New York: Pegasus Books, 2020. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. Late in the evening of Sept. 30, black sharecropper families gathered in the Hoop Spur church near Elaine. The Elaine Massacre was by far the deadliest racial confrontation in Arkansas history and possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States. The Confederates charged Fort Curtis in their last attack, but the heavy artillery inside kept the attack from reaching the fort. More controversial is the view that the military participated in the murder of blacks. From Race Riot to Sit-in: 1919 to the 1960s. Salomon would make many of the decisions in the upcoming battle. [46] Obstructions on the line of approach also disorganized Price's ranks. Collins, Ann V. All Hell Broke Loose: American Race Riots from the Progressive Era through World War II. Although the posse encountered minimal resistance from the black residents of the area around Elaine, the fear of African Americans, who outnumbered whites in this area of Phillips County by a ratio of ten to one, led an estimated 500 to 1,000 armed white peoplemostly from the surrounding Arkansas counties but also from across the river in Mississippito travel to Elaine to put down what was characterized by them as an insurrection. On October 1, Phillips County authorities sent three telegrams to Gov. School children are now bused to Marvell 30 minutes north. Williams, Lee E., and Lee E. Williams II. J. Smith, C. Calvin, ed. The twelve men were: Frank Moore, Frank Hicks, Ed Hicks, Joe Knox, Paul Hall, Ed Coleman, Alfred Banks, Ed Ware, William Wordlaw, Albert Giles, Joe Fox, and John Martin. Black people were thus blamed, sentenced and jailed for their own massacre. America cannot address the inequality, poverty, inadequate education, the racially biased criminal justice system, and the limited life chances of black people that define contemporary society until the nation confronts and acknowledges this history. Dillard, Tom. Joseph Bledsoe's Missouri Battery was brought up to provide artillery support, and two of its guns opened on the Union positions. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. Visualizing the Red Summer. Corrections? Historic Theaters of Arkansas - Only In Arkansas Later in the year, Union troops used Helena as a staging ground for their successful campaign to capture Little Rock, Arkansas. Taylor, Kieran. Soon, word spread that blacks were attacking whites in Elaine. Two white members of the Phillips County posse, T. K. Jones and H. F. Smiddy, stated in sworn affidavits in 1921 that they committed acts of torture at the Phillips County jail and named others who had also participated in the torture. Finally, on January 14, 1925, Governor Thomas McRae ordered the release of the Moore defendants by granting them indefinite furloughs after they had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Pascal, Olivia. Helena, AR 72342 Phone: (870) 338-5555 Phillips County Criminal Records Phillips County records their criminal activity in the form of criminal records. [99], Helena was reinforced and in mid-August, Union forces began a campaign against Little Rock, with Helena as the staging ground. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. Black guards returned the fire, killing a white agent of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. 1808-11-10 Osage Treaty / Treaty of Fort Clark, Osage Nation cedes territory in Missouri and Arkansas to the US. [87] Almost all of the Confederate losses were from the brigades of Fagan, Parsons, and McRae, who took 32 percent of their attacking forces as casualties. Black sharecroppers were often exploited in their efforts to collect payment for their cotton crops. [13], Helena, Arkansas is home to historic buildings such as the Sidney H. Horner House and the Centennial Baptist Church. [70] Fagan's lines had been badly thinned by not only Union fire but also heat and exhaustion. [29] Remembering the surprise suffered by men under his command in the earlier Battle of Shiloh, Prentiss ordered reveille blown daily at 2 am. The obligations of the past weigh heavily upon the present. [21], The Union troops in Helena were commanded by Major General Benjamin Prentiss and consisted of the Thirteenth Division of the XIII Corps. Update (July 30): HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR - A man found shot to death on a city street earlier this week has now been identified. [85] Walker's withdrawal occurred at about 2:00 pm. Americans have yet to reckon with this horrible past. [4] The Arkansas Democrat sent . [75] Price then ordered Parsons to attack Battery D, but was informed that McRae had already been ordered to do that. Arkansas Residents Make a Case for Reparations 100 Years after the Elaine Massacre. American Prospect, September 30, 2019. https://prospect.org/justice/arkansas-reparations-elaine-race-massacre/ (accessed August 16, 2022). Local authorities blocked press coverage. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. During this Red Scare, the threat of Bolshevism seemed to be everywhere: not only in the labor strikes led by the radical Industrial Workers of the World but also in the cotton fields of Arkansas. Selecting a player's name will bring up his statistics page and selecting a column title (Birthplace, Debut Year, Final Year) will allow you to re-sort the data. [56], Around the time Fagan's men approached Battery D at 7:00 am, Price's attack began. For historic sites related to the battle, see. With the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, the Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi were cut off from the rest of the Confederacy. Estimates have ranged from 25 to 853, the latter from an Arkansas Gazette reporter who named no source. : 1920. Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas [22] Although Prentiss was in command of the general district around Helena, the garrison itself was operationally commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon, the commander of the division. I first learned of the Elaine Massacre today, February 7, 2017, and I am both saddened and angered. Find directions to Helena, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. The Elaine Legacy Center, in conjunction with the Dewitt Proctor Conference, held a Truth Hearing in February where 12 commissioners heard several descendants convey powerful stories of the massacre handed down through their families. Stopford, Annie. They aimed to hire a lawyer to represent them with the landlords. http://visualizingtheredsummer.com/ (accessed August 16, 2022). The Edwardian Inn is located on land occupied by Union forces during the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[14].

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