HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
By H. B. Crowley IN 1906
13th INSTALLMENT
OLD SOLDIERS OF GREENE COUNTY
Memories of men who wore the gray and did valiant
service in war, Gen. Cleburne's menThe famous Fifth Arkansas organized at Old Camp Ground
by Col. Gross -- Col. Kitchens Regiment was the product
of Greene county
GREENE COUNTY SOLDIERS
The 5th, Arkansas Regiment was made and organized at the Camp Ground in this county in July 1861 with D.G. Gross as colonel. Green Bohanan organized the first company from the county and was elected captain of company "C" in the said regiment. Captain F. S. White made up the second company and commanded company "E". Captain J. L. Kuykendall commanded company "H". This regiment made up part of Wm. J. Hardee's first brigade. and finally part of Pat Clebourne's famous division, and proved on the battle field to be the equal of any regimentmustered into the service of the confederate army during the civil war. This regimment fought through the entire war, and was disbanded at the close with a mere fragment of the men who first composed the regiment. It was considered the star regiment of that intrepid division and ranked first for valor and heroic achievements in the army. The Federal forces dreaded Clebourne,s division worse than anything in the west, and the rapid movements, dashing assults and dare-devil bravery of the division won for it's leader the title being the "Stonewall Jackson of the west." A few members of this old regiment still live here in the county and nearly all of them are crippled or disabled in some way.
Greene county furnished her fair share of the true and brave soldiers in the war of the rebellion. Among those who served in an official capacity and won distinction for themselves and their county were: Lieut. Adam D. Grayson, who was colonel in the 13th Arkansas regiment, commanded by Tappan. Lieut Grayson was killed at Belmont, MO., as was Levi Pillow father of Henderson Pillow and Mrs. Ann Danley. Thos. R. Willcockson also had a brother killed at this engagement. At the battle of Belmont was the first and only time that Gen. Grant was defeated and that repulse was due in a large manner to the dash and stubborn determination of the Arkansas soldiers.
Col. Kitchens
Colonel Solomon G. Kitchens raised most of his regiment here, and they were a brave and fearless body of men, and reflected credit upon the county in several engagements. The most noted of was his raid into Southern Missouri, where he was badly wounded and demonstrated as fine qualities as any men as who ever mounted a chmarger. Then men composing his command were possessed of the truth metle of the soldier.
Co. J. F. Davis also made up a battalion in this county, as did Capt. G. D. Byers make up a company and he was killed at the battle of Helena. Lieut. Fayette McHaney was captured at same time and was carried to Johnson's Island, along with a number of other Greene county men, the writer being among the prisoners. Lieut. John Q. HIgh and Lieut. John Huffsterler died while confined in that prison. Lieut. McLuskey was left there on January 9th 1865 and was exchanged later in the year. There were none sent to Johnson's Island but commissioned officers. The writer became seperated from his men at St. Louis, they being sent to Alton, Illinois, where three thousand war prisoners were confined when we left them. Johnson's Island is in northern Ohio , on Lake Erie, and when we were exchanged we crossed the lake on the ice coming out at the city of Sandusky, Ohio. Among these who came out with us were Rev. John H. Dye, who had become a Captain, also Col. W. H. Pender, Maj. J. C. McAuley, all together there were one hundred and eighty of these who were exchanged at this place, and it had required about an equal number of armed federal soldiers to guard us unarmed Rebels on an island in Lake Erie.
Greene County in the Mexican War
In the war with Mexico in 1846 and 1847 this county furnished some splendid soldiers; among them was William Gage, Uncle of W. M. Gage, John L. Kuykendell and Thomas J. Mellon. M.D. William Gage died in Mexico but Kuykendell returned, and married the daughter of John Mitchell of Gainesville, and was the father of Dr. Ray Kuydinall of Texas, Prof. James H. Kuydinall, lately one of the Professors in the state University, but now Superintendent of the public schools of Fort Smith. Mrs. W.S. Luna of Paragould and Mrs. Sam Nutt of Jonesboro.
Masons
These are the present three masonic lodges in the county; one at Gainesville, one at Marmaduke and one at Paragould. These lodges have a membership of about three hundred, and there are fourty three royal masons county, in Paragould lodge no. 103. The Gainesville lodge no. is 169, the Marmaduke lodge number __ , and the Paragould lodge number is given above.
There are in the county only six Scottish rite or thirty-two degree masons, to wit: M.F. Collier, Saul Bertig, B.H. Crowley, S.L. Joseph, W.C. Hasty, and J.H. McPherson. Dr. T.H. Wyse and E.E. Bray were Scottish rite masons, but they were both dead.
The first masonic lodge to be organised in the county was the Gainesville lodge, and was chartered some time prior to the war. There was a lodge at Herndon for a long time, and these two were the first of any kind to be organised in the county.
The Oldest Doctor
Dr. J.G. MacKinize is a native of Aberdine, Scotland, and is perhaps the oldest practitioner in the county, since the death of venerable D. M. L. Meriwether. The Dr. married Cyntha Pevehouse, a daughter of Wiley Pevehouse, perviously spoken of these narrative, Dr. and Mrs. MacKinize have a large and interesting of children, all of whom are single and living alone, except one son, Wiley, and is married and is a commercial traveler. The Dr. has always enjoyed lucurative practice, and being of man of rare business qualities, has accumulative some nice property. He came to the county when a young man, married here and has ever remained an native and loyal citizen. He made a visit to his native country two years ago, and was accompanied back to Arkansas by a younger brother, who was an Ambassador to China from Scotland for many years. The Dr. relates the following as one of the incidents occurring in his experience many years ago: There was an old practioner in the county who had but one book in his library and that was Dr. Gunn. This M.D., as Judge Patliff used to say, was a real mule driver, as his, title indicated, went to Gainesville one day, and got into conversation with Dr. Wyse, and Dr. Wall, and they told him of a new disease in the country that was baffling the medical men, and was resulting very fatally. The name of the disease was cerebrospinal meningitis, and when the country Dr. returned home he told his people of an awlful malady that had invaded the country and was taking off it's hundreds, and when asked the name of the terrible disease, he explained that it was a very new disease by the name of Cere Gordo, and Cere Gordo, the battle in the Mexically come an carried off the best citizens.
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