http://www.historynet.com/amid-bedbugs-and-drunken-secessionists-october-1997-civil-war-times-feature.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Fri, 24 May 2013 00:48:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.historynet.com/amid-bedbugs-and-drunken-secessionists-october-1997-civil-war-times-feature.htm#comment-424697 Steve Clark Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:58:03 +0000 #comment-424697 Very very interesting. My gr.gr.gr. grandfather was the landlord of the St. Charles hotel who sold the horse to Averell. As you say, his son, my gr. gr. grandfather John B. Clark was a confederate and his father, Asa Clark was from Maine, being one of th builders brought to Ft. Smith from Bangor, Maine by the U.S. Army to Ft. Smith in 1838. I am a little surprised that he would aid a federal officer as he seemed, later in the war to favor the south but maybe that was not the case in 1861. Late in the war John Clark wrote home. following news that his young family was very sick. that he was giving up and coming home. His mother, also from Maine wrote back that she would rather see him come home in a box than see him desert. Maybe the household was split over the Civil War. I would appreciate any other info you have on the St. Charles Hotel or Ft. Smith in those days. Steve Clark Very very interesting. My gr.gr.gr. grandfather was the landlord of the St. Charles hotel who sold the horse to Averell. As you say, his son, my gr. gr. grandfather John B. Clark was a confederate and his father, Asa Clark was from Maine, being one of th builders brought to Ft. Smith from Bangor, Maine by the U.S. Army to Ft. Smith in 1838. I am a little surprised that he would aid a federal officer as he seemed, later in the war to favor the south but maybe that was not the case in 1861. Late in the war John Clark wrote home. following news that his young family was very sick. that he was giving up and coming home. His mother, also from Maine wrote back that she would rather see him come home in a box than see him desert. Maybe the household was split over the Civil War. I would appreciate any other info you have on the St. Charles Hotel or Ft. Smith in those days. Steve Clark

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