He returned to Little Rock the next day and told a press conference, The situation at Elaine has been well handled and is absolutely under control. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. : 1920. In December 1860, the state of South Carolina seceded from the United States, as a result of several disagreements with the federal government, slavery chief among them. [23] Prentiss originally dismissed rumors of a Confederate attack, but by late June gave more credence to the reports. The governor, who was reported as saying he was going to Elaine to obtain correct information, accepted the authority of the committee in return for its commitment that no lynchings would take place in Helena (Phillips County). According to the United States Census Bureau, Helena had a total area of 8.9 square miles (23km2), all land. According to several accounts from white witnesses, both vigilantes and the troops committed acts of barbarism. But officials have not released exactly what happened. New York: Crown, 2008. They came to discuss membership in an organization called the Progressive Farmers and Household Union, which would help them secure a fair price for the cotton they picked and to buy land. Local authorities blocked press coverage. Brough issued a stay of the executions to permit an appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court after the motions were denied. [62] Price's Missouri sharpshooters found positions from which they could pick off the gunners in Battery C.[63], Price's first attack was repulsed, as was a second. The Elaine Massacre and Arkansas: A Century of Atrocity and Resistance, 18191919. The Forgotten History of Americas Worst Racial Massacre, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/opinion/elaine-massacre-1919-arkansas.html. [81] The Union troops had taken advantage of the severe disorganization and scattering of the Confederate forces to take the prisoners. The confessions of the black men had been secured through torture. He brought the men and women deemed insurrectionists to the Phillips County jail in Helena. The Elaine Riot: Tragedy & Triumph. Corrections? [5] The service was restored on October 1, 2015, and two new freight customers were quickly gained. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. Robert Palmer noted that in the mid-1930s Helena was "the blues capital of the Delta". [37] The felled trees slowed Fagan's main attack,[38] which was on the Upper Little Rock Road,[39] and forced the Confederates to leave their supply wagons and cannons behind. From Race Riot to Sit-in: 1919 to the 1960s. The Battle of Helena was fought on July 4, 1863, near Helena, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Many families described how they had run into the woods for safety from bloodthirsty mobs, hoping to surrender themselves to the federal troops for safety. [1] The American Civil War began on April 12, when Confederate troops bombarded Fort Sumter. 10. [53] Bledsoe's two guns were driven off, but neither side could defeat the other. Pop. Colonel Jenckss report of his mission supported this view, claiming only two black people and one of his corporals had died. [24][28] Prentiss also cancelled a planned celebration of the Fourth of July as a precaution,[19] and ordered the roads into town barricaded with felled trees. Edgar Hoover and the Red Summer of 1919. Journal of American Studies 28 (April 1994): 3959. The white citizens of the county deserve unstinting praise for their actions in preventing mob violence., From this point forward, two versions of what occurred at Elaine exist. Burke, Jordan C. White Discipline Black Rebellion: A History of American Race Riots from Emancipation to the War on Drugs. PhD diss., University of New Hampshire, 2020. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. The official narrative presented a picture at odds with reality. I have been trying to close a chapter in my family history. There were 2,312 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% were married couples living together, 28.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. Fort Curtis was built in August 1862 by Union soldiers and freed slaves in Helena. Families of union members found no welcome when they returned to their homes. [84] Marmaduke received orders to withdraw at about 11:00 am, but being angry at Walker over Walker's failure to support his attack and believing that Walker faced only a small force, decided against informing Walker of his retreat. Holmes planned and executed three different failed attacks on the town. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Arkansas has a rich history of movie theaters, many that hold a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and are still in operation today. White wrote in the Chicago Daily News on October 19, 1919, that the belief there had been an insurrection was only a figment of the imagination of Arkansas whites and not based on fact. He said, White men in Helena told me that more than one hundred Negroes were killed. Famed journalist and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett secretly interviewed some of the prisoners in Helena, from which she produced the pamphlet The Arkansas Race Riot. This work also challenged allegations of an insurrection and documented the torture and other depredations the prisoners had suffered. If Elaine residents need something, they must drive to Helena, 30 minutes away - past silver metal silos with angled tops, modest one-story houses, John Deere tractors and the Lake View community, where a number of trailers and motor homes are parked along Old . Elaine sits in Phillips County, on one of the many bends in the Mississippi, roughly 95 miles southwest of Memphis. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. A Rural Town Confronts Its Buried History of Mass Killings of Black Americans. The Guardian, August 18, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/18/a-rural-town-confronts-its-buried-history-of-mass-killings-of-black-americans (accessed February 22, 2023). Anatomy of Four Race Riots: Racial Conflict in Knoxville, Elaine (Arkansas), Tulsa and Chicago, 19191921. [7], On June 9, Holmes learned that the strength of the Union forces in Helena was about 3,000 or 4,000 men, and decided against an attack. New York: Peter Lang, 2008. Dr. Woodruff is a historian and the author of American Congo: The African American Freedom Struggle in the Delta.. On September 10, Union troops took Little Rock. It was effectively an invasion. All Rights Reserved. ; and in the plantation region of the Arkansas Delta. [57] Confusion was initially caused by the two brigades being separated by a ridge and unable to see each other. Details remain difficult to verify. The 1920 census lists my great-great-great-grandmother as a widow. [66] Many men from the 7th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Lewis') were captured at this time. 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. Voogd, Jan. Race Riots and Resistance: The Red Summer of 1919. The re-trials of the Ware defendants began on May 3, 1920. The Arkansas Race Riot. N.p. The descendants of the massacre have begun to organize to make their stories heard. The City of Helena is located in Phillips County in the State of Arkansas. Hundreds of black citizens were killed in Elaine, Ark., a century ago this week. Helena is the eastern portion of HelenaWest Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. Wells-Barnett, Ida B. The Helena-West Helena Police Department says the body of Fredrick Willis, 23, of Helena-West Helena, was found late Tuesday evening. On November 5, 2019, the Elaine Twelve were memorialized on the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail in Little Rock. Some of the refugees were killed, some were taken prisoner, and the camp was burned by the Confederates at some point during the battle. In their view a deliberately planned insurrection had occurred, where black sharecroppers had intended to murder the plantation owners to seize the land. Mulder, Brandon. He lost 121 acres of cotton and corn. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. For additional information: Anthony, Steven. Holmes noted that the defenses of Helena were stronger than he expected, but carried on with the attack anyway. Even at the age of seventy-nine, Murphy, a former Confederate officer and Arkansas attorney general, was considered one of the best trial attorneys in Arkansas. On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice that Remade a Nation. McRae sent about 200 men to attack the battery, but they were unsuccessful. As for me, I have a timeline of ten years, 1910 to 1920, in the Delta of Bogy Township, Jefferson, Arkansas, just below Elaine, Arkansas. The median age was 32 years. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. https://ualrexhibits.org/elaine/ (accessed August 16, 2022). When I was a little girl, I remember my father, Willie Hall, receiving a letter from his uncle, Richard Hall, who was his fathers brother. They secured new trials for six of the men, known as the Ware defendants, based on the fact that the trial judge had not required jurors to indicate the degree of murder on their ballot forms.The convictions of the other six men, known as the Moore defendants, were affirmed. 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]. As many as several hundred African Americans and five white men were killed. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.28. [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. [90] Casualties were heaviest among the 33rd Iowa and the 33rd Missouri, while the 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment (African Descent) saw the first combat wounds suffered by African American soldiers in Arkansas during the war. Here are some tips. Both Holmes and Marmaduke accused Walker of dereliction of duty. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. Charles H. Brough of Arkansas and a World War I veteran, Col. Issac Jencks, personally escorted 583 soldiers, including a machine gun battalion, from Camp Pike in Little Rock, the state capital, to Elaine. Further Reading: Richard C. Courtner, A Mob Intent on Death: The N.A.A.C.P. See this venue in scenes from the 2004 film, "Walk the Line . 1808-11-10 Osage Treaty / Treaty of Fort Clark, Osage Nation cedes territory in Missouri and Arkansas to the US. [36] Brooks' Confederates also encountered a camp of African-American refugees. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [18][19], Helena previously had a Catholic grade school for black children, St. Cyprian School; it closed in 1963. When Abraham Lincoln, the newly elected President of the United States, called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion, this proved the catalyst for the southern state of Arkansas to secede and join the Confederacy. Magnolia Inn LR. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2022. [46] Meanwhile, Fagan's men attacked the second Union line of works. The Elaine, Arkansas, Race Riots, 1919. Special Issue. Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and a Story of Reconciliation. Holmes planned and executed three different failed attacks on the town. A shooting incident that occurred at a meeting of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union escalated into mob violence on the part of the white people in Elaineand surrounding areas. My mother said she believed his uncle Richard was there, but he was afraid to come outside for fear someone would be there to take him back to Arkansas. [12] On June 22, Holmes revised the plan, ordering Price to concentrate at a location known as Switzer's, instead of Cotton Plant. By late November, Jones was working with Murphys firm to save the Elaine Twelve. Rev. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The information you have provided is great for families that lost people and is greatly needed. The city was a Union supply depot during the American Civil War, and the Battle of Helena (July 4, 1863) was a futile attempt by the Confederates to capture it. During the 1910 census, my great-great-great-grandfather was listed. There she interviewed the 12 prisoners accused of murder, their wives, and many others, publishing her findings in a 1920 pamphlet. On Oct. 7, Colonel Jencks declared the insurrection over and withdrew his troops. Grif Stockley They ushered her out the door." Helena-West Helena Police confirmed they were called to the Walmart Thursday just after noon to a report of a subject having a. New York: Pegasus Books, 2020. The population density was 710.7 inhabitants per square mile (274.4/km2). (Students Tapping Academic Resources for Success) Academy (alternative school), This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 19:58. Many denied the massacre had occurred, leaving accounts of the slaughter to witnesses, reports from Wells Barnett, and stories passed down through families of the victims. Low Villains and Wickedness in High Places: Race and Class in the Elaine Riots. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 58 (Autumn 1999): 285313. [26] Prentiss was originally intended to be reinforced by three vessels from the Union Navy, but only one, the timberclad USS Tyler,[a] was available when the Confederate attack struck. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [15] Moving through swamps resulted in the loss of many accompanying animals and wagons. [7], Helena built a reproduction of Fort Curtis in 2012 that is free to the public. This was a . Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. [4] The commander of Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi, Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith, was forwarded in June the dispatch that Johnston had received, and delegated making the decision whether to attack Helena to Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes, the Confederate commander of the District of Arkansas. Confident that a single regiment could hold off Walker, Salomon pulled the 1st Indiana Cavalry towards Fort Curtis and a new line was formed in that vicinity using the Indiana cavalrymen and parts of the 33rd Iowa, 33rd Missouri, and 35th Missouri. One African-American, William Pickens, described the region as the American Congo. Elaine, though an isolated plantation region, was part of the broader social upheaval following World War I that came in the form of massive strikes and racial confrontations, both at home and abroad. Upset about unfair low wages, they enlisted the help. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. Union troops captured the city in July 1862, and had been using it as a base of operations. I know for a fact my fathers people were involved in the Elaine Riot. The next morning, the Phillips County sheriff sent out a posse to arrest those suspected of being involved in the shooting. #7 of 8 things to do in Helena Historic Sites Write a review About Suggested duration 2-3 hours Suggest edits to improve what we show.
