Helena batteries | |
Location | Helena (present-day Helena-West Helena), Arkansas |
---|---|
Coordinates | 34°31′32.8″N 90°35′51.9″W / 34.525778°N 90.597750°W |
Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
Built | 1863 |
NRHP reference No. | 78000615[1] |
Added to NRHP | December 1, 1978 |
The Helena batteries, also known as the Union batteries at Helena, is a series of fortifications that were built in Helena (present-day Helena-West Helena), Arkansas. The earthworks were hastily erected in 1863 by Federal occupation forces during the American Civil War. The four hilltop batteries—A, B, C, and D—overlooked the roads leading into the town and played a significant role in the Battle of Helena that resulted in a strategic Union victory and secured the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River for the United States. Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, the batteries are part of the Helena Battlefield.