Saltpeter mines in the Arkansas Ozarks were a vital resource to Confederate forces during the Civil War.
Potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, is a naturally-occurring mineral found in limestone caves and an essential ingredient in gunpowder. After Arkansas seceded from the Union in May 1861, the state could no longer acquire the mineral from northern sources and entrepreneurs began mining saltpeter to sell to Confederate forces.
The rebel Nitre and Mining Bureau later took control of the mines to protect them, and exempted their employees from military service. The mines were frequent targets of Union raids staged to disrupt the production of saltpeter, and Confederate policy was to retreat and return when the federals left. Transport of the saltpeter was difficult, since it would have to be taken by wagon to the White River where it could be loaded on boats. The Nitre and Mining Bureau moved saltpeter operations to Texas in 1863, though Confederate guerrillas continued mining until the war ended.
To learn more, visit encyclopediaofarkansas.net.
