USA > Arkansas > A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. A full and complete account, embracing the Indian tribes occupying the country; the early French and Spanish explorers and governors; the colonial period; the Louisiana purchase; the periods of the territory, the state, the civil war, and the subsequent period. Also, an extended history of each county in the order of formation, and of the principal cities and towns; together with biographical notices of distinguished and prominent citizens > Part 32
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COLONEL M'INTOSH'S REGIMENT.
Captain Gibson's Company .- Wounded, 2 : S. J. Dibley and H. Barnhart.
Captain Parker's Company .- Killed, 2 : John B. Ford and J. L. Sweeden. Wounded, 6: P. O. Breedlove, W. L. Debeny, M. E. Cleveland, Thomas Falls, L. R. Hill and C. W. Wood. Total, 8.
Captain King's Company .- Killed, 6: H. C. Harden, Perry King, William Barker, J. W. Howell, T. J. Kelly, John Hitcher, Jr. Wounded, 16: Capt. J. M. King, John Lemoyne, W. J. Dorris, B. F. Mayberry, J. Harbinger, G. W. Amfrey, Garrett Ford, W. J. Dailey, S. C. Hicks, H. M. Hicks, A. Ashley, Robert W. Beacham, Perry Shilling, George Halsum, H. J. Kelly and D. L. Crenshaw. Total, 22.
Captain Arrington's Company. - Wounded, 2: James Henry and R. P. Smith.
Captain Flanagin's Company "E."-Killed, 2 ; J. G. Ma- lone and G. F. Flanagin. Wounded, 7: A. K. White, J.
1
448
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
F. Bridgway, J. H. Anderson, S. D. Trapp, Thomas Goran, John Holder and W. F. Holder. Total, 9. '
Captain Witherspoon's Company .- Wounded, 2: W. H. Morley and Lieutenant G. Ashley.
Captain Brown's Company .- Wounded, 6: Joseph White, Joe Wright, Harvey Holman, W. Flanagin, Thomas Wil- kins and W. Jeter.
Captain Gamble's Company .- Killed, I : Sergeant J. M. Carrigan. Wounded, 2: J. D. Hardie and W. Bittick. To- tal, 3.
Woodruff's Artillery .- Killed, 3: Lieutenant Omer R. Weaver and William Carver; W. H. Byler was wounded and afterwards died. Wounded, I : Richard Byrd. Total, 4.
SUMMARY.
REGIMENT.
KILLED.
WOUNDED.
TAKEN PRISONERS.
Churchill's,
45
16I
2
DeRosey Carroll's,
5
17
2
3
I2
Dockery's, Gratiot's,
24
82
McIntosh's,
II
44
Woodruff's Artillery,
3
I
Totals,
91
317
4
The grand total of killed, wounded and taken prisoners of Arkansas troops in the battle, was 412.
Although the loss of this number of men was not as great as in battles afterwards, it seemed more terrible, from the fact that it was the first considerable battle in which Arkansas troops had been engaged, and was the first one to come so close home to us.
On October 3d, 1861, Colonel Albert Rust's Regiment, the Third Arkansas, as part of a Confederate force under com- mand of General H. E. Jackson, had a brush with the enemy
449
THE YEAR 1861.
at Greenbrier river, Virginia, which was a hot engagement, of seven hours' duration, ending with the dispersion of the Federal force. The loss of the regiment on the occasion was 2 killed, and 9 wounded, and 4 missing; total, 15. John Agneed, of Company "E," was one of the killed. The forces of the Federals engaged were estimated at 6,000. The total Confederate loss was 52. The battle-mainly an artil- lery duel-lasted from 7 o'clock in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon, when the Federals retired to their camps at Cheat Mountain summit, and Elkwater creek.
No other considerable engagement, in which Arkansas troops participated, took place before the close of the year.
29
1
CHAPTER XX.
1862.
GENERAL SITUATION .- LOSSES IN KENTUCKY .- FALL OF MEMPHIS .- ELK HORN .- SHILOH .- EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, ETC.
BEFORE the beginning of 1862, the war had assumed vast proportions. The Confederates had near 300,000 men in the field, and the Federals three times. as many. In Missouri and Northern Arkansas, Generals Price and Mccullough were confronting Generals Curtis and Siegel. General Albert Sidney Johnston had drawn his line in Kentucky, from Bowling Green to Columbus, with Forts Henry on the Tenn- essee, and Donelson on the Cumberland, the strong points in his chain. In Virginia, under Generals Lee and Jackson, and Longstreet, the great strength of the South faced an enor- mous army under McClellan. Arkansas troops were every- where, and Arkansas history was being made on every field where the contending armies met.
The year opened darkly for the Confederacy. First, Jan- uary 18th, the brave Zollicoffer fell, with many of his heroic followers, and his command was driven back from Spring Hill, Kentucky, by General Geo. H. Thomas. Next came the surrender of Fort Henry, then the fall of Fort Donelson, whose defenders finding themselves, after valliant resistance, completely invested by vastly superior numbers, were com- pelled to surrender-only a few of the 15,000 men having escaped with Generals Floyd and Pillow. The loss of these positions, with so many men and accumulated munitions of war, compelled General Johnston to quit Kentucky and estab-
450
45I
THE YEAR 1862.
lish himself at Corinth, Mississippi. General Leonidas Polk fell back from Columbus to Island No. 10, but the enemy's gun-boats soon commanded that stronghold, and nothing stood between them and Memphis.
Memphis was taken June 6th by the gun-boat fleet. This fleet met a Confederate squadron in front of the city, and a great naval conflict ensued in the presence of thousands of spectators, gathered on house tops and along the banks of the river. The Confederate fleet was entirely destroyed ; nothing now remained between the Federal transports and Vicksburg.
During the progress of these events, an engagement took place at Pea Ridge, in Benton county, Arkansas, usually called the Battle of Elkhorn, from the name of a tavern in the vicinity of the battle field. It was fought March 7th, 1862, between the Confederate forces, about 15,000 strong, under General Earl Van Dorn, and the Federal forces, esti- mated at 20,000, under General Samuel R. Curtis. This was the first battle fought on Arkansas soil. It was an inde- cisive engagement, in which, in spite of being greatly out- numbered, the Confederate forces drove the Federals back at every point. On the next day General Van Dorn retreated Southward, and General Curtis, after remaining in camp in the neighborhood of the field for some time, marched South- eastward, and took position at Batesville. From this point he projected a movement against Little Rock, but was met and checked by Hindman, at Cache river, July 7th, 1862, when he fell back to and occupied the city of Helena, establishing communication with the Federal gun-boats on the Missis- sippi. There was apparently no necessity for General Van Dorn's retreat after the battle of Elkhorn. His army had not been at all worsted. Some of it had hardly been en- gaged, and it had under any circumstances suffered but little. The troops were thrown into great confusion, however, by the death of Generals Ben. McCollough and James McIntosh, both of whom were killed near the same time. They had
452
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
gone forward to reconnoitre, and were killed by skirmish- ers.
In the course of the following month General Van Dorn moved the army east of the Mississippi river, arriving at Corinth, Mississippi, May 4th, 1862, and there was no army left in Arkansas ; nor was there any, until General Hindman organized one on the establishment of the Trans-Mississippi Department, in the summer of 1862.
General Albert Pike took part in the battle of Elkhorn, commanding a brigade of Cherokee Indians, who did good service.
In this engagement Mccullough's troops lost 85 killed and 275 wounded. Price's men, who fought on the left, lost 100 killed and 250 wounded; and the two armies together lost about 300 taken prisoners, making a total Confederate loss of 185 killed, 525 wounded, 300 missing; total, 1,010. The Federal loss was 402 killed, 800 wounded, and about 300 taken prisoners ; total 1,502.
The Fourth Arkansas, in McCullough's Brigade, was gal- lantly led in this battle by Colonel E. McNair. It lost 5 killed, 36 wounded, and 14 taken prisoners; total, 55. The killed were : W. H. Foster, private of Company "C;" Corporal Archibald Henry, of Company "E;" William Cicil, of Company "I;" William Brock, of Company "I," and William Franklin of Company "K." Adjutant H. G. Bunn was wounded in the head by a fragment of a shell, but recovered. Sergeant Charles Bugg, of Company "A," died of his wound, March 20th; and Milton Sloan, March 28th ; . J. E. Goodwin, of Company "B," died of his wounds, March 8th. Captain J. F. Erwin, of Company "C," was severely wounded, so that he was obliged to leave the service. Captain J. C. Tyson, of Company "D," was wounded in the leg, from which he recovered, but was lame from it after- wards. Sergeant J. H. Spear, of Company "D," had his hand so badly shot as to render amputation at the wrist neces-
453
THE YEAR 1862.
sary. Edward A. Frost, of Company "D," died from wounds, March 12th. Captain J. M. Simpson, of Company "F," was badly wounded in the thigh, from which he died, March 30th ; and Wilson Biddy, of the same company, died March 29th. William B. Corby, of Company "G," died from his wounds, March 1 Ith ; and John Carper, of Company "H," April Ist. Private Pickett, of Company "K," died from in- juries March 12th; and Joseph Hopper, of the same com -- pany, died March 15th. So the number of dead in this regi- ment from this engagement was 15.
Surgeon W. L. Gammage remained on the field 25 days, caring for the wounded. In his report of the engagement, Colonel McNair made particular mention of the gallantry of Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Ogden and Major James H. May, Captains R. K. Garland and J. M. Simpson, who was mortally wounded while springing upon one of the guns of a battery captured by the Fourth, and cheering on his men ; Tyson, who fell within a few feet of the cannon in the same charge ; Erwin, who was wounded; McCulloch and Kyle ; Lieutenant H. G. Bunn, who, although wounded, did not leave the field ; William Garland and William J. Ferguson, volunteer Aides, and Surgeon Gammage, for his untiring ener- gy. For particular gallantry he also commended Captains Harris, Gunnells and Gilmore, of the Third Louisiana, tem- porarily under his command.
The two armies were now massed, and confronting each other on the Tennessee. General Grant, at Pittsburg Land- ing, and Generals Johnston and Beauregard, recently assigned to operations in the West, were at Corinth. General Buell, with 30,000 men, was on his way to re-inforce General Grant. The Confederate Generals decided to force battle be- fore the arrival of Buell. With the first streaks of dawn, Sunday, April 6th, General Johnston struck the first blow near a church-house, called "Shiloh," which, by this circum- stance, gave a name to one of the great battles of history.
454
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
The Confederate force was but little more than 40,000 men; they met more than 60,000. The complete surprise of their attack gave them great advantage; so thoroughly had their movements been concealed, that General Grant was, at the time, twelve miles down the river, in consultation with Com- modore Foote.
The Confederates were formed in three lines, extending from Owl creek on the left, to Lick creek on the right, and between the two creeks ran the road leading up to Shiloh church. General Hardee commanded the first line, General Bragg the second, and General John C. Breckenridge the third, which consisted of the reserves. General Hardee's line was disposed as follows : General Cleburne's Brigade was on the extreme left, under the direct command of General Hardee himself. General S. A. M. Wood's Brigade was next. The First Arkansas Brigade, consisting of the Second, Sixth and Seventh Arkansas Infantry, and the Third Confederate, with Swett's Battery, the brigade being commanded by Colonel Robert G. Shaver was the center, being the "Brigade of Direction." General Gladden's Brigade was next, and General Withers' Brigade on the extreme right. General Woods' Brigade, and the First Arkansas Brigade comprised Major-General Hindman's Division. Generals Gladden's ยท and Withers' Brigades comprised a Division commanded by General Withers.
Four companies, one from each regiment, the Second, Sixth and Seventh Arkansas, and Third Confederate, and the First Arkansas Brigade, were detailed to act as skir- mishers. Major Hardcastle, of Mississippi, arriving on the field at the time, and reporting for duty to General Hardee, and having no command for immediate service, was placed in command of them, in preference to de- tailing a Major from the brigade to command them. Major Hardcastle handled his command admirably, and with the utmost gallantry. As the lines advanced, these
455
THE YEAR 1862.
skirmishers encountered the outposts or pickets of General Peabody's command encamped there, who delivered a volley, the first fire which was returned by Hardcastle's skirmishers, the first Confederate fire, and the battle opened. Pushing on impetuously, the Confederates drove back the Federal pickets, and also a regiment of Federal Cavalry posted along the Shiloh church road, and following this with one grand charge, Shaver's Brigade rushed into General Peabody's. camp, sweeping everything before them. Hearing the firing of the pickets, Peabody's men had taken position in line on the edge of their camp, and delivered a galling fire. As the First Arkansas Brigade rushed upon them with a wild yell, which has become historic as the "rebel yell," they stood until the Confederates were within 30 feet of them, and then broke and fled. As the streets of the encampment in their rear were narrow, the men in flight crowded into them so much that progress was slow, and the Confederates, pushing in among them, killed over 200 men by bayonetting them. Swett's Battery also double-shotted with canister, making ter- rible havoc in their ranks. General Peabody's men consisted of two regiments of Germans from St. Louis, one regiment from Iowa, one from Wisconsin, and one from Illinois. On arriving at Peabody's camp, the sun was just beginning to show itself above the eastern horizon. Shaver's Brigade had rushed forward so impetuously that General Hardee halted them here until the remainder of the line of battle could come up. The completeness of the surprise is shown by the fol- lowing painful circumstances. There were a number of officer's wives in General Peabody's camp, and when the at- tack on the camp was made, many of them rushed out into the streets of the camp and fled for safety, not having had time to dress. Two of them were killed by chance shots : one fell dead in the street clad only in a night dress, and the other was found dead in bed in one of the tents-not yet having arisen, a bullet had reached her as she lay asleep.
456
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
General Peabody had just seated himself to breakfast, when the attack was made. Leaving the repast untasted, he rose to mount his horse, and a moment later was killed while in the act of mounting.
The Sixth and Seventh Arkansas Regiments of Shaver's Brigade had been using flint-lock muskets with buck and ball cartridges, one. ball and three buck-shot to the cartridge ; but in General Peabody's camp they found 2,000 Enfield rifles, with ammunition ready provided, so, throwing away their old guns, they armed themselves with Enfield rifles, and carried them ever afterwards. By the time they reached the camp, the fight had become general. Beyond General Peabody's camp, the line reached an old field, called "the Drill Ground." It was swept by a Chicago Battery of six guns, twenty-four pounds, supported by a strong force of Federal Infantry. Two Brigades of Hardee's Corps were put to the dreadful task of dislodging them, and were successively repulsed with ter- rible slaughter. Colonel Shaver's First Arkansas Brigade was then ordered up to the assault. As they moved over the open ground, they were simply decimated by the terrible storm of grape-shot and bullets that poured upon them ; but noth- ing daunted, they moved on in a perfectly dressed and regular line, but with men falling at every step, until they reached the battery itself. It was commanded by a German officer. He alone was left, every other officer and every man of the battery was bayonetted, and every battery horse had been killed. The Captain stood upon one of the guns, and with an excess of military etiquette, refused to surrender his sword to a private. A soldier was in the act of plunging a bayonet into him, when Colonel Shaver, interposing, saved his life. He received the officer's sword, and in admiration for his gallantry and courage, returned it to him.
Near this battery, General Hindman was afterwards dis- abled. Having established themselves at this point and driven out the Federals, the Confederates were subjected to a cross-
457
THE YEAR 1862.
fire from new batteries, which were brought into play by the Federals. As General Hindman and Colonel Shaver were rid- ing together, Shaver's horse being a little behind that of Hind- man, a conical shot from the distant battery struck Shaver's horse, passing through the animal's shoulders from side to side, killing it instantly; cut Hindman's horse in two at the hips, passed on and killed several other horses, and lastly cut off the top of a black-jack tree some distance away. Hind- . man endeavored to leap off from his horse as it fell, but, in doing so, he became entangled, and the animal falling crushed his thigh. Colonel Shaver had four horses killed under him in this battle, three the first day, and one the second, but him- self escaped, except with slight wounds.
At night-fall the First Arkansas Brigade repaired to Pea- body's camp and passed the night. There they found quan- tities of stores and provisions in abundance. One of the captures made at this camp was General Grant's money-chest, containing the money with which his troops were to be paid, and also his- Adjutant-General's papers ; and among the stores found, there were 2,500 bags of roasted coffee.
The fury of the Confederate attack was irresistible, and the Federals were everywhere swept before them. General Grant reached the field about 8 o'clock in the morning, and found his army being steadily beaten back, and in confu- sion, from which it was impossible to extricate them. By noon the Confederates had possession of the ground held by the first line of the Federal Army. Three of the five Divi- sions of that army had been completely routed, and the camps of Sherman, McClernand, Prentiss and Stewart had been captured. The Confederates continued their terrible on- slaught, and the Federals, from time to time, were driven back, until between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon the entire Fed- eral Army was cooped up in one corner of the battle-field, resting on the river, protected by the guns of the fleet. Many found shelter under the banks of the river to escape the terrible fire,
458
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
and many were even driven into the river and drowned. At this critical juncture, one incident proved a check to the Con- federate advance, and enabled General Grant to partially rally his men. Just in front of the Federal Army, and between them and the Confederates, a deep, wide ravine ran to the river. On the edge of this ravine, on his side of it, General Grant had massed a number of cannon behind a hastily con- structed defense. The Confederate advance rushed into the ravine and endeavored to climb the opposite bank to storm the battery, but owing to recent rains the banks were slippery, and the earth gave way beneath them, so that but few suc- ceeded in reaching the level of the plain. These were mowed down by the battery, or were driven back into the ravine again, by the incessant musketry fire of the artillery supports. Here, in this ravine, was a veritable "Valley of Death," for be- sides the artillery and musketry fire sweeping into it in front, the gun-boats stationed in the river opposite its mouth, raked the ravine from end to end, with shells from their heavy guns. It was death in front of them, death above them, and death at the side of them, and with no chance of escape. The Confed- erate loss at this point was very great, and their inability to pass the ravine to storm the battery in front, gave encourage- ment to the demoralized Federals, who now began to rally and find positions. It was now near night-fall, and General Beauregard being in command, General Johnston having been killed, desisted from farther prosecution of the battle, think- ing to finish it successfully next day. The weary Confeder- ates, worn out with twelve hours' incessant fighting, without food, slept that night, so far as sleep was passed, in the camp from which the enemy had been driven.
.
Late in the afternoon Federal re-inforcements began arriv- ing and continued coming up during the night. They con- sisted of four divisions, one of Grant's Army and three of Buell's. Early in the morning, after a night of drenching rain, the battle was renewed, and fought with the same fury
459
TIIE YEAR 1862.
as the day before ; but the Confederates, weak and faint with famine, were now steadily driven back from point to point, until the Federals had retaken the' ground lost by them the day before, and about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, his troops being utterly exhausted, and vastly outnumbered, General Beauregard ordered a retreat. As the Federal troops them- selves had been too badly worsted to pursue, the retreat was easily and safely effected. General Beauregard fell back to . Corinth, and later to Tupelo, Mississippi.
This was by far the greatest and most sanguinary battle which had been fought up to this time. Fully 100,000 men were engaged on the two sides. It was a battle conducted by infantry and artillery only, as the wooded and broken nature of the ground prevented the use of cavalry. The two days' fighting had resulted in a loss of over twenty thousand men in killed and wounded. On the Confederate side the loss was 10,699, and on the Federal side nearly 12,000. General Beauregard's estimate was, that in the second day's fight, Monday, April 7th, the Federal forces opposing him num- bered 53,000, while of his own forces, not exceeding 20,000 were engaged. Among their slain, the Confederates lost their commanding General, Albert Sidney Johnston, and his death was a great loss to the Confederate cause. After his fall, General Beauregard, second in command, took supreme com- mand, with General Braxton Bragg second.
The First Arkansas Regiment, under Colonel Fagan, was continuously engaged in the action of both days, and suffered severe loss. Their first loss was on the morning of the first day, when, moving through an old field covered by a battery of guns, supported by infantry, the battery opened fire and a shell exploded almost under Captain W. A. Crawford, of Company "C," seriously wounding him, and killing and wounding a number of men in Companies "A," "E" and "F." Later in the day, as they were advancing to what was called the Old Bark road, they were fired on from thick
460
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
underbrush by an unseen regiment of Federals. They were utterly unable to see, but finally ascertaining their position, made a rush to dislodge them. Three times they formed and charged into this sunken road, but were each time repulsed and driven back under a perfect rain of bullets and shells. It was here they met their heaviest loss. Lieutenant-Colonel John Baker Thompson, while gallantly leading the right of this regiment in one of these desperate charges, was mortally wounded, being struck with seven bullets, and expiring shortly afterwards. Captain J. P. Gibson, of Company "H," Jesse T. McMahon and Lieutenant L. C. Bartlett, of Com- pany "C," were killed, and Captain James Newton, of Com- pany "A," wounded. Among the privates killed was Carl Hempstead. The loss of the regiment at this place was 264 men-killed and wounded. Their total loss in the battle reached the frightful aggregate of 364 killed, wounded and missing .*
Major J. W. Colquitt of the regiment was severely wounded late in the action of the first day; so seriously, that he was obliged to repair to his home in Georgia to recuperate. In doing so, he was made prisoner at Huntsville, Alabama, but escaped, although being on crutches. When he had recov- 'ered from his wound, he rejoined the regiment at Tupelo, as its Colonel, Colonel Fagan being promoted. At the time of assuming command of the regiment, Colonel Colquitt was only of the age of 21 years.
The Second Arkansas, in Colonel R. G. Shaver's Brigade, did good service. Colonel Govan commanded at first, but being sick, and being compelled to retire from exhaustion, and Lieutenant-Colonel Charles E. Patterson being wounded, Major R. T. Harvey took command, and led them the second day. They were closely engaged, and met with heavy losses.
(*) In Company "K," the following were killed on the field: Eugene Shannon, Donald McIn- tosh, Patrick Flynn, Richard Grant, Patrick Shannahan, Corporal Charles Farlton and Wil- liam Montgomery; and the following died of wounds : John A. Blythe and Kit Henderson.
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THE YEAR 1862.
On the second day's fight they had only 130 men in line, but these did good fighting. Lieutenant-Colonel Patterson died of his wounds.
The Sixth Arkansas, Colonel A. T. Hawthorn, was in Shaver's Brigade, which consisted of the Second, Sixth and Seventh Arkansas, and Third Confederate, composed largely of Arkansians, and commanded by Colonel John S. Marma- duke. They were closely engaged, and lost many men. Captain Samuel H. Dill, of Company "F," Lafayette county, and J. W. Austin, Company "G," Columbia county, were killed. In Company "A,"-the Capital Guards, of Little Rock-Julius Levy and John Stryke were killed.
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