Huntsville massacre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Huntsville massacre |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 United States Army |
 Confederate Guerrillas/sympathizers |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Lt Col. Elias Briggs Baldwin | Unknown | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| Company G, 8th Regiment Missouri Volunteer Cavalry | Unknown | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 5,000 | Unknown | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| None | 9 shot; 1 survivor | ||||
The Huntsville massacre was a sad event during the American Civil War. On January 10, 1863, in Huntsville, Arkansas, Union soldiers executed nine local men. Three of these men were Confederate soldiers.
No formal charges were ever made against the men. The Union officer in charge was later removed from the U.S. Army. People thought the prisoners might have supported the Confederate side. A few months before, a small group of fighters, called guerrillas, had attacked Union troops in the area.
This event was kept secret for a long time. It was almost forgotten until a historian wrote about it in 1974. More research has been done since then. A special memorial was built for the victims in 2006.
What Happened Before?
In 1862, after the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas, a man named Isaac Murphy from Huntsville faced danger. He had voted against his state leaving the United States at the start of the war. Because of this, he received threats and had to leave his home. He was with the Union Army in Missouri.
By late 1862, his daughters wanted to visit him. The Union Army helped them return to their home in Huntsville. Huntsville was then controlled by Union forces.
About two miles from town, the Union escort of 25 soldiers sent the daughters ahead. The soldiers then set up camp to rest. A local group of Confederate guerrillas attacked them. These were small, unofficial fighting groups. Eighteen Union soldiers were killed in this fight, and only seven survived.
After another battle, the Battle of Prairie Grove, Union General Francis J. Herron was ordered to move his 5,000 troops. They were heading northeast to the Mississippi River. There, they would join General Ulysses S. Grant's army to attack Vicksburg. As Herron's troops passed through Huntsville, they heard that Murphy's daughters were being bothered by locals. They were also told that some of their belongings had been taken. Within days, Union soldiers arrested several local men. However, no official charges were ever filed against them.
What Happened After?
Two local colleges that were connected to the Masons closed down. The Masons are a social and charitable organization. The local Masonic group believed Isaac Murphy was involved in the executions. Several of the executed men were Masons. Murphy's daughters and wife ran one college for girls. Murphy himself led the other college. The Masons stopped giving money to both schools, which forced them to close.
Isaac Murphy later became very active in politics. He was elected as governor of Arkansas in 1863. He stayed in office during the first years after the Civil War, a time known as Reconstruction. Other important people from the area also had political careers. Colonel James Johnson became a U.S. Representative. He was also a Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State for Arkansas. E.D. Ham was elected as a Senator for Arkansas. He also became a District Attorney and a Circuit Judge.
The Union officer, Baldwin, was arrested and removed from the army. But no one else was punished for the deaths of the Confederate men.
For many years, local people quietly remembered the event. They would decorate the site with flowers every year. But few people spoke about it publicly. In 1974, a historian named John I. Smith found old records about the killings. He was researching Isaac Murphy's life. Smith then published several articles about the massacre in a local newspaper. On September 30, 2006, a monument was placed at the execution site. It helps everyone remember this important event.
