One of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War, and the only engagement fought in present-day Arkansas.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 17, 1783
- Attacking force
- British irregulars and Chickasaw led by Capt. James Colbert
- Defending garrison
- Louisiana Fixed Infantry Regiment with Quapaw allies
- Fort targeted
- Fort Carlos III
- Treaty already signed
- January 3, 1783, three months before the raid
- Outcome
- British-Chickasaw force routed; raid unsuccessful
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Spain entered the American Revolutionary War on the side of the United States in 1779, triggering a series of small engagements with Britain along the Lower Mississippi River. Despite a peace treaty signed between Spain and Britain on January 3, 1783, news of the agreement had not reached the remote Franco-Spanish settlement at Arkansas Post, leaving it vulnerable to ongoing hostilities.
In the early morning of April 17, 1783, Captain James Colbert of the British 16th Regiment of Foot led a large party of British irregulars and Chickasaw warriors in a surprise attack on Fort Carlos III and the village of Arkansas Post. The Spanish garrison and Quapaw defenders responded with an unexpected sally that caught the attackers off guard and forced Colbert's force into a rout.
The raid failed entirely, with Colbert's force driven off without capturing the fort or the settlement. The engagement stands as the last-known battle of the American Revolutionary War on present-day American soil and the sole Revolutionary War battle fought within the boundaries of present-day Arkansas.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
James Colbert.