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. I know for a fact my fathers people were involved in the Elaine Riot. The Edwardian Inn is located on land occupied by Union forces during the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[14]. I first learned of the Elaine Massacre today, February 7, 2017, and I am both saddened and angered. 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. Flood of 1927 - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Late in the evening of Sept. 30, black sharecropper families gathered in the Hoop Spur church near Elaine. 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). 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. In previous months, racial conflict had occurred in numerous cities in America, including Washington DC; Chicago, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Indianapolis, Indiana. The obligations of the past weigh heavily upon the present. 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. The Elaine Lynchings: A Visit to Elaine, Arkansas, 100 Years After [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. Once there, Holmes provided further orders for the advance: Walker was to screen Fagan's movement to Helena with part of his command, while Price continued on to Helena from Switzer's. Rogers, O. Paul Hall was one of the twelve men who were slated to be electrocuted, and I believe he was my relative. - Police in Helena-West Helena are investigating a deadly shooting that happened on Friday night. [91][c] Holmes accused McRae of "misbehavior before the enemy", and in his report placed part of the blame for the failure on McRae, but McRae was cleared by a subsequent court-martial. The Confederates charged Fort Curtis in their last attack, but the heavy artillery inside kept the attack from reaching the fort. Colonel Jencks sent all of the white women and children to Helena by train, ordered the immediate disarming of everyone and authorized the killing of black insurgents who failed to disarm. In Helena, the age distribution included 32.5% of the population under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. See this venue in scenes from the 2004 film, "Walk the Line . Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life. [23] Prentiss originally dismissed rumors of a Confederate attack, but by late June gave more credence to the reports. I am wondering if any group, agency, or government entity ever developed a list of the 100 or 237 black lynchings in 1919 in the Elaine area during that evil time in black history. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Online at http://history.msu.edu/files/2010/04/Mark-Ellis.pdf (accessed August 16, 2022). . Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. [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. [69][b], With Price's men shredded, Fagan's men exhausted, and the cavalry not making any progress, Holmes decided to order a withdrawal at 10:30 am. 10 Abandoned Places in Arkansas Being Reclaimed by Nature - OnlyInYourState He began moving towards Jacksonport and met Major General Sterling Price and Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke on June 18. [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. Joseph Bledsoe's Missouri Battery was brought up to provide artillery support, and two of its guns opened on the Union positions. 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. Helena is the eastern portion of HelenaWest Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. Magnolia Inn LR. With the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, the Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi were cut off from the rest of the Confederacy. The Confederates withdrew on July 4 of 1863. The main attack broke through Battery C, but Union troops fended off the attackers and sealed the breach. Wormser, Richard, director. [20] Overall, the Confederates had 7,646 men. [64] The advance up the hill had also thrown the Confederates into disarray. The Elaine, Arkansas, Race Riots, 1919. Special Issue. Walter White, of the N.A.A.C.P., reported first that more than 100 African-Americans were killed, later changing it to 250. The Forgotten History of America's Worst Racial Massacre - New York Times In their view a deliberately planned insurrection had occurred, where black sharecroppers had intended to murder the plantation owners to seize the land. Since Prentiss was aware of a coming attack, the Confederates would not have the advantage of surprise. In Moore v. Dempsey, the court in 1923 overturned the convictions of six of the Elaine 12, arguing that the confessions had been secured through torture. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. This neglect by the government came in the face of people who merely sought to exercise their basic rights to secure a lawyer to defend their property. [58] Each wasted time waiting for the other to advance. [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. 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. [53] Bledsoe's two guns were driven off, but neither side could defeat the other. 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. Males had a median income of $27,203 versus $17,250 for females. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2022. The account that best captured the perspective of the sharecroppers came from Ida Wells Barnett, the legendary anti-lynching crusader and journalist. [73] Holmes ordered the 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment (Burns') to attack Fort Curtis,[66] but upon seeing the regiment charge, the rest of Parsons' men joined in, believing a general attack was beginning. [50] Price's command consisted of the brigades of Brigadier Generals Dandridge McRae and Mosby Monroe Parsons, and was led by the 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion and a company of Arkansans local to the Helena area. The main attack broke through Battery C, but Union troops fended off the attackers and sealed the breach. Instead, the troops either shot or arrested them. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2020. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2012. In Little Rock and at the headquarters of the NAACP in New York, efforts began to fight the death sentences handed down in Helena, led in part by Scipio Africanus Jones, the leading black attorney of his era in Arkansas, and Edgar L. McHaney. 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 For historic sites related to the battle, see. The decision by the justices was aided by two white men involved in the massacre who reversed their previous testimonies. The Battle of Helena was fought on July 4, 1863, near Helena, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. By contrast, 16 white males were lynched during the same time. 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. By days end, countless black women, men and children had been slaughtered. [78] Including the men of the 37th Arkansas, about 250 Confederates surrendered in Fagan's sector. On Oct. 7, Colonel Jencks declared the insurrection over and withdrew his troops. The Elaine massacre was among the worst instances of racial violence in American history, and it took place in a region, the Delta, that defined itself by its violence and oppression. There she interviewed the 12 prisoners accused of murder, their wives, and many others, publishing her findings in a 1920 pamphlet. Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Massacre of 1919. Krugler, David F. 1919, The Year of Racial Violence: How African Americans Fought Back. Voogd, Jan. Race Riots and Resistance: The Red Summer of 1919. America cannot address the inequality, poverty, inadequate education, the racially biased criminal justice system, and the limited life chances of black people that define contemporary society until the nation confronts and acknowledges this history. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice that Remade a Nation. [34] To protect Fagan's flank, Brooks' men were sent up the Lower Little Rock Road at around 1:30 am;[35] the detachment opened the battle in the early dawn by clashing with Union pickets. 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. Anyone can read what you share. 1859-02-28 Arkansas legislature requires free blacks to choose exile or slavery. Women received domestic allotment checks from men in the military, giving them cash beyond the control of planters. [37] The felled trees slowed Fagan's main attack,[38] which was on the Upper Little Rock Road,[39] and forced the Confederates to leave their supply wagons and cannons behind. [4] Corrections? On Oct. 31, a grand jury indicted 122 black men and women for offenses ranging from murder to night riding. The Elaine Riot of 1919: Race, Class, and Labor in the Arkansas Delta. PhD diss., University of WisconsinMilwaukee, 2019. The committee met with Gov. Helena, AR Map & Directions - MapQuest HELENA WEST HELENA, Ark. Attorney Jacob Fink, who was appointed to represent Frank Hicks, admitted to the jury that he had not interviewed any witnesses. Further Reading: Richard C. Courtner, A Mob Intent on Death: The N.A.A.C.P. 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. Many families described how they had run into the woods for safety from bloodthirsty mobs, hoping to surrender themselves to the federal troops for safety. Smith, a 1980 graduate of Helena-West Helena Central High School, graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1984. According to police, deputies were dispatched to the 1000 block of Cherry Street in regard to a shots fired complaint when they discovered 50-year-old Cornelius Borum on the front porch. [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. These 15 Photos Of Arkansas In The 1960s Are Mesmerizing It was effectively an invasion. In June 1863, Confederate Commander Theophilus Holmes sought to take pressure off of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by attacking the Union-held town of Helena, Arkansas. [1] The American Civil War began on April 12, when Confederate troops bombarded Fort Sumter. Brough, who had ridden on the train with the troops and accompanied them on a march to the Hoop Spur area. Federal Troops and the Elaine Massacres: A Colloquy. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 61 (Autumn 2002): 272283. [7], Helena built a reproduction of Fort Curtis in 2012 that is free to the public. [5], By early 1863, holding Helena provided the Union with significant advantages, such as serving as a supply depot for the ongoing Vicksburg campaign, providing a marshalling point for a future advance against Little Rock, and securing northeastern Arkansas. [48] They were now in front of Battery D.[50], Marmaduke has his own problems in his sector on the line. The Moore defendants were granted a new hearing after the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Moore v. Dempsey, ruled that the original proceedings in Helena had been a mask, and that the state of Arkansas had not provided a corrective process that would have allowed the defendants to vindicate their constitutional right to due process of law on appeal. https://ualrexhibits.org/elaine/ (accessed August 16, 2022). With labor conflicts escalating throughout the country at the end of World War I, government and business interpreted the demands of labor increasingly as the work of foreign ideologies, such as Bolshevism, that threatened the foundation of the American economy. Updated: Aug. 19, 2020 at 8:40 AM PDT. One of the convicted 12 wrote to her from prison, requesting help. Trauma and Repair: Confronting Segregation and Violence in America. Elaine Race Massacre: Red Summer in Arkansas. The Union guns concentrated on this attack and inflicted heavy casualties on it. [78] About 100 men remained behind on the hill, pinned down by Union fire. Rev. Sandy Diggs or Toby Diggs was the name father and son, Im trying to find what happened to them. Update (July 30): HELENA-WEST HELENA, AR - A man found shot to death on a city street earlier this week has now been identified. brought to you by. UPDATE: Officer killed in Helena-West Helena shooting identified 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). [56] Historian Robert E. Shalhope wrote that the Confederate attacks were repulsed "perhaps less by the powerful Union entrenchments than by their own poorly co-ordinated attack". For additional information: Anthony, Steven. Robert Palmer noted that in the mid-1930s Helena was "the blues capital of the Delta". Then the real massacre began: For the next five days, Colonel Jencks and his troops, assisted by vigilantes, hunted black people over a 200-mile radius. My anger comes from this being hidden/erased from history like the lives that were taken that day. Carrying an ax with their guns, they then moved to another home, where they murdered yet another union member, Frances Hall. [26] Prentiss was originally intended to be reinforced by three vessels from the Union Navy, but only one, the timberclad USS Tyler,[a] was available when the Confederate attack struck. Helena has been called the cradle of the Delta Blues, and each October the citys King Biscuit Blues Festival draws fans from around the world. Police say detectives have interviewed several people who might have been with . Clancy, Sean. Marmaduke followed up the bombardment with an attack against Battery A, but fog that had concealed the advance dissipated and the attack was repulsed by the 29th Iowa, who mounted a counterattack. Volunteers rush to aid animals at closed Ark. shelter - WREG.com Williams, Lee E., and Lee E. Williams II. Cortner, Richard C. A Mob Intent on Death: The NAACP and the Arkansas Riot Cases. When she came back to her neighborhood, a plantation manager, Billy Archdale, told her if she did not leave, he would kill her, burn her up, and no one would know where she was. Most of those who survived found their homes emptied of possessions that appeared in white peoples homes. By early morning Oct. 1, the sheriff sent white veterans from the American Legion post to suppress what he deemed an insurrection. 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. Helena is the seat of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (1965). Further Deep South states seceded early in the next year, forming the Confederate States of America. Helena, city, seat (1830) of Phillips county, eastern Arkansas, U.S., port of the Mississippi River, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and adjacent to the city of West Helena. 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. During the trials, Murphy became ill, and Jones became the principal counsel. [72] Many Confederates surrendered. For newspaper, the world is local - Arkansas Online The fire from the artillery battery did little damage, but the gunboat's shots were more effective. Crime fighting efforts in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas are getting a big boost from the federal government. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. [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. Taylor, Kieran. The Arkansas Race Riot. N.p. The Elaine Race Riot. Masters thesis, George Peabody College for Teachers (now Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University), 1927. Mulder, Brandon. 25 federal indictments come from Helena-West Helena, federal partnership [69] Believing a full-fledged attack to be a suicide charge, McRae had his men simply fire on the rifle pits in hopes of diverting attention away from Fagan's command. Two Narratives: How a 1919 Massacre Tore Elaine, Ark., Apart. Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, November 15, 2021. https://lynching.cnsmaryland.org/2021/11/14/two-narratives-how-a-1919-massacre-tore-elaine-ark-apart/ (accessed August 16, 2022). The community, originally settled in 1797 and first called Monticello and then St. Francis, grew around a warehouse built for barge shipping. [81] The Union troops had taken advantage of the severe disorganization and scattering of the Confederate forces to take the prisoners. Praying at the dedication of the Elaine Massacre Memorial. Find directions to Helena, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. Collins, Ann V. All Hell Broke Loose: American Race Riots from the Progressive Era through World War II. HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. This picture of the Magnolia Inn on Roosevelt Road in Little Rock was taken in 1969. 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. This was a . Estimates have ranged from 25 to 853, the latter from an Arkansas Gazette reporter who named no source. Pierce, Michael, and Calvin White, eds. Grif Stockley The official narrative presented a picture at odds with reality. In Phillips County, this struggle directly challenged planter dominance. 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. Their initial task was to appeal the sentences given to the Elaine Twelve and ask for a new trial based on errors committed by the trial court. [43] Meanwhile, on the Lower Little Rock road, Brooks ran into trouble, taking fire from Battery K, 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment and Tyler. [20]. This article is about the Civil War battle. HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. Selecting a player's name will bring up his statistics page and selecting a column title (Birthplace, Debut Year, Final Year) will allow you to re-sort the data. Believing that the Confederates were preparing to attack again, Prentiss requested reinforcements, which arrived from Memphis, Tennessee, on July 6. All Rights Reserved. Without Clayton's men first being driven from behind the levee, Rightor's Hill could not be taken. 1861-02-12 State troops seize US munitions in . Ms. Wells Barnett gathered testimonies that described the sheer horror of the massacre from those who endured and lived to tell their stories. The Delta city has been awarded a $1 million grant speci [21] Walker lost only 12 men; historian Mark Christ attributes this to the weakness of his attack. 0:36. Little Rock: Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, 2002. About 38.4% of families and 41.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.9% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over. [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. The descendants of the massacre have begun to organize to make their stories heard. 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. (WMC) - Arkansas State Police were on the scene of a homicide investigation Tuesday night in Helena-West Helena. 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. 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 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. Central Arkansas Library System, Little Rock, Arkansas. The few who made it close to Fort Curtis were easily repulsed. (WMC) - Areas of Eastern Arkansas are sending more violent offenders to federal court. Gov. This was murder on the part of the white population. Gov. The Elaine Riot: Tragedy & Triumph. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Helena was a deadly encounter. 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. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Brough, requesting that U.S. troops be sent to Elaine. [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. #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. As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 6,323 people, 2,312 households, and 1,542 families residing in Helena. The Massacre of Black Sharecroppers That Led the Supreme Court to Curb Both Holmes and Marmaduke accused Walker of dereliction of duty. The committees narrative appeared in newspapers all over the country. Red Summer 1919: Tree honoring black victims cut down in alleged crime Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. The information you have provided is great for families that lost people and is greatly needed.