Mount Olive in THE WAR IN ARKANSAS Command Simulation

Mount Olive  is located on the east bank of the White River and was the county seat of Izard County during the war. The Exploring Izard County blog has some interesting information on Mount Olive, including some early photographs (all post-Civil War).  From the 1859 Mitchell map, the Military Road passed through Mount Olive (Batesville to Fayetteville via Yellville and Carrollton). On THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN map, it heads northwest to Yellville and southeast to Batesville.  There were also roads leading to Wild Haws and beyond to the northeast and across the river to Sylamore and Lebanon and Clinton to the west and southwest.

 

 

 

A TC2M map has been adapted and “modded” to represent Mount Olive in THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN.   The town itself is nestled in the bend of the White River. It has several streets and includes a hotel, post office, stores, school, church and court house and well as a number of small dwellings.  On the west bank of the river lies Searcy County. During THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN simulation, units will not be able to cross the river to the west bank.  (This means that the White River provides a secure flank for tactical purposes on the Mt. Olive map.)

 This map will also serve as the mini-map in the WIA Mod:

 

Mt. Olive Town from three angles:

 

  

To the southwest of the town is the Pelham Creek Ford near the D. McCoy house, where the Military Road crosses Pelham Creek. This is a strategic ford, because forces coming from west of the White River via Sylmore and south from Batesville via Rocky Bayou all use the ford to reach Mount Olive or pass north toward Norfolk.

 

Pelham Creek Ford and the Daniel McCoy Homestead:

 

 

There is a mountain south of the ford, which has “Devil’s Knob” at its northernmost tip. Devil’s Knob is very rough and difficult to occupy. The simulation also give substation fatigue penalties for moving up slopes, but control of the McCoy farm and Devil’s Knob could prevent units from the north passing to the west and southeast.

 

West Devil’s Knob is Wildcat Creek. The Sylamore Road crosses the creek at the D. Jeffries and P. Young homesteads at Wildcat Ford.  This position is ideal for defending against forces trying to move from Mount Olive toward Sylamore and points west. It can, however, be flanked by the West  Mountain road which joins the Military Road at the J. Parlee Homestead at the south end of the Mountain and then passes along the west bank of Wildcat Creek.  The G. Parlee House is not far from J. Parlee and is located on the Military Road on the east side of the mountain facing Pelham Creek and at and ideal position to resist southward advances on the Military Road.

 Wildcat Ford and the D. Jeffries and P. Young homesteads:

 

 The Parlee Homesteads:

The Harris homestead are on the Wild Haws Road on the west side of McAllister’s gap.  The A. McAllister Farm (already previewed) is on the opposite side of the gap. South of the gap are hills the wooded Harris Hollow. North of the gap is the “Devil’s Backbone,” a long mountain with a bare ridge running for most of its length.

 Harris Homesteads, looking towards McAllister's Gap and the southern end of Devil's Backbone:

 

The East Mountain Road meanders along the east side of the Devil’s Backbone and crosses Huff Spring Creek at Bishop’s Ford. Moses Bishop’s house is nestled up against the east side of the mountain, with some fields along the Huff Spring Creek bottoms below.

Moses Bishop Homestead on the east slopes of Devil's Backbone and Bishop's Ford to its north:

 

 North Bishop’s Ford, the East Mountain Road joins the Military Road the Jehodiah Jeffries farm.  The Military Road also crosses Huff Springs Creek at Jeffries’ Ford and then passes through Devil’s Gap to the Benbrook Homesteads and then to the east side of town.

 Jeffries' Ford and the J. Jeffries Homestead:

 

 Devil's Backbone (north end), Devil's Gap, and the Benbrook homesteads:

 

Some of the terrain shown as forest on the map is actually in the process of being cut. There has been some looking on part of the map.

 

 

 

And that is an introduction to Mt. Olive, for the up coming WAR IN ARKANSAS: THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN simulation. As a county seat, control of Mt Olive town will result in victory points for the occupying army.