At the commencement of the Civil War the people of Mississippi County, though loyal and patriotic, finally decided to go with the State, and were a unit in favor of the cause of secession. The war spirit ran high, affecting rich and poor alike. If there was any Union sentiment in the county (and there was at first), it soon succumbed to the influences in favor
of a separate Confederacy

Three companies of nearly 100 men each were immediately organized, being commanded by Col. Charles Bowen, Capt. Elliott H. Fletcher, and Capt. Robert Hardin, and were at once placed in active service. Only a few of the men forming those companies were alive at the end of the [p.457] war. Of Capt. Fletcher's company, some twelve or fourteen are now living, mostly around Chickasawba, and all are men of character and well to-do citizens. One of these, Hon. James F. Ruddle, was representative of the county in the legislature of 1875. Capt. Elliot H. Fletcher and his brother, Thomas, a youth of sixteen years, were killed in the battle of Shiloh.

There were no regular battles fought in this county, though it suffered greatly from predatory raids by Federal cavalry from Missouri and Kansas. Business of every interest was suspended, and people lived in constant apprehension of being raided, captured and killed.

In 1864 Col. Burris, in command of a regiment of Kansas cavalry (Federal), made a dash through this country, taking several prisoners, among whom were Capt. Charles Bowen and Col. Elliot Fletcher. This company was pursued by Capt. McVeigh, in command of some seventy men, but they escaped to Missouri and no engagement was fought.

Civil War Events in Mississippi County

September 07-30, 1863 Expedition Big Lake, Mississippi County
August 04, 1864 Skirmish Osceola Mississippi County
Mississippi Expedition From Camp Lowry, Missouri
April 06, 1864 Action Pemiscot Bayou Mississippi 30 Miles N Of Osceola On
Ark- Mo Line
April 06-07, 1864 Skirmishes Swamps Of Little River Near Osceola Mississippi
10 Miles W Of Osceola
August 02, 1864 Action Osceola Mississippi County

Database information courtesy of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program,
an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Civil War Pensions

In 1891 Arkansas began granting pensions to indigent Confederate veterans.
In 1915 the State began granting pensions to their widows and mothers. Two
published indexes are available in many libraries:

Allen, Desmond Walls. Index to Confederate Pension Applications (Conway,
Ark.: Arkansas Research, 1991).
Ingmire, Frances Terry. Arkansas Confederate Veterans and Widows Pensions
Applications (St. Louis, MO: F.T. Ingmire, 1985).