It had been six weeks since the seizure of Forts Henry and Donelson and now the Federals were in forward positions well supported with river transportation. The Union high command was now looking farther south at the railroad nexus in and around Corinth MS. Control of these rail lines could produce a strangling effect significant enough in shortening the war.
Newly assigned Gen Pierre G T Beauregard envisioned a line of defense covering Memphis and generally running northeast and along the roadbed of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. But the hard realism of his strategic thinking indicated it was time to concentrate troops from defensive points to Corinth in preparation to strike the enemy with a crippling blow. Toward that end help had been summoned from FL, AL, GA, New Orleans and AR.
General Curtis had sent most of his wounded to MO, but as days passed he grew more anxious about his army’s reduced condition. Shoes and clothing were desperately needed. The most vexing problem proved to be the scarcity of food and forage. Major General Henry Halleck who was vigorously beset with his subordinate’s demands, gave irritable assurances he was doing all he could to supply him. He also pointed out he was trying to meet urgent demands from his forces on the TN and MS Rivers. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, newspapers reporting on the Pea Ridge battle, were ignoring or denigrating him while glorifying his nemesis, Gen Franz Siegel. One German language newspaper in Chicago reported that Curtis wanted to surrender on March 7th, the first day of fighting.
Spitefulness erupted among native-born officers as well. Some tried to garner credit for themselves by inflating their role in the battle while sneering at the contributions of others, especially the foreign born element. Making the dissent ridden army operational with another mission would remedy the scandalous problem but first it had to be properly supplied. That meant moving far back into MO.
The ever unpopular Gen Van Dorn immersed himself in administrative details while Gen Prices’ veterans now in a combined division representing four states slowly recuperated. Despite their pathetic physical condition the soldiers, were starting to come together as an army again while receiving health sustaining rations of flour, pork, beans, rice, sweet potatoes, beef and coffee. Piles of tents and bedding that were disallowed on the march were made available. On March 23rd Van Dorn received orders from Beauregard to transfer his army to Corinth MS, where they were to be a vital part of the plan to blunt Gen Grant’s offensive.
Around Little Rock Confederate planners had already converted St Johns College and St Mary’s school for ladies into hospitals. Anxieties rose concerning AR casualties during the last month when reports filtered in on the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson.
The real test of fortitude was presented when news arrived from Fort Smith that 525 wounded men, considered able to travel, had been loaded in hospital wagons, bound for the capital city. (W. W. O’Donnell, The Civil War Quadrennium) 1985. P 28. Over a week later the first casualties reached the city where blood and gore had brought the cruel meaning of war to this place which earlier had been a cultured, quiet and peaceful city. Improvised hospitals sprang up throughout the business district.
It took over a week for the scores of ambulances and other hospital conveyances to complete the journey over the AR backroads. The vehicles were drawn by one or two horses, and as they bumped ashore from the pontoon bridge at the foot of Markham Street, the curious riverfront crowd could hear the agonizing groans from the patients hidden behind the wagon canvass. At times one of the wounded men would begin hemorrhaging with blood flowing between the floor boards leaving a horrifying trail to a place of respite.
A storm of supportive activity was maintained by the citizens. Women stopped sewing uniforms for cooking and nursing in rotating shifts. Older men were employed in making bandages. Generous farmers from outlying areas brought in produce. Perhaps the most unheralded was the service of many slaves who performed the loathsome duties attendant with patient care and general sanitation. In later life a few were awarded pensions from the State, but very few. Little Rock was increasingly transformed into a wartime city.
The Arnold Family Foundation proudly presents a Fort Lincoln Freedom Gala on April 21st from 6 to 9 p.m. This is a period Civil War Gala. Tickets are on sell now for this exciting event for $25 per person or $45 a couple. The dress code will be period costume or business casual.
On this day in Arkansas during the Civil War one hundred and fifty years ago, 2-22-1862: Confederates evacuate Fayetteville, Arkansas. Because of constant pressure by U.S. troops under the command of General Curtis from out of Missouri, Generals Price and McCulloch both agreed that now was not the time for battle. Though the two generals rarely agreed, this one instance they did. 
