III. PHYSICAL SETTING

A. Natural Features

1. Arkansas River

The Arkansas River was adjacent to the fort’s eastern curtain. Earlier in the year, Captain Dubreuil had turned out a working party to erect a curtain on the river front, where the caving bank had toppled a section of the stockade.[1]

The Mississippi was in flood in mid-April 1783, while the White and Arkansas rivers were low. Consequently, the water in the lower reaches of these rivers, affected by conditions on the Mississippi, had pooled, backing up for miles.[2]

Conditions at Arkansas Post would have been similar to those described by Captain Rousseau. In February 1793, he reported:

The Fort of Arkansas, is situated in the middle of a hill [côte] that overlooks the Arkansas River, which may be forty-five feet in height when the river is low and six feet when it overflows. It forms a horseshoe that may be a half a league on the river and extends to the north.[3]

The river, at this season, would have been very muddy, with a brownish cast.

2. Configuration of Terrain

The north bank of the river, in the vicinity of the fort, was caving into the river. This was a slow but continuous process.[4]

The fort, village, and habitant coast were on level ground, about 10 feet above the highest inundations of the river.”[5]

Above the fort, between it and the village, was a bayou or ravine. Below the fort, between it and the habitant coast, was a second bayou or ravine.[6] The fort shown, Fort San Estevan of the Arkansas, was built in the early l790s near the site of Fort Carlos III.

In advancing upon the fort from the habitant coast, the partisans were able to make a covered approach to within “pistol shot” of the stockade. Taking cover in a ravine (bayou), they blazed away.[7]

3. Soil

The soil is a sandy loam, with a large quantity of humus. It ranges in color from dark grey to black.[8]

4. Trees and Forest

Except for solitary cottonwoods and prickly ash, the area about the fort, and between it and the village and habitant coast, had been cleared of timber. Back from the river, in the direction of Post Bayou was an alluvial forest of oaks, hickories, box elders, elms, etc.[9]