Stone Gardens: Quiet Crawford County cemetery is the final resting place for farmer and soldier Pete Fine
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jun 13, 2025
- 2 min read
A stone garden located on the northwest corner of Alma holds a number of surprising final resting place of early settlers in the area including the grandson of an Arkansas legendary guerrilla soldier from the Civil War.
Peter Fine was born on February 9, 1839, in Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas, to Jonathan Alfred Fine and Rachel Mankins Fine. His father, Jonathan, was a farmer from Tennessee who moved his family between Washington County; Bosque County, Texas; and Crawford County.
His mother, Rachel, was the daughter of Peter "Old Pete" Mankins Jr., a cattle trader and Confederate guerrilla leader during the Civil War.
Peter Mankins Jr. was a Floyd County, Kentucky native who settled in Washington County, Arkansas. He served as a county official and became known for leading Mankins’ Gang, a Confederate guerrilla unit.
During the Civil War, he eluded Union forces by swimming across the Arkansas River, a story that became part of his reputation. His role in the war and his way of life influenced his grandson, Peter Fine.
By 1850, Peter Fine lived in West Fork, Washington County, Arkansas, with his family, working in agriculture.
On February 9, 1860, he married Ruth Cosby in Washington County. They started their life as farmers before the Civil War changed everything.
Peter Fine enlisted in Company A, Buster’s Battalion, Cavalry--later the 15th Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry--on September 20, 1863. The unit operated in the Indian Territory under Lieutenant Colonel Michael W. Buster within the Confederate Department of the Trans-Mississippi.
By June 1864, the battalion was dismounted and reassigned to fight as infantry under General Edmund Kirby Smith.
Many soldiers in Company A were from Crawford County, Arkansas, connecting Fine’s service to his future home.
After the war, Peter returned to farming. He and Ruth Cosby Fine had six children before she died in 1875. In February 1876, he married Rebecca Taylor in Crawford County.
His children later settled across Arkansas and Oklahoma, including in Rudy, Maple, and Westville.
His son Samuel Lewis Fine, born to Rebecca, became a postmaster in Westville, Oklahoma, and Nevada, Missouri. Samuel’s sons--Cleo, Roger, and Harry Horton "Hoot" Fine--continued the Fine family lineage.
Peter Fine died on December 10, 1882, at age 43 in Rudy, Crawford County, Arkansas.
He was buried at Newberry Chapel Cemetery in Alma, Crawford County.
In 1906, Rebecca applied for a Confederate pension, confirming his military service.
