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 33
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The Seventh Arkansas Regiment, in Shaver's Brigade of Hindman's Sub-division and Hardee's Corps, Colonel Shaver's old Regiment, the Bloody Seventh, did some of the heaviest of the fighting. Lieutenant-Colonel John M. Dean was killed at 3 o'clock on Sunday, the 6th, being shot through the neck with a Minie ball, while gallantly leading his men to a charge, in which they drove the enemy impetuously before them. This was at the place called the "Hornet's Nest." They were un- der fire ten hours of Sunday the 6th. Captain Cain, of Com- pany "F," and Captain Brightell, of Company "G," were wounded. First Lieutenant Gillespie then led Company "G." Third Lieutenant John E. Irwin, of Company "D," and C. S. Deshazo, of Company "I," were killed, Sunday the 6th, while charging a battery; Captain Joseph A. Martin, of Company "A," John C. McCauley of Company "K," Warner of Company "D," Rutherford, of Company "E," Lieutenants Andrews, of Company "K," Gillespie, of Company "G," Brown of Company "B," and Pearson, of Company "B," distinguished themselves by their fearless and intrepid de- meanor, and were complimented for it by Major Martin in his report of the engagement. Captain John C. McCauley was in command of the regiment the entire day. Lieutenant- Colonel Dean, who had been absent for two months on sick
462
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
furlough, came on the field that morning, but declined to take command, preferring, from his debilitated condition, that he should act in a subordinate capacity, but was ever foremost in steadying and leading his men, and met his death in doing so. Major Martin, the next in command, was disabled from actively leading the regiment, so the command devolved upon Captain McCauley as senior Captain. The Seventh Regiment went into action 850 strong, and their loss in killed, wounded and missing was 502. Colonel Shaver, Colonel of the regiment, but on this occasion commanding the brigade, was at all times in the hottest of the fire, and with conspicuous gallantry. Onc of the brilliant exploits of the Seventh Regiment in this battle, was their part in an assault made in gallant and intrepid style on General Prentiss' front, in the movement which compelled him to surrender with about 6,000 men. For this exploit General Hardee bestowed upon them on the battle-field the sobriquet of "The Bloody Seventh," which name they were afterwards known by.
The Eighth Arkansas, commanded by Colonel William K. Patterson, entered the battle with 280 muskets. They were hotly engaged both days, and lost heavily ; Lieutenant Thomas B. Batemen was killed, and Lieutenants Richardson, Per- ryman, Montgomery, Cates and Harris were wounded. Ma- jor Kelley commanded four companies : "A," "B," "C" and "D"-122 men-of whom 62 were killed or wounded.
The Ninth Arkansas, commanded by Colonel Isaac L. Dunlop, fought gallantly through both days. Their loss was 17 killed and 115 wounded; total, 132. Lieutenant M. A. Duckworth, of Company "K," was shot through the heart while leading his men, and cheering them on to a charge. Captain William H. Wallace, of Company "B," who be- haved with the utmost courage, was wounded. The Color Sergeant was shot down in a charge, whereupon Sergeant Ford lifted the colors, and bore them through the thickest of the fight.
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THE YEAR 1862.
They went into action about II o'clock in the day, and dis- tinguished themselves in the assault on General Prentiss' lines, which compelled him to surrender. Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and Breckenridge, themselves personally directed the charge. General Johnston, in company with General Breckenridge, came to General Bowen, and asked him if he had any troops in his command who could dislodge Prentiss. Before General Bowen could reply, a Captain of the Ninth Regimenttook the word out of Bowen's mouth, and made answer for him, saying that the men in his company were willing to try it. General Johnston, having a silver cup in his hand, turned to the men of the Ninth Regiment as they stood in line, and said, "I have often heard of the 'toothpick' men- can you charge with the bayonet?" In the roar of the battle, which was in progress, his words were not clearly understood, when he repeated, "can you charge with the bayonet?" and this time brought his hands down to illustrate the action. The men now comprehended his meaning, and answered with a wild yell, the historic "rebel yell." General Johnson then waved his hand toward the Federal line, and told the men to "go in." The charge was gallantly made by the Ninth and Tenth with the Seventh Regiments, and with their supports; and Prentiss was not only dislodged, but he, with a large number of his men, were made prisoners. General Prentiss remarked when surrendering his sword, that it was "the men in his front who had whipped him," meaning the Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Regiments. It was at this charge that General Johnston was wounded. He was borne off of the field by men of the Ninth, and died in a short while afterwards.
The Tenth Arkansas, commanded by Colonel Thomas D. Merrick, in Breckenridge's Brigade of the Reserve Corps, were ordered into action at about II o'clock of the forenoon of Sunday, the 6th. An attempt had been made to dislodge the Federals from a strong position on a hill in their front, and it had twice failed. Two brigades had been repulsed in the
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
effort, one after another. The Reserves were then ordered up, and one of the general officers made an address to them, telling them that the fate of that portion of the field depended on the capture of that hill. The men made ready for the effort, by throwing aside canteens, haversacks, blankets, and some, even their coats, anything which would impede progress, and rushed on with only cartridge boxes buckeled around their waists. In this way they lost the whole of their clothing and camp fittings, as in the shifting incidents of the battle they never again got back to the place where they had laid aside their belongings. The word was given to charge, and with one grand rush they made for the hill, and though terribly cut down in the onslaught, they took the hill and held it, driving the Federals back fully half a mile. The Tenth lost many men at this place, and many more after the hill had been taken, for when they had dislodged and scat- tered their enemy, many of the Federals, both officers and men, took refuge behind trees and waved white handkerchiefs as tokens of surrender. In making prisoners of these, the Confederates were fired on by the retreating Federals, firing as they went, and many men were killed in this way. They lost more men at the capture of this hill than at any other place. About sundown again, they lost many more in an attempt to capture a battery posted near a ravine at a high point on the river bank. This was the dreadful ravine which so checked the Confederate advance. From sundown till dark they were engaged in the attempt, and rushed at it again and again, only to be smitten with a perfect storm of grape shot, shrapnel, shells and flying gravel ploughed up and hurled with the force of original missiles by cannon balls striking the ground in front of them. They got within 100 yards of the battery, but, in the face of that solid storm of iron, could get no closer, and gave up the attempt and fell back half a mile. That night they lay down on the ground where the Federal tents were, completely exhausted with fighting
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THE YEAR 1862.
and fasting. They had had nothing to eat since the night before, except that when passing through the Federal camps, some few had paused long enough to snatch a mouthful from the breakfast table which they found all prepared and set, and from which the Federals had been driven by the suddenness of Beauregard's attack.
Next morning early they were formed in line again, still with nothing to eat, for they were far away from their own supplies, and were not in reach of any other, and faint with hunger, and wet through with a heavy rain, which had begun falling during the night, they begun the fight anew, and stub- bornly held their ground for long hours, until finding them- selves outflanked, and overwhelmed with constantly arriving masses of the Federals, their brigade fell back, about three o'clock in the afternoon, only to find that the whole army was in retreat, and that they were left to guard the rear, as they had so often done before.
They went into the battle armed, some with flint-lock mus- kets, and others with shot-guns, but came out well armed with Enfield and Minie rifles. They assisted in the capture of a force of 6,000 of Prentiss' men, on the first day, and when the prisoners were assembled in a long line, reaching over half a mile, and grounded arms, and were marched to the rear, the Tenth threw away their inferior guns and supplied themselves with an entire outfit of guns, cartridge boxes and cartridges. They went into the engagement about 500 strong, and lost 160 men in killed and wounded. Major Obed Patty, now of Searcy, Major of the regiment, was so seriously wounded that he was ultimately obliged to relinquish his command, but he still kept on the field and organized again, urged his men on to the attack of the battery they were assailing. He was suc- ceeded in command by Captain Zeb Venable, the first Quar- termaster of the regiment. William Venable, son of Major Zeb Venable, was shot through both thighs, and died the
30
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
next day. He is buried in the northwest corner of the Cath- olic Cemetery, at Corinth. Lieutenant Kelley, of Company "G," was killed. Captain William Wilson, of Company "H," now living in Perry county, was wounded, being shot through the face from one side to the other. Dr. Jones, Lieutenant of Company "H," was shot through the hand so severely, that the use of the hand was forever destroyed.
The Thirteenth Arkansas went into the fight with 306 men. Their loss was 25 killed, 72 wounded and 3 missing. Total, 100. At the commencement of the engagement they were led by Lieutenant-Colonel Grayson, who was killed. Col- onel Tappan was absent on a sick furlough, but, hearing of the battle, hurried to Corinth, by Sunday night, the 6th, and next morning rejoined his regiment, and took command of it. After the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Grayson, Major J. A. McNeely commanded the regiment until Colonel Tappan ar- rived. Captain Murphy, of Company "G," was killed, and Captain R. B. Lambert, of Company "A;"' Lieutenant J. C. Hall, of Company "C;" B. M. Hopkins, of Company "I;" - Duncan, of Company "A;" Captain Thomas Wilds, Lieutenant C. C. Busby and Captain Cornish were wounded. Major J. A. McNeely was badly wounded in the arm, but would not leave his post. He also had his horse shot under him.
The Fifteenth Arkansas, in Cleburne's command, behaved nobly. Thrice during the first day they were thrown out as skirmishers, and fought with effect in this manner, but were again drawn in and massed in regimental formation for heavier action. They suffered greatly, and lost many officers and men. Captain Cowley, acting as Major, was shot in the head, and in a gallant charge driving the Federals before them, Lieutenant-Colonel Patton, the sole remaining field officer of the regiment, was shot dead. L. H. Mangum, of the Yell Rifles, of Helena, was severely wounded. The Fifteenth continued to pursue the retreating Federals, until
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THE YEAR 1862.
their ammunition was entirely exhausted, when they fell back to replenish their cartridge boxes. In his report of the engagement, General Cleburne particularly commended Privates William Dickson, William Pierce, W. H. Kinsey, H. A. Sales, Sergeant T. H. Osborne, and Lieutenant Josey, of the regiment for gallant conduct. Major J. T. Harris of the regiment fearlessly advanced to within pistol shot of the Federal lines, and was killed while in the act of firing on them" with his revolver.
General Cleburne commanded the left brigade of the first line, in the attack of the first day, and lost more heavily than any other brigade engaged. Their loss was 1,043 men. This brigade was pressing the Federals closely at the time they were driven for refuge under the cliffs of Pittsburg Landing.
The following is a summary of losses in this battle in the brigades in which the Arkansas troops belonged :
BRIGADE.
KILLED.
WOUNDED.
MISSING.
TOTAL.
A. P. Stewart's,
93
421
3
517
Hindman's,
109
564
38
718
Cleburne's,
188
790
65
1,043
S. A. M. Wood's,
IO7
600
38
745
Ruggles',
98
498
28
624
Breckenridge's,
52
240
I2
304
Totals,
647
3,113
184
3,951
The aggregate loss to the Arkansas regiments in these bri- gades was 3, 174 men killed, wounded and missing.
General Beauregard reported his total loss in this engage- ment (both days) at 1,728 killed, 8,012 wounded, 956 miss- ing, making a total of 10,696. Nearly one-third of the total loss was of Arkansas troops.
Upon the Confederate Army falling back to Corinth, it was joined there by General Van Dorn's Army, which had been
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
brought from west of the Mississippi river. On arriving at Corinth, May 4th, 1862, the First Arkansas Cavalry now dismounted ; Churchill's Regiment, the Second Arkansas Cavalry, likewise dismounted, Colonel Williamson's Regi- ment, the Fourth Arkansas Infantry, Colonel McNair's, and the Twenty-Fifth Regiment Arkansas Infantry, Colonel Hufstedler, were organized into a brigade, which was placed under command of General T. J. Churchill, who had now been promoted to Brigadier-General. The brigade was placed in a Division commanded by Major-General J. P. McCown along with a Texas brigade commanded first by General Joseph Hogg, and afterwards by General W. L. Cabell. The whole of these forces which had been moved from west of the Mississippi, were denominated "the Army of the West," and were under the command of General Earl Van Dorn, with General Sterling Price next in command.
While in camp at Corinth, the troops suffered much from sickness among them, and experienced much fatality in their ranks. Measles, and a peculiarly malignant type of camp fever, prevailed, the latter supposed to be superinduced by the bad drinking water which they were compelled to use. The hospitals were full of sick men ; every regiment had its ranks thinned and depleted, and the mortuary list was very large. Many regiments had not as many as three companies on their feetfor duty, and only one or two officers. The Fourth Arkan- sas had 160 on its sick list, including the Colonel, Lieutenant- Colonel, Major, Chaplain, Sergeant-Major, four Captains, the Commissary and Quartermaster. Of these officers, Chaplain Black was the only one who died. Adjutant Bunn and Sergeant Gammage, were the only two Field or Staff officers of this regiment able to do duty. Other regiments were similarly situated.
On the 20th of June, General Van Dorn was assigned to the command of the Army of the Mississippi, as it was called, and General McCown assumed command of the Army of the
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THE YEAR 1862.
West. This gave General Churchill temporary command of General Mccown's Division, and Colonel McNair, as Senior- Colonel, was assigned to the command of Churchill's Brigade. On the 30th of June this portion of the army was moved to Chattanooga, where General McCown was assigned to the command of the Department of Chattanooga, the other officers remaining in their previous assignments.
While these events were in progress, the war in the East had assumed gigantic proportions. From the time of assum- ing thechief command of the army after the battle of Manassas, in July, 1861, General McClellan had devoted himself to the organization and perfection of the army designed for a move- ment on Richmond, but up to the spring of 1862, no forward move had been made. Now, however, General McClellan took the field for an advance which he himself had planned to be made by way of Fortress Monroe, and the lower part of Virginia, called the Peninsula, from whence this campaign has been known as the Peninsula Campaign. The course of events in this portion of the great theatre of war rolled swiflty by with Stonewall Jackson's memorable campaign in the val- ley of Virginia against McDowell, Banks, Shields and Fre- mont ; the battle of Seven Pines, May 30th, in which General Joseph E. Johnston being severely wounded, the command of the Army of Northern Virginia was given to Robert E. Lee, who thereafter became the central figure and chief leader of the Confederates Armies : through the seven days battles around Richmond, and terminating in the bloody battle of Malvern Hill, July Ist, 1862.
McClellan's gigantic campaign having accomplished so lit- tle ; having in fact ended in positive failure, the Administration, growing dissatisfied, removed him from command, substituting in his stead General John Pope.
This boastful General shared no better fate than his pre- decessors, and met with a disastrous defeat on the plains of Manassas, August 30th, 1862, at the same place or near where
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
the former battle had been fought the year previous, and thus the second great movement in the East was overthrown. After this the command of the Army of the Potomac, as it was called, was restored to General McClellan.
On the 5th of September, Lee crossed the Potomac. Then came Sharpsburg-on that awful field 40,000 Confederates, and 90,000 Federals, under McClellan, fought furiously from dawn until dark, with terrific loss on both sides, and lay down at night with no advantage to either. Neither side saw fit to renew the fight the next day, and after facing each other in- actively 24 hours, the Confederate Army returned to Vir- ginia.
The Third Arkansas was one of the regiments which took part in these engagements. It was a part of General J. G. Walker's Brigade, which was commanded by Colonel Man- ning as Senior-Colonel, the regiment itself being commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel R. S. Taylor. At the battle of Sharps- burg, Colonel Manning was desperately wounded in the left arm and side, and the regiment itself lost many men in killed and wounded. Willis Sommervell, son of Willis Lewis Sommervell, of Dallas county, was among the killed.
In the early part of September, 1862, President Lincoln was visited by a delegation of seven Governors of Northern States, and under their persuasion, in a conference held at Altoona, Pennsylvania, the policy of the Government, in the carrying on of the war, was changed from an upholding of the Constitution to include the abolition of slavery, as one of the objects for which the war was waged. Mr. Seward, Secre- tary of State, advised against it, because, he said, it would look to the world like an act of despair on the part of the Nation. Mr. Lincoln, however, on the 22d of September, issued a proclamation, declaring that if the South did not re- turn to its allegiance by January Ist, 1863, all the slaves within its limits should be set free.
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THE YEAR 1862.
On this subject of emancipation, it may be interesting to note that this proclamation of the President was the third one which had been promulgated during the existence of our difficulties, and that Mr. Lincoln had himself revoked or suppressed the two others. General John C. Fremont, in command in Missouri, issued the first one in September, 1861, emancipating all slaves owned by rebels in Missouri. Mr. Lincoln revoked this order, and directed General Fremont to modify it. On the 9th of May, 1862, General Hunter issued a similar one with relation to slaves in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, and the President declared it void. As late as August, 1862, Mr. Lincoln wrote to Horace Greely : "My paramount object is to save the Union, and not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it. If I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some, and leaving others alone, I would also do that." Un- der the persuasion of the Governors, however, he now took the necessary definite step, and committed the Government to the policy of emancipation, as one of the objects for which the war was being waged.
The States of the South not having returned to their alle- giance on or by January Ist, 1863, as directed, Mr. Lincoln, in accordance with the notice in his proclamation of Septem- ber, issued his second proclamation, declaring emancipation to be in effect from that date. It declared that "All persons held as slaves within the States of Arkansas, Texas, Louisi- ana," etc. (naming the remainder of the Confederate States, with exceptions of certain parts of some of them) "are, and henceforward shall be, free, and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authori- ties thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons."
The proclamation further announced that from those thus set free, persons of suitable condition would be received into
-
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
the service of the United States as soldiers, sailors, etc. In the further progress of affairs many regiments of such troops were recruited into the Federal Army, and served therein to the close of the war, and many are now retained as soldiers in its permanent standing army.
This proclamation gave rise to considerable discussion in the South. There were those who believed that it should be met by a counter-action on the part of the Confederacy, opening its army to the enlistment of the negroes, offering freedom for themselves and their families as the reward of faithful service. Conspicuous among those holding this view, was General Cleburne, who prepared a memorial on the sub- ject, which, signed by himself and a number of other officers, was presented to President Davis. Mr. Davis did not think the suggestions wise. There were many difficulties to be overcome in adopting such a policy.
The negroes-to their credit may it ever remain-were not drawn to any considerable extent from their fealty by the voice from the North; they patiently tilled the fields and guarded the homes, while in many portions of the country all was practically in their power.
GENERAL CLEBURNE'S MEMORIAL.
To the Commanding General, Corps, Division, Brigade, and Regimental Com- manders, of the Army of Tennessee:
GENERAL :- Moved by the exigency in which our country is now placed, we take the liberty of laying before you, unofficially, our views on the present state of affairs. The subject is so grave, and our views so new, we feel it a duty both to you and the cause, that before going further, we should submit them for your judgment, and receive your suggestions in regard to them. We, therefore, re- spectfully ask you to give us an expression of your views in the premises. We have now been fighting nearly three years, have spilt much of our best blood, and lost, consumed, or thrown to the flames an amount of property equal in value to the specie currency of the world. Through some lack in our system, the fruits of our struggle and sacrifices have invariably slipped away from us, and left us nothing but long lists of dead and mangled. Instead of standing defiantly on the borders of our territory, or harassing those of the enemy, we are hemmed in to-day into less than two-thirds of it, and still the enemy men- acingly confronts us at every point with superior forces. Our soldiers can see no end to this state of affairs, except in our own exhaustion; hence, instead of rising to the occasion, they are sinking into a fatal apathy, growing weary of
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THE YEAR 1862.
hardships and slaughters, which promise no results. In this state of things, it is easy to understand why there is a growing belief that some black catastrophe is not far ahead of us, and that unless some extraordinary change is soon made in our condition, we must overtake it. The consequences of this condition are showing themselves more plainly every day, restlessness of morals spreading everywhere, manifesting itself in the army in a growing disregard for private rights, desertion spreading to a class of soldiers it never dared to tamper with before, military commissions sinking in the estimation of the soldier, our sup- plies failing, our finances in ruins. If this state continues much longer, we must be subjugated. Every man should endeavor to understand the meaning of subjugation before it is too late. We can give but a faint idea when we say it means the loss of all we now hold most sacred, slaves and all other personal property, lands, homesteads, liberty, justice, safety, pride, manhood. It means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youth will be trained by northern school-teachers, will learn from northern school books their version of the war, will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, our maimed veter- ans as fit objects for derision. It means the crushing of southern manhood, the hatred of our former slaves, who will on a spy system be our secret police. The conqueror's policy is to divide the conquered into factions, and stir up animosity among them, and in training an army of negroes, the North, no doubt, holds this thought in perspective. We can see three great causes operating to destroy us.
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