The Fort Smith Twins (later known as the Fort Smith Giants ) were a minor league baseball team in Fort Smith, Arkansas that existed in various incarnations from 1887 through 1953, playing a total of 36 seasons. From 1911 onward, the teams played in the Western Association .
4-611: Beginning in 1921, the teams played most of their home games at Andrews Field in downtown Fort Smith on land now owned by the Fort Smith National Cemetery . Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Chick Hafey played for Fort Smith in 1923. Hugo Bezdek managed the Fort Smith Soldiers for part of the 1909 season. Hall of Fame Alumni Notable alumni This article about a baseball team in Arkansas
8-569: A post to prevent hostilities between the Cherokees and the Osage . Despite the strategic importance of the post, the army closed it after a severe outbreak of disease which had taken the lives of several of the men stationed there by 1824. The initial interments were made in the area during this time. In 1838, a new fort was constructed on the site, including an officer's quarters where General Zachary Taylor lived from 1841 until 1845. At this time,
12-493: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fort Smith National Cemetery Fort Smith National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at Garland Avenue and Sixth Street in Fort Smith , Sebastian County, Arkansas . It encompasses 22.3 acres (9.0 ha), and as of the end of 2005, had 13,127 interments. Fort Smith was a frontier fort first established in 1817, by Maj. William Bradford as
16-500: The original post cemetery was repaired, expanded, and improved. On April 23, 1861, as the American Civil War was beginning, the post was abandoned by the U.S. Army forces stationed there; it was then subsequently occupied by a Confederate garrison. During this occupation, nearly 400 Confederate soldiers died and were buried at the fort's cemetery. On September 1, 1863, the fort was then retaken by Union forces. In 1867,
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