(Fort Smith: Cradle of The First Southern Free State - continued)
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last peg of the Rebellion ... Richmond and Lee's Army inside it! The Arkansas River was rising at the end of January and steamers Alamo, Ad Hine and Lotus came in with needed supplies and rations. GENERAL BUSSEY REPLACES The tax assessor began the week of March 26th to take assessment of property for those who had some property to assess. The New Era warned there were not many who could afford to pay anything as the people were destitute. A cash flow of money in a town is important and it helped the merchants in Fort Smith considerably when the paymaster brought military pay in early April amounting to close to one million dollars for the troops of the District of the Frontier. A number of Fort Smith citizens hearing there was protection, began coming back into town and many arrived in April aboard the elegant steamer Rodolph, as it made its way into the wharf from Little Rock. THE BEGINNING OF THE REBEL'S END The troops at the Fort Smith garrison were electrified by a telegram that arrived April 4, 1865. The telegram told of the fall of Richmond, Virginia the day before from Rebel hands. Troops and citizens alike marched gaily into the garrison yard to stand around the speaker's stand in the center of the parade ground. Reverend Springer, Post Chaplain, read portions of dispatches on the capture of Richmond. Several others spoke, and General Bussey ended with three cheers for Grant and three cheers for Sherman.Shortly before nightfall April 10, a telegram was received in Fort Smith telling of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his whole Army. The National Salute was fired and there were shouts of rejoicing. At 2:00 P.M. April 11th, crowds gathered at the garrison to hear a grand salute of two hundred guns. General Edwards and Bussey then spoke. Reverend Garrison, Chaplain of the 40th Iowa praised God "from whom all blessings flow. DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN Gladness turned to extreme sadness as word of the death of the beloved President, Abraham Lincoln, on April 15th, 1865, reached Fort Smith by telegraph. At 11:30 A.M. the next morning, troops and town citizens once again gathered, this time on Garrison Avenue, to begin a solemn march. It began at 12 Noon and the sounds of muffled drums and the playing of the funeral march proceeded the marchers to the garrison parade ground, then to the speaker's platform. Expressions of sorrow were given by many speakers for the late Chief Magistrate who had led the nation in such troubled times. Many prayers were offered up.The local members of the Arkansas General Assembly returned the week of April 24th from meeting in a special session at Little Rock beginning April 3rd. Their principal business was the ratification of the Constitutional Amendment to the United |
States Constitution prohibiting slavery in America. There was also bills to give the Negro race
the right to testify in court and legalize their
marriage contracts. For some reason, which totally
mystified Sebastian County residents who thought
they knew him, H. L. Holleman, Senator of
Sebastian and Scott County strenuously opposed the
passage of the Constitutional Amendment and only
voted for it when he was outnumbered. The Union
people in Fort Smith were outraged that he would
appear to be against slavery when elected and vote
another way when he was in the Legislature. The
other bills on court testimony and marriage
contracts did not pass the legislature and this action
was undoubtedly instrumental in keeping Arkansas
out of the Union still longer. It was important that
Negroes be able to testify against their masters, who
in some cases were cruel to them and would make
no attempt to free them . Valentine Dell of the New
Era recorded that the people of Arkansas had been
cruelly wronged by the 'Copperheads' in the
Legislature who showed their true selves. The United States Congress was still refusing to
seat the Arkansas Congressional delegation.
Congress believed that President Lincoln's amnesty
oath was too lenient and allowed former "rebels"
such as Senator Fishback to be in a high position in
Arkansas. Congress did accept Arkansas' vote on
the Thirteenth Amendment because votes by rebel
states were essential for the three fourths vote
necessary for adoption of the amendments. Major General Reynolds and his staff arrived at end of April on Annie Jacobs. As the Chief commander of the Department of Arkansas, he held n inspection of the troops, hospital and post. He was joined by General Bussey and his family in a trip upriver to Fort Gibson. They seemed to enjoy their three day trip with it's beautiful scenery on the Arkansas and Grand River and commented upon the Indian warriors, squaws and papooses. On May 11, 1865, the United States for the third year offered amnesty and pardon once again for certain persons who had directly or by implication engaged in the Rebel cause. The first time amnesty was offered was December 8, 1863, and again on March 28, 1864. Much indiscriminate murdering was still going on in the Fort Smith area making the citizens miserable. Two bushwackers shot a man at Rogers Cemetery for no reason. The bushwackers were part of a group who had committed outrages against Union families during Rebel occupation and had stayed in Fort Smith and enlisted in the 2nd Kansas Cavalry as scouts and used these positions to rob and plunder. In the summer of 1864, the bushwackers left Fort Smith, moving outside the fortifications with all their belongings of plunder, taking horses and wagons and continuing to terrify the citizens. CONFEDERATE PRESIDENT |