In August and September, 1862, General Mosby M. Parsons and 800 men of the Missouri State Guard encamped here, after a perilous crossing of the Mississippi River into Desha County. This small force of infantry and artillery blocked enemy threats from Helena toward Clarendon. Here on the Samuel Mitchell Plantation, they found a rare moment of respite to recoup their health and reorganize into Confederate service. Where once this vicinity was a place of peace for those weary soldiers, today it serves as a viable healthcare community. This monument is dedicated to the Missouri Confederate soldiers who lie in unmarked graves here and throughout Arkansas.