[
389]
Biographical.
[
390]
[
391]
Major-Generals and Brigadier-Generals, Pro-Visional army of the Confederate States, Accredited to Arkansas.
Brigadier-General William N. R. Beall was a native of
Kentucky, born in 1825.
His parents moved to
Arkansas, and from that State he was appointed to the United --States military academy at
West Point in 1844.
He was graduated in 1848, and was assigned to the Fourth infantry as brevet second lieutenant.
He served on the frontier in the
Northwest until 1850, with promotion to second lieutenant of the Fifth infantry, April 30, 1849.
From that time until 1855 he served in
Indian Territory and in
Texas, and was commissioned first lieutenant of the First cavalry, March 3, 1855, and before the end of the month, March 27th, captain in the same command.
He was engaged in several Indian expeditions, encountering the hostiles in several combats and skirmishes.
The last of these expeditions was in 1860 against the Kiowas and Comanches.
He was on frontier duty when his adopted State seceded from the
Union.
He then sent in his resignation as captain in the
United States service and received the same rank in the
Confederate States army.
He served in
Arkansas under
General Van Dorn, who, on the 17th of March, 1862, recommended that he be commissioned colonel.
On the 11th of April this request was more than granted, for
Captain Beall was commissioned a brigadier-general in the army of the
Confederate States, and on the 23d of the same month was assigned by
General Beauregard to the command of the cavalry of the army at
Corinth.
On September 25th he was in command at
Port Hudson, and though
Gen. Frank Gardner subsequently assumed chief command,
General Beall and his brigade continued to be important factors in the
[
392]
gallant defense of the post until its surrender.
His brigade included the Tenth, Twelfth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Twenty-third Arkansas regiments, and First Arkansas battalion, as well as several
Mississippi and
Alabama regiments, and
Louisiana artillery.
His
Arkansas troops lost 225 in killed, wounded and missing during the long siege, which was only terminated when they were forced to surrender by the capitulation of
Vicksburg.
On July 9th the post was surrendered, and the men were then paroled, and some of them were never exchanged.
After the war
General Beall resided in
St. Louis, Mo., and engaged in business as a general commission merchant.
He died on the 26th of July, 1883, at
McMinnville, Tenn.
Brigadier-General William L. Cabell was born in
Danville, Va., January 1, 1827, the third child of
Gen. Benjamin W. S. and
Sarah Eppes Cabell, who lived to see seven sons and two daughters grown.
Six sons held prominent positions in the Confederate army.
The other,
Dr. Powhatan Cabell, died from the effect of an arrow wound received in
Florida just before the
Confederate war began.
General Cabell was graduated at the military academy at
West Point in 1850, entered the United States army as second lieutenant, and was assigned to the Seventh infantry.
In June, 1855, he was promoted to first lieutenant and made regimental quartermaster of that regiment.
In March, 1858, he was promoted to captain in the quartermaster department and assigned to the staff of
Gen. Persifer F. Smith, then in command of the
Utah expedition.
When the war became inevitable,
Captain Cabell repaired to
Fort Smith, Ark., and from there went to
Little Rock and offered his services to the governor of the
State.
On receipt of a telegram from
President Davis he went to
Montgomery, Ala., then the
Confederate capital, where he found the acceptance of his resignation from the
United States
[
393]
army, signed by
President Lincoln.
He was at once commissioned major,
Confederate States army, and under orders from
President Davis left on April 21st for
Richmond to organize the quartermaster, commissary and ordnance departments.
Later he was sent to
Manassas to report to
General Beauregard as chief quartermaster of the army of the Potomac.
After
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston assumed command,
Major Cabell served on his staff until January 15, 1862, when he was ordered to report to
Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, by whom he was assigned to
General Van Dorn, with headquarters then at
Jacksonport, Ark. He was next promoted to the rank of brigadier-general and put in command of all the troops on
White river,
Ark., where he held the enemy in check until after the
battle of Elkhorn Tavern, March 7th and 8th.
After that battle the army was transferred to the east side of the
Mississippi.
The removal of this army, which included
Price's
Missouri and
McCulloch's
Arkansas,
Louisiana and
Texas troops, and his own command, devolved on
General Cabell, and was performed within a single week from points along
White river.
Van Dorn's army proceeded, after reaching
Memphis, to
Corinth, and
General Cabell was assigned to a Texas brigade with an Arkansas regiment attached.
He led this brigade in several engagements around
Corinth, and commanded the rear of the army on the retreat from
Corinth to
Tupelo.
After
Bragg had moved into
Tennessee,
Cabell was transferred to an Arkansas brigade, which he commanded in the battles of
Iuka and
Saltillo in September, at
Corinth on October 2 and 3, 1862, and at Hatchie Bridge on the 4th.
He was wounded leading the charge of his brigade on the breastworks at
Corinth and also at Hatchie Bridge, which disabled him for duty in the field.
What was left of his command was temporarily assigned to the First Missouri brigade under
General Bowen, and he was ordered to the Trans-Mississippi department to recover from his wounds and inspect the staff departments
[
394]
of that army.
When his strength was sufficiently restored he was, in February, 1863, put in command of
northwest Arkansas, with instructions to augment his forces by recruits from every part of the
State.
In this he was very successful, organizing one of the largest cavalry brigades west of the
Mississippi, which he thereafter commanded in more than twenty battles.
He took a prominent part in the engagements at
Poison Spring and Marks' Mills, in April, 1864, commanding two brigades of
Fagan's division.
In his report of the campaign ending at Jenkins' Ferry,
General Marmaduke wrote that, ‘To speak of the quick perception and foresight or the reckless bravery of
Shelby, the élan and chivalrous bearing of
Cabell, inspiring all who looked upon him, or the perseverance, untiring energy and steady courage of
Greene, would be telling a twice-told tale.’
During the raid into
Missouri under
General Price he was captured in battle near the
Little Osage river, October 25, 1864, and was taken to
Johnson's island,
Lake Erie, and later to
Fort Warren, near
Boston, and held until August 28, 1865.
General Cabell is now a resident of
Dallas, Tex., and holds the rank of
lieutenant-general United Confederate Veterans, commanding the Trans-Mississippi department.
His wife, the daughter of
Maj. Elias Rector, of
Arkansas, is a woman of great intelligence and courage, and noted for her ready wit. During the war she followed her husband and did much to relieve the sick and wounded.
Major-General Thomas J. Churchill was born March 10, 1824, near
Louisville, Ky., and in 1844 was graduated from St. Mary's college.
He studied law at
Transylvania, and volunteered in the war with
Mexico, becoming lieutenant in
Humphrey Marshall's regiment of mounted riflemen.
He was made a prisoner by
Mexican cavalry, and not exchanged until the war was virtually over.
In 1848 he went to
Little Rock, Where he married Anne, daughter of
ex-Senator Sevier, of
Arkansas, who was one
[
395]
of the commissioners to negotiate a peace with
Mexico.
General Churchill's earliest American ancestor was
William Churchill of
Middlesex county, Va., who married Elizabeth, sister of
Judith Armistead, ancestress of
Robert E. Lee.
His son,
Armistead Churchill, married
Lucy Harrison, aunt of
Gen. William Henry Harrison.
Their son,
Armistead Churchill, was the grandfather of
General Churchill.
His son Samuel married Abby, daughter of
Colonel Oldham of
Kentucky, and their children were
Armistead, Samuel B., William H.,
Thomas J. (the general), Charles T.,
Mary Abigail, and
Julia.
The last named is widow of
Dr. Luke P. Blackburn, former governor of
Kentucky.
General Churchill was a planter at the beginning of hostilities, and, offering his services in the opening conflict, was elected colonel of the First Arkansas mounted rifles.
His career from this beginning has been sketched already in these pages.
He won for himself, by his dauntless courage and unflinching devotion, the laurels of an honorable name.
His martial renown early reflected credit upon his State and its citizens who served under him and rightly share his honors.
His gallant services at
Wilson's Creek and
Pea Ridge have been noted.
On March 4, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general.
Ordered with his brigade to
Kirby Smith, on that officer's advance into
Kentucky in August, he and
Cleburne were in the van, and at the brilliant victory of
Richmond they were the first to strike the foe and overwhelm him by the impetuosity of their onset.
Toward the close of 1862
Churchill was sent back across the
Mississippi to take a new command in
Arkansas.
Being placed in charge of
Arkansas Post, he was attacked in January, 1863, by an overwhelming force of Federals under
General McClernand, assisted by
Admiral Porter's fleet.
After a desperate fight of five hours
McClernand took possession of the fort, the guns and the captives.
Horace Greeley, the
Northern historian, in his ‘American Conflict’ says: ‘
Churchill's men had fought
[
396]
with signal gallantry and resolution so long as hope remained. . . . Most of their field pieces had been disabled . . . and the fight was against an enemy whose ample artillery was still efficient, who had mastered their defenses, and whose numbers were several times their own.’
On March 17, 1863,
Churchill was commissioned major-general in the army of the
Confederate States.
After his exchange he was ordered to report to
General Bragg in
Tennessee, but was soon transferred to the Trans-
Mississippi, where he bore an honorable and active part in the
Red river campaign, in command of the
Arkansas division of infantry, at the battles of
Pleasant Hill and Jenkins' Ferry.
He continued in division command until the close of the war.
Major-General Patrick R. Cleburne, one of the most brilliant soldiers of the
Confederate States, was a native of
Ireland.
When twenty-two years of age he joined the
British army as a private, and there took his first lessons in drill and discipline.
For good conduct he was promoted to the rank of corporal.
After remaining three years in the
British army he procured his discharge and came to
America.
He settled in
Arkansas, became a hard student, was admitted to the bar, and the year 1861 found him practicing law in
Helena, enjoying in his profession and in society the honorable position which his toil and native worth had gained for him. He was among the first to answer the call to arms.
He raised a company and with it joined the First, afterward known as the Fifteenth Arkansas regiment, of which he was almost unanimously elected colonel.
His first campaign was with
General Hardee in
Missouri.
At its close he went with
Hardee to
Bowling Green, Ky. He had during this short military service so impressed his superiors that he was assigned to command of a brigade, and on March 4, 1862, was commissioned brigadier-general.
At the
battle of Shiloh he proved that his abilities had not been overestimated,
[
397]
and during the reorganization of the army at
Tupelo he brought his brigade to a very high state of discipline and efficiency.
He had that valuable combination of qualifications for command which enabled him to enforce discipline and at the same time secure the esteem and confidence of his troops.
At
Richmond, Ky., he commanded a division whose impetuous charge had much to do with winning the magnificent victory over ‘
Bull’
Nelson's army.
Though painfully wounded in this battle, a few weeks later he led his men in the fierce conflict at
Perryville, with his usual success.
On December 13, 1862, he was commissioned major-general.
He was in the memorable attack upon the right of the
Federal army at
Murfreesboro, which drove the
Union lines until the mass in front became at last too thick for further penetration.
Again at
Chickamauga Cleburne made a charge, in which his men by desperate valor won and held a position that had been assailed time and again without success.
At
Missionary Ridge, in command at the tunnel, he defeated
Sherman, capturing flags and hundreds of prisoners, and when involved in the general defeat, he made a heroic fight at Ringgold gap and saved
Bragg's artillery and wagon train.
In recognition of this gallant exploit, the Confederate Congress passed the following joint resolution: ‘Resolved, that the thanks of Congress are due, and are hereby tendered to
Maj.-Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne, and the officers and men under his command, for the victory obtained by them over superior forces of the enemy at Ringgold gap in the
State of Georgia on the 27th day of November, 1863, by which the advance of the enemy was impeded, our wagon trains and most of our artillery saved, and a large number of the enemy killed and wounded.’
One of the most brilliant episodes of the
Atlanta campaign of 1864 was
Cleburne's victory at
Pickett's mill over
Howard's corps of
Sherman's army.
In the awful carnage at
Franklin, November 30, 1864,
Cleburne, the ‘
Stonewall Jackson of
[
398]
the
West,’ gave his last battle order.
Within twenty paces of the
Union line, pierced by three wounds, he fell, and on the battlefield expired.
His death was a disheartening blow to the army of Tennessee, and was mourned throughout the whole
South.
Brigadier-General Thomas P. Dockery was among the conspicuously brave officers whom
Arkansas furnished to the
Confederacy.
Though this State did not secede until it became evident that she must fight either for or against her Southern sisters, yet when her decision was made she went with all her might into the struggle for Southern independence, and gave to the
South some of the most gallant men that ever drew sword or carried a musket
General Dockery went into the service as colonel of the Nineteenth Arkansas.
His regiment was in the brigade of
Brig.-Gen. N. B. Pearce, and in the division of
Brig.-Gen
Benjamin McCulloch.
On August 10, 1861, occurred the bloody battle of
Oak Hills, or
Wilson's Creek.
General Churchill, who was then colonel of the First Arkansas regiment, mounted riflemen, in an account of this battle says: ‘The contest seemed doubtful.
At times we would drive them up the hill, and in turn they would rally and cause us to fall back.
At length we shouted and made a gallant charge and drove them over the hill.
At this moment the
Louisiana regiment with
Colonel Dockery flanked them upon my left, made a charge and drove them completely from the field.
This was the last position they abandoned, and the last stand they made.’
Brigadier-General Pearce, who commanded a division in this battle, says in his report: ‘I respectfully call the attention of the general to the praiseworthy conduct of
Colonels Gratiot,
Carroll and
Dockery.’
When
Price and
Van Dorn crossed to the east side of the
Mississippi in May, 1862,
Colonel Dockery's regiment formed a part of this force, and participated under the lead of its gallant colonel in the bloody battle of
[
399]
Corinth.
When
Price, with the army of the West, recrossed the
Mississippi,
Colonel Dockery was for awhile in command of the middle subdivision of
Arkansas.
On August 10, 1863, he was commissioned brigadier-general.
He organized a brigade in
Arkansas, which participated in the
Camden campaign of 1864 against
Steele, and
Dockery and his men bore, according to reports, a gallant part in the brilliant victories of Marks' Mills and Jenkins' Ferry.
General Dockery survived the war many years.
He died in the
city of New York on February 26, 1898.
Brigadier-General James F. Fagan was born in
Louisville, Ky., in 1827.
When he was a youth his father was one of the contractors to build the
State house at
Little Rock, soon after the admission of the
State, and died there.
His mother,
Catherine A. Fagan, married
Samuel Adams, former treasurer of State, in December, 1842.
As president of the senate,
Mr. Adams succeeded to the governorship in 1844, upon the resignation of
Governor Yell, who became a volunteer colonel and fell in the war with
Mexico.
On the death of his stepfather,
Fagan took charge of the farm and family home on the
Saline river.
Though a whig, he repeatedly represented the Democratic county of
Saline in the general assembly of the
State.
He served through the war with
Mexico in
Yell's regiment, returning home a lieutenant, and was among the first to raise a company at the beginning of the
Confederate war, being chosen captain of his company, and on regimental organization elected colonel of the First Arkansas Confederate infantry.
His subsequent achievements gave him high rank and an honorable name in that eventful struggle.
On September 12, 1862,
Colonel Fagan was promoted to brigadier-general in the provisional army of the
Confederate States.
He commanded a brigade composed of the
Arkansas regiments of
Colonels Brooks,
Hawthorn,
Bell and
King, in the
[
400]
siege of
Helena, in all 1,339 men, and lost 435 in the determined assaults of his command on Hindman's hill.
His gallantry in this bloody engagement was warmly commended by
Gen. T. H. Holmes.
General Fagan's command was operating in
southern Arkansas during the
Federal campaign against
Shreveport in 1864, and after
Banks' defeat at
Mansfield and
Pleasant Hill,
General Fagan, in command of a cavalry division comprising the
Arkansas brigades of
W. L. Cabell,
T. P. Dockery and
W. A. Crawford, was ordered to operate against the
Federal expedition of
General Steele at
Camden.
He was highly successful,
General Smith reporting that ‘
Fagan's destruction of
Steele's entire supply train and the capture of its escort at Marks' Mills precipitated
Steele's retreat from
Camden.’
In the last great maneuver in the Trans-
Mississippi,
Price's campaign in
Missouri, Pagan, who had been commissioned major-general on April 24, 1864, commanded the division of
Arkansas cavalry, including the brigades of
Cabell,
Slemons,
Dobbin and
McCray, and ‘bore himself throughout the whole expedition,’ said
General Price, ‘with unabated gallantry and ardor, and commanded his division with great ability.’
At the last he was in command of the district of
Arkansas, and as late as April, 1865, he was active and untiring in his efforts, proposing then an expedition for the capture of
Little Rock.
General Fagan's first wife was a sister of
Gen. W. N. R. Beall, and after her death he married
Miss Rapley of
Little Rock, a niece of
Maj. Benjamin J. Field, brother of the first wife of
Governor Rector.
Brigadier-General Daniel C. Govan, of
Arkansas, is one of the commanders of whom
General Cleburne said, ‘Four better officers are not in the service of the
Confederacy.’
Entering the army in 1861, he was made colonel of the Second Arkansas regiment, and was present in the first day's
battle of Shiloh.
Sickness prevented his participating
[
401]
on the second day. In the
Kentucky campaign, the Second Arkansas was in the brigade of
General Liddell, and participated in the
battle of Perryville.
At
Murfreesboro, still in
Liddell's brigade,
Colonel Govan led his regiment and during a part of the day the brigade.
At
Chickamauga he led the brigade,
Liddell acting as commander of a division.
He again commanded his brigade at
Missionary Ridge and on the retreat, sharing prominently in the timely victory at
Ringgold, and winning from
Cleburne the compliment already mentioned.
On December 29, 1863, he was promoted to brigadier-general, his command consisting of the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Arkansas regiments of infantry.
Throughout the
Atlanta campaign he handled his brigade so admirably as to merit favorable mention from his division and corps commanders and from
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, who especially mentioned the gallant conduct of his brigade at
Pickett's mill.
On the 1st of September, while
Hardee with one corps was holding a position of no great strength in order to protect
Hood's retreat from
Atlanta, he was attacked by five corps of
Sherman's army.
Fortunately, the attacks were not simultaneous along the line, and
Hardee was able to shift troops to the threatened points in time to repel assaults.
About the middle of the afternoon an angle held by
Govan's
Arkansas and
Lewis' Kentucky brigades, troops that had no superiors in the army, were assailed by an overwhelming force.
They held to their line until the dense masses of the
Federal troops poured over the works, and by force of numbers drove back the brave defenders.
A large part of
Govan's brigade fought until the dense volume of Federal troops ran over them and took physical possession of the men. What was left of the brigade, charging with
Granbury's Texans and
Gordon's Tennesseeans, succeeded in establishing a new line, which was held until night put an end to the conflict.
General Govan, captured that day, was soon exchanged and followed the fortunes of
[
402]
the army of Tennessee to the last.
He led his brigade through the hardships and disasters of the
Tennessee campaign, and in the final campaign in the Carolinas commanded his own and
Granbury's brigade, which had been consolidated.
No officer of the army of Tennessee enjoyed to a greater degree than
General Govan did, the esteem of his men and of his superior officers.
Brigadier-General Alexander T. Hawthorn, when the Sixth Arkansas infantry was organized in 1861, was elected lieutenant-colonel.
By the spring of 1862 he had been appointed colonel of the gallant regiment, which he led at the
battle of Shiloh, up to that time the greatest conflict of arms that the New World had ever seen.
The soldiers of the
South stormed and captured the camp of the victors of
Donelson, drove them in complete rout to the protection of their gunboats, and, had not the advance been stayed, would probably have annihilated the army of
Grant before
Buell could get to its assistance.
When the large army of
Grant and his powerful fleet were besieging
Vicksburg,
General Holmes was ordered by
Kirby Smith to create a diversion, if possible, in favor of
Pemberton, by attacking the strong post of
Helena, Ark. This was done, but without success.
The Sixth Arkansas was in
Fagan's brigade, and under its gallant colonel drove the enemy out of two lines of works, but was at last repulsed in the attack upon Fort Hindman.
During the joint campaign of
Banks and
Steele, in April, 1864,
Hawthorn, who on the 28th of February, 1864, had been commissioned brigadier-general, led a brigade in the division of
General Churchill, and made a gallant fight at Jenkins' Ferry, April 30th, during a fierce engagement of several hours' duration.
He continued in command of his brigade, under
General Churchill, until the close of hostilities.
He then gladly laid aside the sword and
[
403]
entered upon the task of helping to restore the fallen fortunes of the
South.
He spent the latter years of his life in business at
Atlanta, Ga., where he died about 1894.
Major-General Thomas Carmichael Hindman was born in
Tennessee in November, 1818.
He received a common school education, then studied law and moved to
Mississippi.
He was engaged in his professional business when the
Mexican war aroused the country to arms.
Forsaking peaceful pursuits, he went as lieutenant in one of the
Mississippi regiments.
Returning home after the war he again took up his former occupation.
From 1858 to 1861 he served in Congress as a representative from
Arkansas.
He was intensely Southern, believing with all his heart in the justice of the position taken by his section.
Of course, it was to be expected that a man of his views would be quick to take up arms.
He entered the army and was appointed colonel of the Second Arkansas infantry, June 21, 1861, and brigadier-general September 28, 1861.
His first service was in
Arkansas under
Gen. William J. Hardee, with whom he crossed the
Mississippi when everything possible was being concentrated at
Bowling Green, Ky. He and his brigade took a conspicuous part in the
battle of Shiloh.
He was wounded in this battle, and promoted to major-general April 18, 1862.
On the 26th of May he was assigned to the command of the Trans-Mississippi district, and hastening to
Little Rock, he established his headquarters there on May 31st, and took command of his district.
He had to create an army and restore order and confidence.
This he quickly did; for he was a man of great energy and administrative ability of the very highest order.
He declared martial law, sent his provostmar-shals in every direction, and enforced the conscript law in the most rigid manner.
His recruiting officers went all over
northern Arkansas and even into
Missouri.
He established shops for the manufacture of all needed supplies,
[
404]
such as arms, clothing, etc. In every way he managed so well that early in July he had gathered a considerable army, and had saved for the time
Little Rock and the
valley of the Arkansas to the
Confederacy.
But about this time
Gen. T. H. Holmes was sent to take command of the Trans-Mississippi department.
Hindman, going into
western Arkansas, was about to lead an expedition into
Missouri when he was recalled to
Little Rock by
General Holmes to help organize the troops in that neighborhood.
During his absence, disasters befell his army.
Returning, he fought the
battle of Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862, against the forces of
Herron and
Blunt, winning a victory, but on account of the concentration of the enemy in superior numbers found it necessary to withdraw.
He was afterward ordered back to the east side of the
Mississippi, where he commanded a division at
Chickamauga.
There and all through the
Atlanta campaign Hindman and his division were found among the bravest and the best.
After the
Atlanta campaign he served in the district of
North Mississippi.
At the close of the war
General Hindman went to
Mexico, but in 1867 returned to the
United States and settled at
Helena, where he was assassinated by some unknown person on the 28th of September, 1868.
Brigadier-General James McQueen McIntosh came of a martial race, his father, his uncle and his grandfather being distinguished as soldiers.
His father,
James S. McIntosh, was born in
Liberty county, Ga., and entered the United States army in 1812.
In the
Mexican war he greatly distinguished himself.
At Molino del
Rey, one of the bloodiest battles of the valley of
Mexico, where as ranking colonel he commanded a brigade, he received a mortal wound.
The brother of the subject of this sketch,
John Bailie McIntosh, remained in the United States army throughout the civil war, fought with great gallantry, lost a leg in the
battle of Winchester, and was
[
405]
retired in 1870 as brigadier-general.
James McQueen McIntosh was born at
Tampa Bay, Fla., in 1828.
He was appointed to the United States military academy from
Florida, and was graduated in 1849 as brevet second lieutenant of the First infantry.
He served on frontier duty, and rose through the successive grades to the rank of captain of the First cavalry, January 15, 1857.
He was in several expeditions against the hostile
Indians, and was engaged in the combat of Solomon's Ford, July 29, 1857, and in several skirmishes with the Kiowas and Comanches in 1860.
In 1861, when it became evident that war between the States could not be averted, he resigned his commission and entered the service of the
Confederate States.
He was first captain of cavalry,
Confederate States army, then was made colonel of the Second Arkansas mounted infantry.
On the 24th of January, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general in the army of the
Confederate States.
His command consisted of the First and Second regiments of
Arkansas mounted riflemen,
South Kansas-
Texas regiment, Fourth and Sixth regiments of
Texas cavalry, and
Burnett's company of
Texas cavalry.
His services in the Confederate army were valuable, but soon ended.
He was killed in the bloody
battle of Pea Ridge, March 7, 1862.
In his official report of this battle,
General Van Dorn pays the following high tribute to this gallant soldier: ‘
McIntosh had been very much distinguished all through the operations which have taken place in this region; and during my advance from
Boston mountains I placed him in command of the cavalry brigade and in charge of the pickets.
He was alert, daring and devoted to his duty.
His kindness of disposition, with his reckless bravery, had strongly attached the troops to him, so that after
McCulloch fell, had he remained to lead them, all would have been well with my right wing.
But after leading a brilliant charge of cavalry and carrying the enemy's battery, he rushed into the thickest of the fight again at the head of his old regiment, and was
[
406]
shot through the heart.
So long as brave deeds are admired by our people, the names of
McCulloch and
McIntosh will be remembered and loved.’
Brigadier-General Evander McNair became colonel of the Fourth Arkansas regiment on August 17, 1861.
The first experience of this regiment in battle was at
Wilson's Creek, Mo., where the
Confederates gained a signal victory.
At the
battle of Pea Ridge, when
General McCulloch was killed and
Col. Louis Hebert captured,
Colonel McNair took command of the brigade.
When
Price and his army of the West crossed the
Mississippi to the support of the Confederate army that had just fought the
battle of Shiloh, the
Arkansas troops formed a part of his force.
On July 31st,
Bragg and
Kirby Smith met at
Chattanooga and planned the
Kentucky campaign.
Price and
Van Dorn were left to confront
Grant in
north Mississippi Bragg took
Churchill's division, consisting of the brigades of
McCray and
McNair, and then sent them to
Kirby Smith, who with his wing of the army pushed rapidly into the bluegrass region, utterly defeating the
Union army at
Richmond.
In the desperate battle that here occurred,
McNair's brigade turned the enemy's right and contributed to the rout that followed.
On November 4, 1862,
Colonel McNair was commissioned brigadier-general.
His brigade embraced the following
Arkansas troops, the First and Second dismounted rifles, Fourth and Thirtieth infantry regiments, Fourth infantry battalion, and
Humphreys' battery of artillery.
On the 31st of December,
McNair's brigade took part in the brilliant charge of
McCown's division, which, aided by
Withers and
Cheatham, drove the
Federal right a distance of between three and four miles, bending it back upon the center?
until the line was at right angles to its original position.
In May,
McNair's brigade was sent from the army of Tennessee to reinforce the army forming under
Joseph E. Johnston for the relief of
Vicksburg.
These
[
407]
troops were in the subsequent movements and engagements around
Jackson, Miss.
At
Chickamauga,
McNair's was one of the eight brigades which, under
Longstreet's direction, rushed through the gap in the
Federal line and put one wing of the
Union army to rout.
In this battle
McNair was wounded.
He and his brigade were sent back to
Mississippi after the
battle of Chickamauga, and in 1864 he was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi department, in which he continued to serve until the close of the war.
Brigadier-General Dandridge McRae was among those active in recruiting men for the
Confederate service in 1861.
He was zealous for the cause, and showed great ability in recruiting, organizing and training soldiers for the service.
He raised a regiment, which was mustered in as the Twenty-first Arkansas, and was elected its colonel.
This regiment was assigned to the brigade commanded by
Gen. Ben McCulloch.
In the summer of 1861 the command was led into
Missouri, joining
Price in time to participate in the battle of
Wilson's Creek.
General McCulloch in his official report speaks in very high terms of the services of
Colonel McRae in this battle, saying: ‘He led his regiment into action with the greatest coolness, being always in the front of his men.’
At the
battle of Pea Ridge, fought in
Arkansas in March, 1862,
McRae's regiment and its gallant commander again acquitted themselves so handsomely as to win from
General Van Dorn high commendation for their good conduct.
During the remainder of 1862,
McRae was engaged in operations in
Arkansas.
He was commissioned brigadier-general on the 5th of November, 1862.
During the
siege of Vicksburg in the
spring and
summer of 1863,
General Holmes, being ordered by the department commander,
Kirby Smith, to make a diversion in favor of
Vicksburg, boldly undertook the almost impossible task of capturing
Helena McRae's brigade on this occasion
[
408]
acted well its part in the desperate battle, which ended in the repulse and retreat of the Confederate army.
During the campaign between
Price and
Steele in
Arkansas at the same time that
Banks was conducting his ill-starred
Red river expedition,
McRae's brigade formed a part of the force under
Price, which impeded the march of
Steele, and being reinforced after the defeat of
Banks, turned upon the
Union army of
Steele, forced its retreat from
Camden, and drove it back to
Little Rock after the battles of Marks' Mills and Jenkins' Ferry.
Throughout the year of 1864,
McRae's brigade was active in the marches and battles of
northern Arkansas and
Missouri.
The services of this gallant officer ceased only with the close of hostilities and the return of peace.
Brigadier-General Albert Pike was born in
Boston, Mass., December 29, 1809.
He received his early education at
Newburyport and
Framingham, and in 1825 entered Harvard college, supporting himself at the same time by teaching.
He only went as far as the junior class in college, when his finances compelled him to continue his education alone, teaching, meanwhile, at
Fairhaven and
Newburyport, where he was principal of the grammar school, and afterward had a private school of his own. In later years he had attained such distinction in literature that the degree of master of arts was bestowed upon him by the
Harvard faculty.
In 1831 he went west with a trading party to Santa Fe. The next year, with a trapping party, he went down the
Pecos river and into the
Staked Plains, whence with four others he traveled mostly on foot until he reached
Fort Smith, Ark. His adventures and exploits are related in a volume of prose and verse, published in 1834.
While teaching in 1833 below
Van Buren and on
Little Piney river, he contributed articles to the
Little Rock Advocate, and attracted the attention of
Robert Crittenden, through whom he was made assistant editor of that paper, of
[
409]
which he was afterward for two years the proprietor.
He was admitted to the bar in 1835 and studied and practiced law until the
Mexican war, when he recruited a company of cavalry and was present at the
battle of Buena Vista under the command of the famous
Col. Charles May.
In 1848 he fought a duel with
Gen. John S. Roane on account of something said by him in his story of that battle, which the governor considered as reflecting unjustly on the
Arkansas regiment.
In 1849 he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme court of the
United States at the same time with
Abraham Lincoln and
Hannibal Hamlin.
In 1853 he moved to New Orleans, having prepared himself for practice in the courts of
Louisiana by reading the ‘Pandects,’ of which he translated the first volume into
English.
He also made translations of many French authorities.
He wrote, besides, an unpublished work of three volumes upon ‘The Maxims of the
Roman and French Law.’
In 1857 he resumed practice in
Arkansas.
He acted for many years as attorney for the
Choctaw Indians, and in 1859, assisted by three others, he secured for them an award by the United States Senate of $2,981,247. He was the first proposer of a Pacific railroad convention, and at one time obtained from the legislature of
Louisiana a charter for a road with termini at
San Francisco and Guazamas.
When the war of secession began he cast his fortunes with the
South, and was Confederate commissioner to the tribes of
Indian Territory.
As such he brought the
Creeks, Seminoles, Choctaws, Chickasaws and part of the Cherokees into alliance with the
Confederate States.
On August 15, 1861, he was commissioned brigadier-general in the army of the
Confederate States, and at the
battle of Pea Ridge he commanded a brigade of
Indians.
On November 11, 1862, he resigned his commission, on account of some unpleasant relations with
General Hindman, and appealed to the authorities at
Richmond, when the dispute was settled and the matter
[
410]
dropped.
From this time he disappears from Confederate military history, but he remained true to the
Confederacy to the last.
After the war he resided in
Memphis, Tenn., and edited the Appeal in 1867.
The next year he moved to
Washington, D. C., and practiced in the courts until 1880.
From that time until his death, which occurred at
Washington, April 2, 1891, he devoted himself to literature and to freemasonry.
He was the highest masonic dignitary in the
United States, and was author of several valuable masonic works.
Brigadier-General Lucius Eugene Polk was born at
Salisbury, N. C., July 10, 1833; was graduated at the university of Virginia in 1852, and was living in
Arkansas at the opening of the civil war, when he enlisted as a private, but was soon made first lieutenant in Company B, Fifteenth Arkansas,
Cleburne's regiment.
Serving in the west under
Hardee, his regiment was, with other troops of that command, transferred to the eastside of the
Mississippi early in 1862.
At
Shiloh,
Polk conducted himself with great gallantry and received a wound.
On the 11th of April he was commissioned colonel of his regiment.
At
Richmond, Ky., he was severely wounded early in the fight, but was back with the army in time for the
Murfreesboro campaign.
He was commissioned brigadier-general on the 13th of December, 1862, and participated with conspicuous gallantry in the
battle of Murfreesboro, in command of
Cleburne's old brigade.
For his part in this fierce conflict he was mentioned in terms of high praise by
Cleburne,
Hardee and
Bragg.
At
Chickamauga and
Missionary Ridge,
Polk's brigade maintained its reputation for valor and efficiency.
At Ringgold gap, when
Cleburne saved by his splendid fight the artillery and trains of
Bragg's retreating army,
Brigadier-General Polk was included with
Lowrey,
Govan and
Granbury in a very high testimonial of merit.
Cleburne said of them: ‘Four better officers are not in the
[
411]
service of the
Confederacy.’
One might well be proud of such commendation from the ‘Stonewall of the
West.’
In the spring of 1862 came the fierce and protracted grapple of the armies of the
West, which, beginning at
Dalton, had but little cessation until
Hood retired from the trenches of
Atlanta on September 1st.
Polk's command bore an honorable part in the marching, intrenching and fighting of this wearisome campaign.
At
Kenesaw mountain, not far from where his illustrious kinsman,
Leonidas Polk, lost his life,
Gen. L. E. Polk was severely wounded by a cannon ball and disabled for further service in the field.
He retired from the army with the admiration and regret of officers and men, who so well knew his worth, and made his home on a plantation in
Maury county, Tenn. In 1884 he was elected a delegate to the national Democratic convention at
Chicago.
On January 1, 1887, he was elected to the State senate of
Tennessee.
Brigadier-General Daniel H. Reynolds was born in Centrebury,
Knox county, Ohio, December 24, 1826.
He was educated at the Ohio Wesleyan university, settled in
Somerville, Fayette county, Tenn., in 1856, and was admitted to the bar in 1858.
In May of the latter year he moved to
Arkansas and settled at
Lake Village, Chicot county.
Although a Northerner by birth, he was all Southern in sentiment.
There were many others like him in the
South.
When
Arkansas was about to secede from the
Union, he raised a company for Confederate service and was elected its captain May 25, 1861, receiving his commission from the Confederate government on June 14th of the same year.
This company was attached to the First Arkansas mounted rifles under
Col. T. J. Churchill, and shared in the battle of
Wilson's Creek, in which the
Union general,
Lyon, was defeated and slain.
This regiment was engaged in many skirmishes in
Missouri and
Arkansas until ordered to the east side of the
[
412]
Mississippi ,in the spring of 1862, when the army of
Van Dorn was brought over to reinforce the Confederate army near
Corinth.
On the 14th of April, 1862,
Captain Reynolds was promoted to major, and on May 1st, to lieutenant-colonel of his regiment.
This command was part of the army under
Kirby Smith in
east Tennessee and
Kentucky in 1862, and with
Bragg until that officer retired from the command of the army of the Tennessee.
Gen. Bushrod Johnson, in his report of the operations of his division in the
battle of Chickamauga, says: ‘I especially noticed the faithful toil and heroic conduct of
Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds, of the First battalion of dismounted rifles,
McNair's brigade, who was conspicuous in his efforts to preserve our lines and encourage and press on our men. For hours he, with many other officers, faithfully and incessantly labored in this duty.’
From the day of this battle, September 20, 1863, dates his commission as colonel in the army of the
Confederate States.
Just before the opening of the
Dalton-
Atlanta campaign he received the commission of brigadiergen-eral.
He followed bravely the fortunes of the army of Tennessee up to the
battle of Nashville and the retreat from that disastrous field.
On this retreat the brigade of
General Reynolds formed part of the splendid rear guard which did its duty so bravely as to win the praises even of the enemy.
After the war
General Reynolds returned to
Arkansas.
From 1866 to 1867 he was a member of the State Senate.
Having retired from public life, he is enjoying the rest that belongs to honorable old age.
Brigadier-General John Seldon Roane was long a conspicuous figure in the political and military history of his State.
He was born in
Wilson county, Ark., in 1817.
His education preparatory for college was obtained in such schools as the country afforded, and then he was sent to Cumberland college,
Princeton, Ky., where he graduated.
Entering early into the political arena, he
[
413]
soon exerted a strong influence among his people and proved himself an able leader.
On the opening of the war with
Mexico, he was made lieutenant-colonel in the
Arkansas regiment of which
Colonel Yell was commander.
At the
battle of Buena Vista, in repelling a furious charge of the
Mexican lancers,
Colonel Yell was slain and
Roane succeeded in command.
After the close of the war he returned to
Arkansas, again entered the field of politics, and became governor of
Arkansas.
He was always very jealous of the honor of his native State.
The versatile and eccentric Albert Pike, who in the
Mexican war had been an officer in the regiment of the dashing
Col. Charles May, wrote an article on the
battle of Buena Vista in which he commented on the
Arkansas troops at that battle in terms which
Governor Roane considered derogatory to the military character of his regiment.
Thereupon he challenged
Captain Pike to a duel.
The challenge was accepted and the duel fought, but with no harm to either antagonist.
In the long sectional quarrel between the North and South,
Governor Roane was firmly on the
Southern side of the question, and gave his approval to the secession of his State.
He entered the military service of the
Confederate States, and on March 20, 1862, was made brigadier-general.
When
Van Dorn at the bidding of the Confederate government took his army across the
Mississippi, leaving for awhile
Arkansas and
Mississippi almost defenseless, he assigned
Brigadier-General Roane to the command of
Arkansas.
Roane had been governor of the
State, was amiable and popular, as well as brave and zealous for the
South.
The task before him was one that might appall even a man of great military experience.
There were no troops at that time in the
State, except a few companies of militia, badly organized and poorly armed.
Besides these, there were a few thousand Indian, and mixed Indian and white, troops in the
Indian Territory under
Gen. Albert Pike.
But they were unreliable and had to
[
414]
be treated with great consideration.
Under these circumstances, with the people discouraged and hence apathetic, and the governor and State officers about to abandon the capital, things were in a desperate state.
General Roane could do nothing except keep what forces he had together, the best he might.
This he did until
General Hindman came, and bringing order out of chaos, succeeded by his peculiar administrative ability in restoring for awhile the fortunes of the
Confederacy in that quarter.
General Roane and his brigade took an active part in the
battle of Prairie Grove and in all the fighting and marching in the
Arkansas division of the TransMis-sissippi department.
After the war he resided at
Pine Bluff, Ark., where he died April 7, 1867.
Brigadier-General Albert Rust was one of the leading men of
Arkansas during the days of political strife that preceded the great civil war. Devoting himself with might and main to the defense of the
Southern interpretation of the
Constitution, he ably defended the cause of the
South before the people and in Congress as one of the representatives of the
State.
Among the first in his State to take up arms, he raised a regiment and was elected colonel of the Third Arkansas, receiving his commission July 5, 1861.
He was ordered with his regiment to
Virginia and assigned to the brigade of
Gen. Henry R. Jackson, consisting partly of fresh troops and partly of those who had been in
West Virginia under
Gen. Robert Garnett.
After the remnant of
Garnett's command had been recuperated and rested awhile at
Monterey, the brigade under
Gen. H. R. Jackson advanced to the
Greenbrier river and pitched their tents at the head of a beautiful little valley among
the Alleghanies, known as the Travelers' Repose.
General Lee, who was at this time commanding in
Virginia, determined to attack the
Federal fortified camp on
Cheat mountain.
Colonel Rust on a scouting expedition-had discovered a mountain pass,
[
415]
by which he could lead infantry into the rear of the
Federal position.
He was ordered to lead his regiment to this point, and
Gen. Samuel Anderson was directed to support him with two regiments from
Loring's command.
Henry R. Jackson was to advance with his brigade from the camp at
Greenbrier river, and
Loring was to advance from Hunterville by the main road upon the
Federal position.
The troops reached the places assigned with remarkable promptness and at the time appointed.
Colonel Rust's attack was to be the signal for the advance of all the troops.
That officer, hearing nothing of
Anderson, though he was in supporting distance, failed to attack.
As the only hope of success was in a surprise, and as that intention had been thwarted, the troops were withdrawn to their original position.
On the 3d of October,
Gen. J. J. Reynolds marched down from
Cheat mountain and attacked the
Confederate camp on the
Greenbrier.
He was repulsed after a spirited little battle of four hours duration.
Colonel Rust, who on this occasion commanded the left wing of the
Confederates, performed his part so well as to be favorably mentioned by
Gen. H. R. Jackson in his official report.
In December
Jackson's brigade, now under
Col. William B. Taliaferro, joined
Gen. Stonewall Jackson at
Winchester.
During
Jackson's advance upon
Hancock, Md., in the winter campaign to
Romney,
Colonel Rust, in command of his own regiment and that of
Colonel Fulkerson, with one section of
Shumaker's battery, when near the railroad bridge over the Big Cacapon, encountered the enemy and defeated him.
Gen. Stonewall Jackson in his report says: ‘
Colonel Rust and his command merit special praise for their conduct in this affair.’
On March 4, 1862,
Colonel Rust was appointed brigadiergen-eral in the army of the
Confederate States.
He and his command had an honorable part in the glorious but disastrous
battle of Corinth, on the 4th of October, 1862.
He was sent back across the
Mississippi in April, 1863,
[
416]
with orders to report to
General Price in the TransMis-sissippi department.
He served the
Confederacy faithfully to the end.
Brigadier-General J. C. Tappan supported the action of his State by promptly offering his military service.
It was in the month of May, 1861, that
Arkansas passed her ordinance of secession, and in that same month the Thirteenth Arkansas was organized, with
J. C. Tappan as its colonel.
This force was sent to the army under
Gen. Leonidas Polk, and was stationed at
Belmont in a brigade commanded by
Gideon J. Pillow.
On the 7th of November, 1861,
General Grant attacked the Confederate army at
Belmont, intending to destroy their camp and capture its defenders.
At first
Grant was successful, but was finally repulsed, barely escaping by the aid of his gunboats.
On this occasion
Colonel Tappan had posted his regiment in a most advantageous position for repelling the enemy's attack, but his plan was altered by
General Pillow, and this proved to be a mistake which came near losing the battle.
Gen. Leonidas Polk in his report commended ‘
Colonel Tappan and his regiment for the promptness with which they prepared to receive the enemy, and the determined courage with which they sustained their part of the general conflict.’
Colonel Tappan led his regiment in the
battle of Shiloh.
It was attached at that time to the brigade of
A. P. Stewart, which made, with other brigades, assault after assault upon the memorable ‘Hornets' nest,’ and in the dreadful ordeal held its ground until
W. H. L. Wallace's position was turned, when, the whole line advancing, their stout opponents were driven back.
Again in
Kentucky, at
Richmond and at
Perryville, his gallant regiment sustained its former reputation.
On November 5, 1862,
Colonel Tappan was commissioned brigadier-general and sent to the Trans-
Mississippi.
He commanded a brigade through 1863 in the army under
Gen. Sterling Price
[
417]
operating in
Arkansas.
In the spring of 1864 occurred the famous
Red river expedition, so disastrous to the
Union army.
The evening of the day on which
Taylor gained the brilliant victory at
Mansfield,
Churchill with his infantry, under
Tappan and
Parsons, joined him and took part in the fierce
battle of Pleasant Hill, a conflict in which each army was considerably shaken, but which was followed by the retreat of
Banks.
Upon the retreat of
Banks,
Churchill's division was withdrawn from
Taylor and sent to unite with
Price in an attack upon
Steele, and
Tappan's brigade after a long march participated in the battle of Jenkins' Ferry.
The Missouri expedition of
General Price was the last great movement in the Trans-
Mississippi, and in this
Tappan bore an honorable part.
At the close of the war
General Tappan settled in
Helena, Ark.
Brigadier-General Stand Watie, of white and Indian blood, was a prominent man in the
Cherokee nation and intensely Southern in sentiment.
From the beginning of the war between the North and South, efforts were made by
Ben McCulloch and Albert Pike to secure for the
Confederacy the alliance of the tribes of the
Indian Territory.
Stand
Watie and others of his class were anxious to form this alliance, but
John Ross, the principal chief of the Cherokees, hesitated.
After the decisive victory of the
Confederates at
Wilson's Creek, the party represented by
Watie succeeded in persuading
Ross to join the
South.
Before that time
General McCulloch had employed some of the Cherokees, and Stand
Watie, whom he had appointed colonel, to assist in protecting the northern borders of the Cherokees from the raids of the ‘Jayhawkers’ of
Kansas.
When the Cherokees joined the
South they offered the Confederate government a regiment.
This offer was accepted, and in October, 1861, the first Cherokee regiment was organized, and Stand
Watie was commissioned colonel.
In December, 1861, he was engaged in a battle
[
418]
with some hostile Indians at Chusto-Talasah, in which the
Confederate Indians defeated a considerable force of the hostiles.
Colonel Watie pursued the enemy, overtook him, had a running fight and killed 15 without the loss of a man. He participated also in the
battle of Pea Ridge, March 6 and 7, 1862.
Gen. Albert Pike, in his report of this battle, said: ‘My whole command consisted of about 1,000 men, all Indians except one squadron.
The enemy opened fire into the woods where we were, the fence in front of us was thrown down, and the Indians (
Watie's regiment on foot and
Drew's on horseback), with part of
Sim's regiment, gallantly led by
Lieutenant-Colonel Quayle, charged full in front through the woods and into the open grounds with loud yells, took the battery, fired upon and pursued the enemy retreating through the fenced field on our right, and held the battery, which I afterward had drawn by the Cherokees into the woods.’
But though the Indians were so good on a sudden charge they were easily thrown into confusion when the Federal artillery opened upon them, and it required the greatest exertion on the part of their officers to keep them under fire.
There was considerable fear after this battle lest the
Indian Territory should be entirely lost to the
Confederacy, but
Watie and his regiment were firm in their adherence.
Gen. William Steele, in his report of the operations in the
Indian Territory, in 1863, says of
Colonel Watie that he found him to be a gallant and daring officer.
On April 1, 1863, he was authorized to raise a brigade, to consist of such force as was already in the service of the
Confederate States from the
Cherokee nation and such additional force as could be obtained from the contiguous States.
In June, 1864, he captured the steamboat
Williams with 150 barrels of flour and 16,000 pounds of bacon, which he says was, however, a disadvantage to the command, because a great portion of the
Creeks and Seminoles immediately broke off to carry their booty home.
In the summer of 1864,
Colonel
[
419]
Watie was commissioned a brigadier-general, his commission dating from May 10th.
In September he attacked and captured a Federal train of 250 wagons on
Cabin creek and repulsed an attempt to retake it. At the end of the year 1864
General Watie's brigade of cavalry consisted of the First Cherokee regiment, a Cherokee battalion, First and
Second Creek regiments, a squadron of Creeks, First
Osage battalion, and First
Seminole battalion.
To the end
General Watie stood by his colors.
He survived the war several years, and died in August, 1877.
