30 pieces of artillery.
The two wings of the Union army converged at Oliver's Store in northern Crawford County at 3 AM on Dec 28. After a brief rest, the joint force pushed toward Van Buren with a large cavalry force in the lead. The first confrontation north of Van Buren, the Battle of Dripping Springs, was a cavalry fight that took place at the crossroads between Van Buren and the mountains.
The Union found the camp of LtCol R.P. Crump and his regiment of Texas horseman, 1st Texas Partisan Rangers (30th Texas Cavalry), camped on the north slope of a hill. The camp overlooked level ground, forming a line of battle, the Union cavalry charged across the open ground. The severely outnumbered Confederates, formed during the summer with 1,000 men, now had severely depleted numbers. Crump's men resisted briefly, then retreated and began a fighting withdrawal.
The sudden route of the Confederate cavalry at Dripping Springs did not help the Confederate efforts to defend the town of Van Buren. Skirmishing continued as the Confederates withdrew. The Battle of Van Buren took place there later the same day.
After a few brief skirmishes, the Confederate cavalry, with the Union in pursuit, topped Logtown Hill on the north edge of Van Buren and thundered down the main road into town. It happened quickly, with no warning for the civilians. “On we traveled, chasing them through the streets of Van Buren, to the great surprise and astonishment of the citizens, who had heard nothing of our coming." ~ Gen Blunt
The Confederates, ran for the steamboats tied at the riverfront and tried to make their escape across the river to Fort Smith. The Union opened fire on the boats; most managed to escape, but cannon and musket fire forced 3 of the boats to shore. Around 100 men were captured along with their horses, arms and other supplies. Two additional steamboats were burned by the Confederates to prevent their capture.
By 2:30 PM the Union was in control of Van Buren; Gen Hindman ordered one of the Confederate batteries to open fire on the town from across the river. One shell just missed Generals Blunt and Herron; buildings and homes were damaged and 6 Union soldiers were killed or wounded. Confederate gunners fired 100 shells into the town creating numerous civilian casualties.
Fighting continued up and down the river until dark. Union forces prepared to continue the battle in the morning, however, found Gen Hindman and his troops withdrew under the cover of darkness.
Realizing they were too far advanced to sustain their position on the Arkansas River, Blunt and Herron withdrew from Van Buren and returned over the mountains to their winter camps in northwest Arkansas. Union troops returned and seized Van Buren and Fort Smith the following year after defeating Confederate forces at the Battle of Devil's Backbone.
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