History of Arkansas - Civil War

Civil War

Main article: Arkansas in the American Civil War See also: List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units, Arkansas Militia in the Civil War, List of Arkansas Union Civil War Units, and Book:Arkansas Confederate Infantry Units

Support for the Southern cause was great immediately following secession. Many towns sent enthusiastic men with hunting rifles to Little Rock prepared to fight. Citizens across the state thought victory over the lazy Northerners would come swiftly. Some anti-war organizations formed in northwest Arkansas such as the Arkansas Peace Society, but members of these groups were usually arrested and charged with treason or forced to join Confederate ranks. Geographically Arkansas was a very important state during the war, giving the Rebels control of the Mississippi River and tenuous holds on Missouri, Louisiana and Indian Territory to the west. Benjamin McCulloch was ordered to defend north Arkansas and Indian Territory, however quickly went on a bloody offensive resulting in the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Springfield, Missouri with Sterling Price. This bloody battle shocked many Arkansans who thought the war would be a quick and painless victory for the South. Thomas Hindman requested that the Arkansas militia join the Confederate army, but most soldiers threatened to quit if the units were merged. When Arkansas ran out of supplies to support the militia, the two units were forcibly merged much to this dismay of Arkansan troops. The Battle of Poison Spring took place during the Camden Expedition in south Arkansas in April 1864. The action resulted in a Confederate victory but became marred with scandal after rumors spread that members of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers were shot on sight, which was the Confederate policy when dealing with escaped slaves.

Once it became apparent to Arkansans and the nation that the war would not be a quick and painless proposition, excitement began to temper. Unpopular Confederate programs like higher taxes and a draft from which you could be exempted from by owning 20 or more slaves became major issues for civilians in addition to the Confederate soldiers losing battles such as the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Casualties were high for both sides at Shiloh, a function of better rifles, but also poor battlefield medicine. Both sides battled disease, poor nutrition, and transportation issues throughout the war. The Union began an offensive across Arkansas in early 1862 in which General Samuel Curtis led troops to Pea Ridge, where the Battle of Pea Ridge occurred. After securing a Union victory, Curtis swept across the state to Helena. Curtis intended to knock Arkansas out of the war by capturing Little Rock. However, reinforcements arrives in Spring 1862 under General William Steele. Hindman, fresh off a decisive Rebel victory at the Battle of Cotton Plant, attempted to return northwest Arkansas to Confederate control. The Battle of Prairie Grove was essentially a stalemate, but Hindman's unit withdrew to Van Buren and was driven from the region completely by December.

The war began to turn against the Confederates in 1863, losing at the Battle of Helena despite a coordinated attack by generals Theophilus H. Holmes, Sterling Price, John S. Marmaduke, and James Fleming Fagan. The Siege of Vicksburg concluded as a Union victory the same day, severly compromising the Rebels' control of the Mississippi River. Later in the year the Union used the post at Helena to capture Little Rock, forcing the Confederate government to relocate to Washington. With Arkansas's population centers under Union control, the state did not see many major battles following 1863. Despite controlling the state capitol, the Union hold on the state was tenuous. Guerrilla warfare ravaged the countryside and small towns throughout the war. Bands of guerrillas often stole from houses and burned fields wherever the Union or Confederate armies were not present. The war officially ended at the home of Wilmer McLean on April 9, 1865, although guerrillas would wreak havoc throughout the state for years to follow.