Where is chalk bluff

In the meantime, Marmaduke was making final preparations for his escape. Frances River at Chalk Bluff. In addition, a sturdy log raft was constructed to transport the artillery. Colonel George W. A strong Confederate defensive position was established at Gravel Hill, a mile and a half below Four Mile, or two and a half miles above Chalk Bluff, and a late afternoon attack there on May 1 led by the Second Missouri State Militia was repulsed.

That night, the Confederates quietly left their positions and withdrew across the St. In the dark of night, the infantry crossed the rude bridge in a procession regulated by the strictest officers standing with pistols in hand. Jeff Thompson made twenty crossings with his raft to get the dismounted Confederate artillery across, the wheels and cannon of each piece transported on one trip and the trail and axle on another.

The horses were made to swim across. On the morning of May 2, the Union troops advanced to the St. Francis crossing to find that their prey had escaped. Two hundred picked riflemen stationed on the Arkansas shore, directed by Arthur St. The action concluded as fierce artillery fire was directed across the river from Union guns with little effect. As is often the case in the Civil War west of the Mississippi, exact casualty figures are not available for this particular battle. Marmaduke reported that his casualties for the entire raid—April 17—May 2, —into Missouri were thirty killed, sixty wounded, and missing.

The official Union return of casualties showed twenty-three killed, forty-four wounded, and fifty-three captured or missing. Francis River, marked the end of an ineffective attempt to disrupt Union dominance in southeastern Missouri. From these events, a careful observer should have learned that, however daring a cavalry raid might be, it was not going to affect the ultimate outcome of the war. For additional information: Christ, Mark K.

Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, Featured by ANHC. Location Clay County Get Directions. Share This Natural Area. Francis River cuts through the Ridge and divides Missouri's "bootheel" from Arkansas. Despite its name, Chalk Bluff has no chalk deposits. Rather, its soils are derived from sedimentary materials consisting of light-colored clays, silts, and sands. If exposed, such soils are subject to severe erosion and favor the development of steep slopes and deep ravines.

On the natural area, these ravines are characterized by extensive stands of pawpaw and Christmas fern growing beneath beech trees. An upland oak-hickory forest clothes most of the remainder of the area.

Book Your Stay Today! Call Our Gallery. View More. This was our first time at Chalk Bluff. We were invited by one of our friends who has been coming to Chalk Bluff for the past 15 years. I love how the water is crystal clear. My 12 and 19 year old daughters had a blast. I even joined in on a little fun with the kids jumping off the rocks with a rope.

I love how you can set up your canopies in the water.