VIDEO: Historic Old Washington

Old Washington, AR is the temporary capital of Arkansas during the Civil War (1863 – 1865).  Although Washington, AR only has a few hundred people today, the population during the 19th Century approached 5000.  Southwest Arkansas was the scene of many battles and skirmishes during the Red River Campaign of 1864 when Federal troops from Little Rock clashed with Confederate cavalry. The strategic goal was to see who would gain control of the river crossing into Texas and Louisiana.