Arkansas Summer Campaign Part II: The White River Supply Run

 

Following the skirmish near Searcy, the Union Army of the Southwest would temporarily ground to a halt. With no good base of supplies, especially food, in northern Arkansas, Curtis would need the US Navy, patrolling most of the Mississippi River, to enable a successful drive on Little Rock. This following supply run would be quite the adventure, full of controversial actions from both sides.

Foraging War

His momentum halted after the Battle of Searcy Landing, Curtis ordered his generals Steele, Carr, and Osterhaus, to send out scouting and foraging expeditions to ascertain enemy strength and improve their supply situation. These foraging and scouting forays exposed the Army of the Southwest to a newly popular form of warfare in Arkansas: that of the guerilla. The history of the 9^th Illinois Cavalry (in Steele’s Division), lists several such encounters. On one May day a private E.J. Jenkins “was foully murdered” by a party of bushwhackers, who had secreted themselves in a corn-crib at Cotton Plant. Another Illinoisan rushed ahead to avenge his partner, but was killed himself. Jenkins did not actually die immediately, but lingered on another day with five bullet wounds.[1]

Curtis and his generals discussed the recent surge of guerilla attacks. Osterhaus’ Third Division had gotten the worst of them, and the German-American was outraged by the treatment of Federal prisoners. The guerillas often beat and mutilated them before killing them. Curtis was similarly outraged and gave Osterhaus and his men permission to forego mercy. “…Such villains” are “not to be taken as prisoners.”[2]

A Very Short History of Dahomey IV: Challenges to the Slave Trade

 

The earlier half of King Gezo’s reign had seen Dahomey throw off Oyo rule and become the primary military and slaving power in its corner of Africa. But just as Dahomey rose, so did Britain’s anti-slavery crusade alongside local resistance to the slave raids. Gezo would struggle to hold on to tradition in the face of new challenges.

"Procession of the Wealth of the King's Wealth." Gezo is the referenced King.

Chapter IV: Challenges to the Slave Trade

Gezo and the British

In 1839 the British once more threatened the existence of the slave trade. Lord Palmerston, one of the most prominent and influential politicians of 19^th Century Britain, was able to pass the Equipment Act. The Equipment Act allowed the British Navy to seize Portuguese slave ships even if they were unloaded (previously they could only take them if human cargo was presently onboard). This greatly reduced illegal slave trading. The British proved to be persistent enforcers, to the point that they began to violate Ouidah’s neutrally declared waters. Dahomeans watched as merchant ships were dragged away from their shore, along with any wealth they could have made.

Britain’s seamen did more than seize ships. They actually assaulted some African ports. While this targeted one of the most morally wretched institutions in human history, it was undeniably a gross violation of other nations’ sovereignty. The local Africans were not the only ones to suffer from Britain’s anti-slavery war. Ouidah’s Francisco de Souza, as a Trans-Atlantic slave baron, lost his monopoly. There are some claims that Gezo actually had a hand in reducing his influence in Dahomey, either out of a need to reorganize the slave trade in light of recent events or out of jealousy over the Portuguese’s wealth. Though his business took a hit, De Souza remained in Dahomey until his death in 1849.

Arkansas Summer Campaign Part 1: Operations around Searcy

Many historians like to write that people overlook the Trans-Mississippi theatre of the Civil War. While not as heavily covered as other parts of the war, there has actually been quite a bit written on it in the past 30 to 40 years. Scholarship has greatly expanded on Sibley’s New Mexico Campaign, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, and the battles in Indian Territory. Even when these books and articles began to pop up there had been a good amount on Wilson’s Creek and the Red River campaign. However, there are parts that are still rarely covered. This post gets into one of these parts.

The Arkansas summer campaign of 1862 is barely covered in histories. It was nestled between the Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove Campaigns, each centered around a large and significant battle. General Samuel Curtis’ drive to take Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, mostly saw skirmishes and a handful of smaller, if intense, battles. It’s most prominent place in the histories is the last chapter of William Shea’s Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West. Because the campaign failed to seriously alter the course of the Civil War, it is understandably overlooked. However it in fact gave the Confederates another chance to turn the tide in the Trans-Mississippi and the small skirmishes and battles can still be interesting to study.

Curtis after Pea Ridge

On March 6-8, General Earl Van Dorn’s attempt to restore Confederate fortunes in Missouri came to an end at the Battle of Pea Ridge. After his defeat, Van Dorn was ordered to bring his army east of the Mississippi and help stop General Ulysses S. Grant’s momentum in Tennessee. The Union Army of the Southwest, the victor of Pea Ridge, was bloodied and far out on its supply line, so it withdrew back into Missouri. General Samuel Curtis, its commander, was enthused at having scored a victory. In his previous tenure in the Army he had failed to experience any combat. He had gotten a good deal of it and also come off with a major success. Feelings were high.

Kurz & Allison Part X: 1865

 The Confederacy died in 1865. The major battles of that year were all Union victories and mercifully shortened the war. Louis Kurz shows three of the significant actions which spelled out the death knell of the Confederacy. He also produced a fourth lithograph that to my knowledge has been absent from illustrated histories, likely because it was printed without color and does not encapsulate a battle.

Capture of Fort Fisher

By 1865, the only Confederate port able to receive blockade runners and keep the Confederate forces, especially Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, alive was at Wilmington, North Carolina. The Union had held off on closing this port because the formidable Fort Fisher stood in the way. In early 1865 they finally made a move on it. The Navy under Admiral David Dixon Porter and a Corps of infantry under General Alfred Terry coordinated a controversially unchallenged landing on January 13 and an assault on January 15. Not properly supported by Confederate units miles away, the Confederate garrison under General George Whiting put up a stout defense, but eventually felt compelled to surrender. This cut the last major lifeline to Trans-Atlantic trade.

Movie Review: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

 

All Quiet on the Western Front is the third adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's famous World War I novel, and surprisingly the first German one considering it is from the perspective of that nation's soldiers. Paul Baumer and his school chums enthusiastically sign up for the German Army and are sent to the Western Front in France. They soon lose their glorious and patriotic notions of war as they encounter filthy trench conditions and a string of murderous battles. Veteran soldiers try to help them adjust and survive, with Stanislaus Katczinsky taking personal responsibility for Paul. It's one of the most famous anti-war stories (though Remarque famously never explicitly stated it as such).

I've never read the novel and only watched the famous 1930 version, so I'll have to compare this latest offering to that one. I did read that Director Edward Berger cut out a few supporting characters and scenes and changed or added new ones to differentiate his interpretation. This leads to my main criticism. There's a subplot that follows real life figure Matthias Erzberger and his attempts to form an armistice and end the war. It and relevant scenes showing German generals do add more historical context, but personally the movie should have focused only on the frontline soldiers. Removing this scenes would have also trimmed it closer to a two hour film (then again, these scenes might be necessary considering many younger folks don't have the best grasp of history). As for other changes and additions, they manage to keep the spirit of themes from the novel and previous adaptations. Another criticism is the musical score. The composer went for more of a sound design style to create a sense of dread, but it can be obnoxious and ill-fitted to early scenes of new recruits smiling on their way to war.

A Very Short History of Dahomey III: Dahomey Under King Gezo

The last post covered the bulk of the Tegbesu Dynasty. This dynasty ended after several failures to become the top slaving power in “armpit” of Africa, as well as various unpopular measures by the kings. This section will look at the earlier part of King Gezo’s reign, the start of a new line of rulers, and also cover some general aspects of Dahomey’s culture and practices which in many cases extended back into the 16^th and 17^th Century.

A Frederick E Forbes illustration of Gezo from Dahomey and
the Dahomans. A servant holds a royal umbrella over him.

Chapter Three: Dahomey Under King Gezo

Lifting the Oyo Yoke

Gezo was determined to start his reign and new dynasty by ridding Dahomey of Oyo superiority. The time was right, as Oyo was suffering from internal divisions, primarily between the king and the council of elders. Also the Islamic states to the north of Oyo had gone on the warpath, with the Fulani Jihads the most threatening to the empire. When the Oyo came for their first tribute from him, he offered “a tiny piece of cloth – enough for one man’s underpants and just two bags of cowries. He sent the collectors back saying that any more gifts “would be disproportionate to Dahomey’s wealth.” Oyo sent another team to collect proper tribute. Gezo had them beheaded, starting a war.

In 1820 Gezo declared the independence of Dahomey. Oyo sent an army to deal with its vassal. However this was hardly an actual invasion from the Oyo army, as the Fulani jihad commanded Oyo’s primary attention. It was made up of other vassal Yoruba groups and Mahi allies who knew that an independent and strengthened Dahomey would be a threat. The Dahomeans defeated them and captured their commander, Ajanaku. Gezo had him executed.