Key Figures in the Civil War from Helena, Arkansas

After spending some time researching my mom’s family’s (Davis) connection to Jefferson Davis, I thought it might be interesting to look into some key players in the confederacy that were either from Helena or who settled in Helena. Contemporary Arkansas historical sources identify seven Confederate generals or general-level commanders associated with Phillips County, although two—Charles W. Adams and Archibald Dobbins—are more accurately described as colonels who at times exercised brigade-level command. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

Patrick Ronayne Cleburne

Easily the best-known Civil War figure associated with Helena. Irish-born, he settled in Helena in 1850, became a pharmacist and lawyer, and organized/commanded the local Yell Rifles at the beginning of the war. He ultimately became a Confederate major general and division commander in the Army of Tennessee, fighting at Shiloh, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta Campaign and Franklin, where he was killed on November 30, 1864. He also became notable for his controversial 1864 proposal to enlist enslaved men in exchange for emancipation. (National Park Service)

Thomas Carmichael Hindman

Another major Confederate figure strongly associated with Helena/Phillips County. He became a Confederate major general and commanded the Trans-Mississippi District, playing an important role in rebuilding Confederate military forces in Arkansas. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas identifies Cleburne and Hindman as Phillips County’s two most famous Civil War leaders. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

Daniel Chevilette Govan

Settled near Helena in 1853. At the beginning of the war he raised a company of men from the Helena area, eventually becoming a brigadier general. Govan fought extensively with the Army of Tennessee, including at Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold Gap. He served under Cleburne, who regarded him highly. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

James Camp Tappan

Moved to Helena in 1848, practiced law there, served in the Arkansas legislature and was a circuit judge before the war. He became colonel of the 13th Arkansas Infantry and eventually a Confederate brigadier general, commanding a brigade in Thomas Churchill’s Arkansas Division. He later fought at Jenkins’ Ferry during the Camden Expedition. After the war he returned to Helena and is buried there. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

Lucius Eugene Polk

Another Confederate brigadier general associated with Phillips County. Arkansas historical sources include Polk alongside Cleburne, Hindman, Govan and Tappan among the Confederate generals connected with the Helena area. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

Archibald S. Dobbins

A wealthy planter who became part of the Helena community before the war. He served on fellow Helena resident Thomas Hindman’s staff before organizing Dobbins’s 1st Arkansas Cavalry. His regiment fought around Helena, and Dobbins participated in the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863, later commanding a brigade during the Little Rock Campaign. He generally held the official rank of colonel rather than brigadier general. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

Charles William Adams

Moved to Helena in 1835 and became a banker, lawyer, judge and planter. He was a delegate to Arkansas’s 1861 secession convention and later served as a Confederate commander. He is sometimes described as a Confederate general because of the commands he exercised, although the historical record indicates that he never officially attained general’s rank. An interesting genealogical footnote: Adams was Helen Keller’s maternal grandfather. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

There were also important Union figures connected to Helena during the war, although they weren’t from Helena. Major General Samuel R. Curtis brought the Army of the Southwest into Helena in July 1862; Major General Benjamin M. Prentiss commanded the Federal forces that successfully defended Helena on July 4, 1863; and future Brigadier General Samuel A. Rice commanded troops in that battle and subsequently participated in the campaign that captured Little Rock. (Encyclopedia of Arkansas)

What is particularly striking is the concentration of Confederate leadership in one relatively small Delta community. Cleburne, Hindman, Govan, Polk and Tappan all had substantial Helena/Phillips County connections, while Dobbins and Adams were also significant Confederate commanders. A historical source specifically records the traditional local list of the “seven generals from Phillips County” as Cleburne, Govan, Hindman, Polk, Tappan, Dobbins and Adams. (Penelope)

For your Civil War/Arkansas history interests, there’s an especially interesting angle here: Cleburne, Hindman, and Tappan are all buried in Helena. (Penelope) That makes Helena unusual—you can connect the antebellum town, the officers who emerged from it, the Battle of Helena, the Union occupation, and the graves of several major participants in a very compact geographic area.