On the other hand, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in New York, which had sent Field Secretary Walter White to investigate the events in Elaine, contested such allegations from the outset. Sharecroppers worked the land for a small share of the crop and were forced to sell their cotton to the landowners, who paid less than market prices. Americans have yet to reckon with this horrible past. As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 6,323 people, 2,312 households, and 1,542 families residing in Helena. Elaine Massacre of 1919 - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Sneed, Arkansas: A ghost town in Jackson County, Arkansas, Sneed was abandoned in 1929 following an F5 tornado. There were 1,636 Confederate casualties and 205 Union casualties.[6]. 72201. In Phillips County, this struggle directly challenged planter dominance. Whayne, Jeannie M. Black Farmers in the Red Autumn: A Review Essay. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 68 (Autumn 2009): 327336. Marking a Tragedy. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 29, 2019, pp. Elaine sits in Phillips County, on one of the many bends in the Mississippi, roughly 95 miles southwest of Memphis. [13], Helena, Arkansas is home to historic buildings such as the Sidney H. Horner House and the Centennial Baptist Church. Pierce, Michael, and Calvin White, eds. [44] Brooks' men became disorganized and did not reform until 8:00 am. The Helena time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). So sad. Sandy Diggs or Toby Diggs was the name father and son, Im trying to find what happened to them. 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. Legal disfranchisement stripped them of the vote and an ability to share in any benefits of citizenship. 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. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Edgar Hoover and the Red Summer of 1919. Journal of American Studies 28 (April 1994): 3959. [66] Many men from the 7th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Lewis') were captured at this time. Brough, requesting that U.S. troops be sent to Elaine. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. Waskow, Arthur I. Any information would be helpful. I know for a fact my fathers people were involved in the Elaine Riot. They produced a predictable narrative that resembled those dating back to slavery. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. Mulder, Brandon. Federal Troops and the Elaine Massacres: A Colloquy. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 61 (Autumn 2002): 272283. He made no motion for a change of venue, nor did he challenge a single prospective juror, taking the first twelve called. Males had a median income of $27,203 versus $17,250 for females. Find directions to Helena, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. Soon, word spread that blacks were attacking whites in Elaine. Hostility toward him was so great from local white residents that, out of fear for his life, he was said to sleep at a different black familys house every night during the trials. Arkansas - USA - Historical Events & People - On This Day Mitchell, Brian K. Soldiers and Veterans at the Elaine Massacre. In The War at Home: Perspectives on the Arkansas Experience during World War I, edited by Mark K. Christ. 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. As they surrounded his house, another man inside, Charlie Robinson, tried to run away. Facebook/Historic Arkansas Facts and Photos. On September 10, Union troops took Little Rock. 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. UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. Lancaster, Guy, ed. The Battle of Helena was fought on July 4, 1863, near Helena, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. [47] Price's advance was led by the 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion, who sighted the Union positions on Graveyard Hill. 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). Trauma and Repair: Confronting Segregation and Violence in America. It was a system intended to keep black people in debt and dependent upon planters. [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. The Delta city has been awarded a $1 million grant speci Eliza Miller Junior High School and Central High School, the designated secondary schools, were in West Helena. For the American Civil War battle of the same name, see, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Helena, Arkansas, "H. Glenn Mosenthin, "Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad", "Helena Harbor celebrates return of rail service to Phillips County - Talk Business & Politics", "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990", "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014", "CENSUS 2000 Block Map: WEST HELENA city", "State's last black Catholic school to close", "Saxophonist Red Holloway Dead at 84 Chicago tenor was prolific leader and sideman for six decades", "Helena, a city and the county-seat of Phillips county, Arkansas, U.S.A.", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Helena,_Arkansas&oldid=1151874553, Arkansas populated places on the Mississippi River, Populated places in Phillips County, Arkansas, 1833 establishments in Arkansas Territory, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox settlement with unknown parameters, Pages using US Census population needing update, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, S.T.A.R.S. A steel gondola car was hauled back and forth on the railroad track, he said, adding, the men inside firing from the shelter of the steel walls of the car, shooting black people. New York: Anchor Books, 1967. Smith, C. Calvin, ed. Elaine Race Massacre: Red Summer in Arkansas. 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. [55] Walker's men spent the rest of the morning primarily skirmishing with Clayton's cavalry and firing at long range. There were 2,710 housing units at an average density of 304.6 per square mile (117.6/km2). [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. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. Research Materials for Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Race Massacres of 1919. Omissions? Low Villains and Wickedness in High Places: Race and Class in the Elaine Riots. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 58 (Autumn 1999): 285313. In 1811 the steamboat New Orleans called there, opening a prosperous era of river traffic. [4] Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. 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. Over 7,500 Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes attempted to capture Helena in hopes of relieving some of the pressure on the Confederate army besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi. They stole Wares cow, two mules, one horse, a farm wagon, his Ford car and various household goods. The converging attack would be difficult, and the generals interpreted Holmes' order to begin the attack at "daylight" differently. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. Paul Hall was one of the twelve men who were slated to be electrocuted, and I believe he was my relative. [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. Pascal, Olivia. The confessions of the black men had been secured through torture. People often say they believe in God and that he doesnt make mistakes, yet they refuse to acknowledge we are all created equal by him. Little Rock: Butler Center Books, 2018. REX NELSON: Helena's new mayor - Arkansas Online By early morning Oct. 1, the sheriff sent white veterans from the American Legion post to suppress what he deemed an insurrection. See this venue in scenes from the 2004 film, "Walk the Line . [75] Price then ordered Parsons to attack Battery D, but was informed that McRae had already been ordered to do that. 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.. Anyone can read what you share. Praying at the dedication of the Elaine Massacre Memorial. In fact, local police were complicit in the killing of untold numbers of African-Americans. The Massacre of Black Sharecroppers That Led the Supreme Court to Curb Elaine was probably the largest massacre of black people in post-Civil War history, yet no federal investigation was ever conducted. Bearden, Russell E. "Arkansas' Worst Disaster: The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927." Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies 34 (August 2003): 79-97. 14 Best Things to Do in Helena-West Helena (Arkansas) [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. What a travesty of justice. 1859-02-28 Arkansas legislature requires free blacks to choose exile or slavery. He was elderly and handicapped, and ran too slowly. At 11 p.m., a band of white men shot into the church. Here are some tips. No one even took the time to confirm the number of kills, as if these people were as worthless as termites. [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. Helena was defended by about 4,100 Union troops led by Major General Benjamin Prentiss, manning one fort and four batteries. Neuman, Scott. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [33] Holmes made a pledge that he would take personally responsibility for the results of the assault if it failed. UPDATE: Officer killed in Helena-West Helena shooting identified [67] A critical moment in the battle had arrived: if the Confederates could get enough artillery onto Graveyard Hill, they could shell the Union forces into submission. Improve this listing Full view All photos (4) Top ways to experience nearby attractions Memphis City Tour with Optional Riverboat Cruise & Sun Studio Add-On Options 438 Recommended Bus Tours from $40.00 per adult He praised his troops for their restraint in suppressing the rebellion. State police say Officer Wallace was shot around 6:11 p.m. Thursday outside the Delta Inn on U.S. Highway 49 in Helena-West Helena. Rate and review titles you borrow and share your opinions on them. The conflict began on the night of September 30, 1919, when approximately 100 African Americans, mostly sharecroppers on the plantations of white landowners, attended a meeting of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America at a church in Hoop Spur (Phillips County), three miles north of Elaine. [21], The Union troops in Helena were commanded by Major General Benjamin Prentiss and consisted of the Thirteenth Division of the XIII Corps. News of the shooting quickly reached the county seat of Helena. Later in the year, Union troops used Helena as a staging ground for their successful campaign to capture Little Rock, Arkansas. Taylor, Kieran. Cortner, Richard C. A Mob Intent on Death: The NAACP and the Arkansas Riot Cases. The community, originally settled in 1797 and first called Monticello and then St. Francis, grew around a warehouse built for barge shipping. Richard Hall asked my father to come to Mississippi to visit him. 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. Corrections? Throughout the day at least 1,000 white vigilantes came from all over the state and from Mississippi to join plantation owners, their managers, sheriffs, deputies and the veterans to put down what they called an uprising. [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. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Additional support provided by the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation Inc. News also reached the Union forces at Helena of a major Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. Some of the refugees were killed, some were taken prisoner, and the camp was burned by the Confederates at some point during the battle. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Helena was a deadly encounter. My anger comes from this being hidden/erased from history like the lives that were taken that day. The Elaine Riot of 1919: Race, Class, and Labor in the Arkansas Delta. PhD diss., University of WisconsinMilwaukee, 2019. 100 Rock Street Facebook/Historic Arkansas Facts and Photos. 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. [21] Walker lost only 12 men; historian Mark Christ attributes this to the weakness of his attack. The next morning, the Phillips County sheriff sent out a posse to arrest those suspected of being involved in the shooting. In June 1863, Confederate Commander Theophilus Holmes sought to take pressure off of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by attacking the Union-held town of Helena, Arkansas. The median age was 32 years. The re-trials of the Ware defendants began on May 3, 1920. One idea was an attack on Helena. 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. Local authorities blocked press coverage. The white power structure in Phillips County formed a Committee of Seven, made of influential planters, businessmen, and elected officials, to investigate the cause of the disturbances. The county was named for Sylvanus Phillips, and the settlement was renamed (1821) for his daughter. In previous months, racial conflict had occurred in numerous cities in America, including Washington DC; Chicago, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Indianapolis, Indiana. It was effectively an invasion. 1831-12-25 Louisiana & Arkansas are first states to observe Christmas as holiday. When my father arrived at the address that was on the letter, a lady answered the door, but she said his uncle didnt live there. 1861-02-12 State troops seize US munitions in . But officials have not released exactly what happened. Read our Privacy Policy. The main attack broke through Battery C, but Union troops fended off the attackers and sealed the breach. 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. Flood of 1927 - Encyclopedia of Arkansas He began moving towards Jacksonport and met Major General Sterling Price and Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke on June 18. Arkansas Residents Make a Case for Reparations 100 Years after the Elaine Massacre. American Prospect, September 30, 2019. https://prospect.org/justice/arkansas-reparations-elaine-race-massacre/ (accessed August 16, 2022). The Underlying Causes of the Elaine Riot of 1919. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 20 (Spring 1961): 95104. : 1920. . [17] Price's advance continued to be slowed by the terrain and weather, to the annoyance of Holmes, who rightly believed that the delay had prevented any remaining chance of the movement being a surprise. [99], Helena was reinforced and in mid-August, Union forces began a campaign against Little Rock, with Helena as the staging ground. [88] The historian Ed Bearss reports Union losses as 57 killed, 146 wounded, and 36 missing for a total of 239,[89] and historian Thomas W. Cutrer provides the same figures as Bearss. Battle of Helena - Wikipedia Evidence shows that the mobs of whites slaughtered African Americans in and around Elaine. According to the United States Census Bureau, Helena had a total area of 8.9 square miles (23km2), all land. Online at https://archive.org/details/TheArkansasRaceRiot (accessed August 16, 2022). How could anyone treat people with such horrendous disregard and violence? 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. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. Helena-West Helena Police investigate a deadly Friday night - FOX16 Livingston, Kelly, and Madison Peek. [97] Vicksburg had surrendered on July 4, and the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson, Louisiana fell within a week. Vigilantes from Mississippi seized another union member, Lula Black, and her four children from her house, knocked her down, pistol whipped and kicked her, then took her to jail. Unions such as the Progressive Farmers represented a threat not only to the tenet of white supremacy but also to the basic concepts of capitalism. 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. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. Calls went out to the governor for federal troops. (Union leader Robert Lee Hill was hidden by friends during the violence and later escaped to Kansas.) Creating an account gives you access to all these features. Salomon would make many of the decisions in the upcoming battle. The official narrative presented a picture at odds with reality. Women received domestic allotment checks from men in the military, giving them cash beyond the control of planters. [74] Holmes ordered Parsons to attack Battery D to support Fagan, but as Parsons' men were too badly disorganized at the time, McRae was given the order to attack. Volunteers rush to aid animals at closed Ark. shelter - WREG.com The descendants of the massacre have begun to organize to make their stories heard. Thrown into this highly combustible mix was the return to the United States of black soldiers who often exhibited a less submissive attitude within the Jim Crow society around them. Helena, Arkansas - Wikipedia 14 Best Things to Do in Helena-West Helena (Arkansas): Arkansas Welcome Center Phillips County Museum Fort Curtis Delta Cultural Center Robert Nighthawk Gravesite Quapaw Canoe Company King Biscuit Time Marker Sonny Boy Williamson's Boarding House Helena Confederate Cemetery Pillow Thompson House Freedom Park Frank Frost Gravesite . The assaults failed, and Vicksburg fell the same day. Consequently, plantation owners and lumber mills had to pay higher wages to have the cotton picked or timber milled. Emboldened by their war experience, African-American veterans returned to the Delta to demand the full rights of citizenship and justice, not only before the law but also in their labors. A memorial to those killed in the Elaine massacre of 1919 was dedicated on Sunday. On Oct. 31, a grand jury indicted 122 black men and women for offenses ranging from murder to night riding. One of the largest harbors on an inland waterway was completed in the 1990s, making Helena a hub of industrial development. ed. [Editors note: A professor at UA Little Rock is working to compile such a list.]. 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.
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