November 13, 1863 - Skirmish at Mount Ida, Ark.

Report of Brig. Gen. John McNeil, U.S. Army.

Fort Smith, Ark., November 18, 1863.

General: Captains [J.R.] Vanderpool and [G.W.R.] Smith, of Colonel [J.M.] Johnson's command, stationed at Waldron, with 100 men attacked Bankhead's camp, at Mount Ida, on 13th, killing and wounding several, and taking prisoners Major Moulton, of Clarkton, and 8 or 10 men.  They captured 10,000 rounds of ammunition, 15,000 pounds of bacon, and a room full of flour, which was destroyed.  This raid was a complete success, routing and driving an enemy of ten times their number 5 miles beyond Mount Ida, and scattering them through the country.  Marmaduke is at Washington, having just returned from Pine Bluff.  He has 4,000 men and seventeen pieces of artillery.  Price is scattered from Washington to Camden, with about 10,0000 infantry.

Albert Pike lived for two years at Greasy Crove until 1865 when he fled precipitately from bushwackers who were after his gold.

S & K import, model 1840 cavalary saberNovember 10 -18, 1863 - Expedition from Benton to Mount Ida, Ark., and skirmish (11th) at Caddo Gap

Report of  Lieut. Col. Henry C. Caldwell, Third Iowa Cavalry, commanding First Brigade, Cavalry Division

Headquarters First Brigade, Cavalry Division, Benton, Ark., November 18, 1863

Lieutenant : I have the honor to report the results of the recent cavalry expedition undertaken in pursuance of orders from Major General Steele.

I left this post with my command on the morning if the 10th instant; halted that night near Hot Springs.  The next day I marched by the way of Hot Springs, on the Murfreesborough road, through Clark Country, to a point with 18 miles of Murfreesborough.  At this point a prisoner was captured, who informed me the Major Witherspoon, of the rebel cavalry, with a detachment of his command, was encamped 12 miles from me on the Fort Smith and Washington Road.

Although I had already marched 40 miles, I determined to strike this force at once, lest they might get information of my presence in the country and escape me.

I accordingly selected 125 men, under command of Captain [J.] Baird, of the first Missouri Calvary, accompanied by my adjutant, Lieutenant [W.T.] Hamilton, and sent them forward rapidly, guide by the prisoner whom we had taken, with orders to charge into the rebel camp and give them no time to form or make any resistance.   My orders were obeyed; the rebel pickets were run down, and the first intimation the rebels had of the presence of my men was when they charged right into their camp, guided by the light of their camp fires, and opened a volley on them.  The rebels, wild with fright, fled into the woods, in some instances without other covering than their shirts.  The underbrush and woods and the darkness of the night prevented any successful pursuit of the fugitives.

Major [J.L.] Witherspoon himself, 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, together with 10 privates, and all their horses, horses equipments, arms, camp equipage, and transportation, were captured.  The transportation and camp equipage were burned.   The firing in the camp caused many horses to break loose, and in the darkness of the night they could not be found, but not a single rebel got away with his horse.

At this point I sent out all the loyal men of that region then with me to notify the loyal men who were in the mountains to meet me at Caddo Gap, which point I determined to take procession of and hold till these people join me.   Accordingly, on the 12th instant, I marched up to the gap, where I left part of my command to hold that position, and with the balance I hurried forward to Mount Ida, expecting to surprise and capture a small rebel force garrisoned at that place.  When near the place, I learned that that a Federal force from Waldron, being part of a column which had come from Fort Smith to Waldron, had on the day previous been in Mount Ida, and that the rebels, learning of their approach, had fled precipitately, abandoning their camp equipage and transportation, which, together with the house in which the rebels barracked, our forces burned.  I remained in Mount Ida until the evening of the 14th instant.

While at Mount Ida I caused the roads leading to Fort Smith, Waldron, Dardanelle, and Little Rock to be patrolled for a distance of 15 miles, and scoured the country in every direction for a like distance, and in this way picked up a good many straggling rebel soldiers, and succeeded in capturing several leading guerrillas of that country, who have been prominent and taken an active part in robbing, persecuting, imprisoning, and hanging Union men.  I have caused the names of these guerrillas, with a statement of their crimes and the witnesses by whom the facts can be proved, to be forwarded to the provost-marshal-general ; and on behalf of the loyal men be not treated as prisoners of war and exchanged, but that they be turned over to a military commission, and tried, convicted, and executed for the many inhuman and horrid crimes they have committed.

On the evening of the 14th instant, that part of my command left at Caddo Gap reached me, together with nearly 300 loyal men, who had come from the surrounding mountains to join the Federal Army.  It is true that in this number there are a few who did not enter the service, but they are old, gray headed men, who are compelled to flee their homes to save themselves from being hanged by the rebels.   These people who came out with me are hardy, vigorous, and resolute men; they represent every trade, pursuit, and profession of life, and in intelligence and appearance are equal to the same number of men in any country.

As soon as these loyal men reached my camp, they were furnished with arms, which had been taken along for that purpose, and put under the command of Colonel Arnold, a resident of that region, and whom I understand has been commissioned to raise a regiment from the loyal men of that country.  Colonel Arnold and his men were on duty day and nigh.  Every part of that country was visited by Colonel Arnold in person or by his scouts.  While out one night gathering in loyal men, Colonel Arnold, with 17 men, came upon 23 rebels in camp, charged on them, killed 4, captured 7, and drove the rest in confusion to the woods, capturing all their camp equipage and arms and 10 horses and retook 8 Union men whom the rebels held as prisoners, and some of whom they were about to hang.

From Mount Ida I marched on the direct road to this place, halting one night at Cedar Glades and one night at Cunninghams's, the point where Hot Springs, Danville, and Perryville roads intersect the Mount Ida and Little Rock road.   ten miles east of Cedar Glades my advance guard came upon a rebel company, charged them, killed 2, wounded others, and captured 30 horses and horse equipments and 20 guns.

In a mountain pass, 1 mile east of Cunningham's, bushwhackers, concealed behind rocks in the mountains, fired on the head of my column, and then fled rapidly over the mountains and escaped.

My casualties on the expedition were 3 men of the First Missouri Volunteer Cavalry seriously wounded.

My line of march took me through  the counties of Hot Springs, Clark, Pike, Polk, and Montgomery. My scouts, under command and direction of Colonel Arnold, went into Hempstead and Sevier Counties.

The great majority of the inhabitants of the district of country through which I marched were soundly loyal. They occupy the mountainous districts in the counties named, and from commencement of the rebellion that have never faltered in their devotion to the old flag.

Every conceivable means has been used to force these loyal men into the rebel service; they have been hung by scores; they have been hunted down with bloodhounds by the slaveholding rebels of Red River Valley; they have been robbed of their property, chained and imprisoned, yet amidst all this persecution and suffering these people stood out, and everywhere I went through their country they greeted my column with shouts of joy. There are several hundred more loyal men in the same region of country, but farther south, who, who are anxiously waiting for an opportunity to get out of the rebel lines and enlist in our service.

I cheerfully acknowledge my indebtedness to Colonel Arnold. His perfect knowledge of the country, intimate acquaintance with the people, energy and courage, enabled him, with the assistance of his men, to keep me constantly advised of the movements and position of the enemy...

I subsisted my men, as far as practicable, on the country, and supplied myself liberally with forage, horses, and mules whenever wanted, but I was always careful to say that secessionists supplied me with these wants, and that they were taken in a orderly manner.

It is due to my command to say that not a single private house was entered by a soldier on the whole trip except for a legitimate purpose, under direction of a commissioned officer or upon invitation of the occupant, and not a cent's worth of property was taken which it was not legitimate or proper to take.

Reference: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official records of the Union and Confederate armies.  Prepared under the direction of the Secretary of War by Robert N. Scott. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1880-1900. 70 Vol. / 128 books. Series I, Vol. 22. Part 1. Pages 752-754 & 756

Otago Witness 6 March 1875, Page 19
Consider the "Office."
It is related that the secretary of an insurance company, being in command of a platoon during the late unpleasantness in Arkansas, struck up the gun of one of his men who was about to fire at a staff officer, with the explanation, "Don't fire � we've got a policy on him !"

USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation

Montgomery County ARGenWeb Project

Down Caney Creek area, fog clearing, 18 Dec. 2008. Photo taken by Sam.

Mule-headed mules? By Tom Dillard Arkansas Democrat-Gazette July 5, 2009 Editorial, Pages 82
Last week I wrote about the central role mules played in the history of Arkansas agriculture, as well as a summary of the incredible contributions mules made to the Civil War. This week we will investigate some of the more subtle aspects of mule history here in the Natural State including the often amazing relationships that developed between men and their hybrid beasts of burden.

Mules carried the day By Tom Dillard This article was published June 28, 2009 Editorial, Pages 98
Is it too much to expect a pair of mules for Father's Day ? As a native of rural Arkansas, having a deep appreciation of mules is part of my genetic makeup. My wife and son, who both grew up in more urban settings, seem to lack the mule gene-and so this Father's Day I received an electric beard-trimmer.