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Fort Smith National Historic Sitepostcard detail of jail building with prison wagon in foreground and gallows to right
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Fort Smith National Historic Site
Commanding Officers 1817-1824

Major William Bradford, Rifle regiment - Nov. 1817 to Feb. 1822

Col. Mathew Arbuckle, 7th Infantry - Feb. 1822 to March 1822

Major A.R. Wooley, 7th Infantry - March 1822 to June 1822

Col. Mathew Arbuckle, 7th Infantry - June 1822 to January 1823

Captain William Davenport, 7th Infantry - January 1823 to May 1823

Col. Mathew Arbuckle, 7th Infantry - May 1823 to April 1824
(Troops withdrawn from Fort Smith in April 1824; re-occupied March 22, 1833.)

 
Interior of jail cell with box for prisoners to visit with their lawyers  

Did You Know?
The conditions at the federal jail at Fort Smith were so horrible that it received the nickname "Hell on the Border." Up to 50 men were crowded into one large cell with limited ventilation and poor sanitary conditions.

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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:22 EST