Fort Smith National Historic Site – Volunteer Speaker Series Presents: Civil War Chaplain Francis Springer’s Life at Fort Smith

On February 23rd at 11:00am and 2:00pm Fort Smith National Historic Site Volunteer Tom Iverson will give a presentation on the life of Civil War Reverend Francis Springer.  Springer served as the post Chaplain for Fort Smith and was a very influential man during and immediately following the Civil War.  The reverend was stationed in Fort Smith following the fall of the fort back into the Union hands in 1863.  His own stories relate the horrible plight of the military and civilian population inside Fort Smith while the countryside was being ravaged by guerrilla warfare.  Springer's personal friendship with Abraham Lincoln was important in helping the region throughout the ending of the war through aid offered by the president himself.  Springer was also influential in relating the story of the Freedman's Bureau following the end of the war and through 1867 in For Smith.

The Volunteer Speaker Series is a succession of presentations given by Fort Smith National Historic Site Volunteers once a month, generally on the last Saturday of the month.  The programs cover a wide range of subjects spotlighting the vast amount of knowledge possessed by the Volunteers.  Programs are free to the public and take place in the park's Visitor Center.

Fort Smith National Historic Site is located in downtown Fort Smith along the Arkansas River.  To access the parking lot from Garrison or Rogers Avenue, turn south on 4th Street and right on Garland Avenue.  For more information about the program, please call Fort Smith National Historic Site at 479-783-3961.

www.nps.gov