To be released, the men would have to plead guilty to second-degree murder and a sentence of five years from the date they were first incarcerated in the Arkansas State Penitentiary. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2020. After hiding for two days in the woods, the Colemans returned home to find dead bodies of women and children scattered about their community. Eliza Miller Junior High School and Central High School, the designated secondary schools, were in West Helena. In 1925, Sharpe Dunaway, an employee of the Arkansas Gazette, alleged that soldiers in Elaine had committed one murder after another with all the calm deliberation in the world, either too heartless to realize the enormity of their crimes, or too drunk on moonshine to give a continental darn.. Elaine was probably the largest massacre of black people in post-Civil War history, yet no federal investigation was ever conducted. Any information would be helpful. [78] About 100 men remained behind on the hill, pinned down by Union fire. [60] The failure of the attacks on Batteries A and D allowed those positions to fire on Price's men, and Tyler and Fort Curtis added artillery fire as well;[61] Tyler had moved to a different location that allowed for better fire on Graveyard Hill after suppressing Brooks' men. [70] Fagan's lines had been badly thinned by not only Union fire but also heat and exhaustion. Evidence shows that the mobs of whites slaughtered African Americans in and around Elaine. [13] Rains and high stream levels slowed Price's approach,[14] and though Marmaduke's men reached Switzer's on time, the infantry was delayed at the crossing of the Cache River. 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. 14 Best Things to Do in Helena-West Helena (Arkansas) Helena was the county seat of Phillips County[3] until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with neighboring West Helena. The troops were aided by seven machine guns. The violence occurred not only in the more familiar urban centers of Chicago and Washington, but also in the hinterlands of Omaha; Charleston, S.C.; Longview, Tex. Union media later greatly embellished the role played by the regiment in the fighting. See this venue in scenes from the 2004 film, "Walk the Line . Elaine Massacre of 1919 - Encyclopedia of Arkansas [86] Prentiss claimed the capture of more than 1,100 Confederate soldiers and stated that over 300 dead Confederates were buried by Union troops. All the white people had to do was stay away from the church while the meeting was going on. Find directions to Helena, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. Believing that the Confederates were preparing to attack again, Prentiss requested reinforcements, which arrived from Memphis, Tennessee, on July 6. When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. Omissions? They scorched and burned homes with families inside, slaughtered and tortured others. [11] Holmes would accompany the attack. [6] In late May, with Union troops heavily pressuring Vicksburg, Confederate authorities sent a message to General Joseph E. Johnston suggesting that forces from the Trans-Mississippi Department be used to relieve the pressure on Vicksburg. 100 years after hundreds of African Americans were reportedly killed in Elaine, Arkansas, a memorial is set to bring details of the tragedy to light Some observers say the number of people who. Livingston, Kelly, and Madison Peek. [2] Fighting occurred to the north in Missouri during 1861,[3] but in early March 1862, Confederate forces were defeated in northern Arkansas at the Battle of Pea Ridge. New York: St. Martins, 2011. One union member, Ed Ware, told her that men had fired into the Hoop Spur church, killing several people, then burned it down the next day with bodies inside. Although the United States was on the winning side of World War I, supporters of American capitalism found in communism a new menace to their security. Helena | Arkansas, United States | Britannica Without Clayton's men first being driven from behind the levee, Rightor's Hill could not be taken. A local schoolteacher saw 28 black people killed, their bodies thrown into a pit and burned, and 16 African Americans killed, their bodies hanging from a bridge outside of Helena., A Memphis reporter described events on Oct. 2 after the troops had arrived. 5. Trauma and Repair: Confronting Segregation and Violence in America. [48] The 43rd Indiana Infantry Regiment had been facing Fagan's Confederates, and was reinforced by parts of the 33rd Iowa Infantry Regiment and the 35th Missouri Infantry Regiment, under orders from Salomon. Smith, a 1980 graduate of Helena-West Helena Central High School, graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1984. The sharecroppers who gathered at a small church in Elaine, Arkansas, in the late hours of September 30, 1919, knew the risk they were taking. 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. [32] Their plans were also hampered by poor reconnaissance. During the trials, Murphy became ill, and Jones became the principal counsel. [32] Walker's specific orders were to "act against the enemy as circumstances may justify", a vague order that left him under his own initiative and resulted in him accomplishing little in the coming battle. White attorneys from Helena were appointed by Circuit Judge J. M. Jackson to represent the first twelve black men to go to trial. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. One hundred years ago this week, one of the worst episodes of racial violence in American history unfolded in Elaine, Ark., a small town on the Mississippi. 1E, 6E. My sadness comes from the senseless murder of human beingsso many that there isnt an exact number, which is wrong on so many levels. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. By days end, countless black women, men and children had been slaughtered. 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. 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. [4] Beginning in late April, Union (United States) forces followed up on the victory at Pea Ridge by moving into Arkansas, threatening the state capital of Little Rock, and occupying the Mississippi River town of Helena on July 12. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. [12] On June 22, Holmes revised the plan, ordering Price to concentrate at a location known as Switzer's, instead of Cotton Plant. [8] There they formed a plan to concentrate Confederate forces against Helena, although Holmes was still nervous about the proposed attack, as he was worried that it might fail. Williams, Lee E., and Lee E. Williams II. In June 1863, Confederate Commander Theophilus Holmes sought to take pressure off of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by attacking the Union-held town of Helena, Arkansas. As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 6,323 people, 2,312 households, and 1,542 families residing in Helena. Prentiss ordered the other three batteries to fire on Graveyard Hill, as well as Tyler, two cannons in reserve, and four cannons from Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery emplaced on Lower Little Rock Road. (2000) 6,323; (2010) 12,282. What a travesty of justice. The Malco theater in Helena has served as both a place to see a movie and as a movie location in Arkansas. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. The county was named for Sylvanus Phillips, and the settlement was renamed (1821) for his daughter. Wingo has a significant record of complaints against him, and fatally shot a man while on duty in Garland County last summer. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Jackson: University and College Press of Mississippi, 1972. [59] The cannons in Battery C were manned by men from the 33rd Missouri Infantry Regiment, and they, along with a portion of the 33rd Iowa, poured a deadly fire into Parsons' men, while Battery B fired at McRae's brigade. For the next five years, the cases of the Elaine Twelve were mired in litigation as Murphy and Jones fought to save the men from death. Enraged citizens fired at the bodies of the dead negroes as they rode out of Helena toward Elaine.. #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. [14], Late on July 3, Fagan sent a patrol commanded by Colonel William H. Brooks to secure the junction of the two roads leading to Little Rock. 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). The median income for a household in Helena is $18,662, and the median income for a family was $21,534. [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. Both Holmes and Marmaduke accused Walker of dereliction of duty. Low Villains and Wickedness in High Places: Race and Class in the Elaine Riots. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 58 (Autumn 1999): 285313. In the interim, Jones had secured the release of the other Elaine defendants. The racial makeup of Helena is 67.93% Black or African American, 30.59% White, 0.13% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Edgar Hoover and the Red Summer of 1919. Journal of American Studies 28 (April 1994): 3959. With the success of the Russian Revolution, stopping the spread of international communism was seen as the duty of all loyal Americans. The following morning, Gov. 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. [99], Helena was reinforced and in mid-August, Union forces began a campaign against Little Rock, with Helena as the staging ground. According to the United States Census Bureau, Helena had a total area of 8.9 square miles (23km2), all land. Neuman, Scott. News of the shooting quickly reached the county seat of Helena. The Massacre: What Happened? - Elaine Race Massacre HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. [75] Price then ordered Parsons to attack Battery D, but was informed that McRae had already been ordered to do that. Race relations in this area of Arkansas are currently quite strained for a number of reasons, including the events of 1919. 10. These 15 Photos Of Arkansas In The 1960s Are Mesmerizing Differing interpretations of Holmes' order to attack at daylight resulted in Brigadier General James F. Fagan's troops attacking Battery D unsupported, and Major General Sterling Price's attack against the Union center was made after Fagan's had largely fizzled out. The Helena-West Helena Police Department says the body of Fredrick Willis, 23, of Helena-West Helena, was found late Tuesday evening. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. https://ualrexhibits.org/elaine/ (accessed August 16, 2022). [52] The two Union cavalry regiments were holding a position behind a levee. and the Arkansas Riot Cases; Ida Wells Barnett, The Elaine Race Riot; Guy Lancaster, The Elaine Massacre and Arkansas: A Century of Atrocity and Resistance, 1819-1919; Grif Stockley, Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Arkansas Race Massacre., Nan Elizabeth Woodruff us an emeritus professor of African American studies and modern United States history at Pennsylvania State University and the author of American Congo: The African American Freedom Struggle in the Delta.. Consequently, plantation owners and lumber mills had to pay higher wages to have the cotton picked or timber milled. (Students Tapping Academic Resources for Success) Academy (alternative school), This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 19:58. Even worse from the planters perspective, the much-feared radical Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, were rumored to be organizing in the fields and mills. Downtown Helena - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor Online at https://arktimes.com/news/cover-stories/2019/08/02/to-those-known-and-unknown (accessed August 16, 2022). More atrocities were later reported, including cutting souvenirs from black bodies and . [15] Moving through swamps resulted in the loss of many accompanying animals and wagons. Elaine Race Massacre: Red Summer in Arkansas. Volunteers rush to aid animals at closed Ark. shelter - WREG.com Still others described the barbarism of cutting off the ears or toes of dead negroes for souvenirs and the dragging of their bodies through the streets of Elaine. Gerald B. Lambert, the founder of Listerine, who owned 21,000 acres near Elaine, saw white men spread throughout the woods, firing at any suspicious person. Pierce, Michael, and Calvin White, eds. Descendant of Arkansas Elaine Massacre Victims Push for Restorative Justice. Facing South, October 7, 2020. https://www.facingsouth.org/2020/10/descendants-arkansas-elaine-massacre-victims-push-restorative-justice (accessed August 16, 2022). The history of lynching in Arkansas (and its troubling modern-day The Elaine Lynchings: A Visit to Elaine, Arkansas, 100 Years After [51] His dismounted cavalrymen were pushed back by the 29th Iowa and part of the 36th Iowa Infantry Regiment, and his flank was threatened by the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and the 1st Indiana Cavalry Regiment, which were commanded by Powell Clayton. As they ran from the posse, the Colemans saw his neighbor, Jim Miller, and his family burned alive in their house. [65] Carried by momentum, some of Price's infantry charged down the hill towards Helena itself, but were driven off. 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. The death toll was listed at 23, and many others were seriously injured. 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. I have been trying to close a chapter in my family history. [38] Either at 3:30 am[29] or shortly after 4:00 am, Fort Curtis fired a warning shot, alerting the Union defenders to the Confederate approach. The account that best captured the perspective of the sharecroppers came from Ida Wells Barnett, the legendary anti-lynching crusader and journalist. Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment, 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment (African Descent), Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1863, "Batteries A, B, C, and D (Battle of Helena)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Helena&oldid=1141530720, Battles of the American Civil War in Arkansas, Battles of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War, Union victories of the American Civil War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 14:50. Grif Stockley He made no motion for a change of venue, nor did he challenge a single prospective juror, taking the first twelve called. Krug, Teresa. Authorities say Wallace and other police officers were looking for Howard, who was wanted on charges in connection to a shooting in Helena-West Helena about a week ago. Mulder, Brandon. Because Price had not yet attacked, Fagan's men came under fire from both Battery D and Battery C.[49] Fagan's Confederates broke through the second Union line, then a third and fourth, but then halted at about 7:00 am, their attack spent. Walter White, of the N.A.A.C.P., reported first that more than 100 African-Americans were killed, later changing it to 250. Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta: Essays to Mark the Centennial of the Elaine Massacre. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. The City of Helena is located in Phillips County in the State of Arkansas. Though some local white residents of Phillips County still contend that white people at the time acted appropriately to prevent a slaughter in the Elaine area in 1919, the modern view of most historians of this crisis is that white mobs unjustifiably killed an undetermined number of African Americans. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the namesake of Phillips County. [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. Arkansas State Police investigating Helena-West Helena homicide - KAIT By November 5, 1919, the first twelve black men given trials had been convicted of murder and sentenced to die in the electric chair. Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas Hundreds of black citizens were killed in Elaine, Ark., a century ago this week. On September 10, Union troops took Little Rock. [59], Holmes lost 1,636 of the 7,646 men he had taken into the battle: 173 killed, 687 wounded, and 776 missing. [9] Further vacillation by Holmes ended when Confederate cavalry reported on June 14 that the garrison at Helena had been weakened. Dillard, Tom. McCool, B. Boren. There were 1,636 Confederate casualties and 205 Union casualties.[6]. The committees narrative appeared in newspapers all over the country. Males had a median income of $27,203 versus $17,250 for females. [20]. [93][94] The battle also destroyed any positive relationships remaining between Holmes and Price,[95] with the former believing that the latter should have reinforced Fagan. The Massacre of Black Sharecroppers That Led the Supreme Court to Curb The town was at the center of a rapidly changing lumber and plantation economy known for harsh working conditions. [101] The Helena Confederate Cemetery includes burials of Confederate soldiers killed during the battle, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,[102] as are the remains of the Union batteries.[103]. It is a deliberately planned insurrection of the Negroes against the whites directed by an organization known as the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America, established for the purpose of banding Negroes together for the killing of white people.. [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. While its deepest roots lay in the states commitment to white supremacy, the events in and around Elaine (Phillips County)stemmed from tense race relations and growing concerns about labor unions. Historic Theaters of Arkansas - Only In Arkansas And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Holmes planned and executed three different failed attacks on the town. More controversial is the view that the military participated in the murder of blacks. [36] Brooks' Confederates also encountered a camp of African-American refugees. He brought the men and women deemed insurrectionists to the Phillips County jail in Helena. Facebook/Historic Arkansas Facts and Photos. HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In previous months, racial conflict had occurred in numerous cities in America, including Washington DC; Chicago, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Indianapolis, Indiana. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. 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. Helena was defended by about 4,100 Union troops led by Major General Benjamin Prentiss, manning one fort and four batteries. Attorney Jacob Fink, who was appointed to represent Frank Hicks, admitted to the jury that he had not interviewed any witnesses. 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. Elaine sits in Phillips County, on one of the many bends in the Mississippi, roughly 95 miles southwest of Memphis. Leaders of the Hoop Spur union had placed armed guards around the church to prevent disruption of their meeting and intelligence gathering by white opponents. Anthony, Steven. Whitaker, Robert. On September 29, 2019, a memorial to those who died during the massacre was dedicated in downtown Helena-West Helena.
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