Independence County Home Guard—1861.
In addition to approving an Act of Secession, the Arkansas Secession Convention also enacted an ordinance on May 30, 1861, that called upon all the counties in the State to appoint a “home guard of minute men” for local defense, until regular military regiments could be raised and deployed. Most counties presumably complied with the law, but records of only a few of these 1861 home guard organizations can now be found. Among those is the Independence County Home Guard.
The Independence County Court, in special session, established and made appointments to a local home guard organization on June 29, 1861. Subsequent appointments were made in July, October and November of 1861. About 220 men were appointed in all the townships of the county. Virtually all of them were property owners, many quite prominent and wealthy, and, as far as can be determined, all were over the conscript age. Some were quite elderly. Despite their age, wealth and social position, many of these home guards later served in regular Confederate units in the latter part of the war, especially in Dobbin’s and Morgan’s cavalry regiments.
John Farrell Allen was appointed General Commander of the Independence County Home Guard. Following is a list of the home guards, along with the township from which they were appointed.
Acre, William—Franklin township.
Alexander, W W—Ruddell township; appointed Gun Repair Commissioner.
Allen, Abraham—Greenbrier township.
Allen, George—Ashley township.
Allen, John Farrell—Ruddell township; appointed General Commander.
Allen, Washington—Ashley township.
Arnold, William R—Big Bottom township.
Ball, Benjamin F—Barren township.
Barb, Elkanah D—Ruddell township.
Barnes, Moses—Washington township.
Battles, Willis—Jefferson township.
Baxter, Elisha—Ruddell township.
Baxter, Taylor A—Ashley township.
Bayless, Thomas—Greenbrier township.
Beard, James G—Liberty township.
Berry, Alfred—Black River township.
Berry, Hugh A—Healing Springs township.
Bone, W O—Fairview township.
Bounds, Thomas S—Fairview township.
Brown, Michael—Union township.
Brown, Thomas G—Liberty township.
Browning, August A—Black River township.
Brundrett, James H—Caney township.
Bullington, John J—Black River township.
Burkett, James—Liberty township.
Campbell, John—Washington township.
Carter, Thomas E—Big Bottom township.
Carter, Thomas S—Greenbrier township.
Case, James N—Wallace township.
Cates, Norman—Wallace township.
Chasteen, Calvin—Healing Springs township.
Childress, Robert A—Washington township.
Chinn, John F—Ashley township.
Chipman, J G—Gainsboro township.
Clem, Jesse—Liberty township.
Cleveland, Joseph—Christian township.
Collard, John—Healing Springs township.
Conyers, James M—Jefferson township.
Cornett, Henry—Wallace township.
Cox, Thomas—Ruddell township.
Davis, Benjamin F—Healing Springs township.
Davis, Thomas J—Healing Springs township.
Decamp, William C—Greenbrier township.
Dunlap, Horace—Greenbrier township.
Dunnington, E—White River township.
Eaves, Thomas J—White River township.
Edmondson, Theophilus—Franklin township.
Egner, William—Greenbrier township.
Elms, Carson—Greenbrier township.
Erwin, Alexander K—Washington township.
Evetts, James H—Wallace township.
Evetts, Martin—Wallace township.
Ferguson, Jerome W—Jefferson township.
Fetzer, John H—White River township.
Flinn, Elisha M—Greenbrier township.
Flinn, Jesse W—Greenbrier township.
Ford, A J—Franklin township.
Fortenberry, James—Big Bottom township.
Foster, Isaac—Greenbrier township.
Foster, J H—Christian township.
Foster, John H—Ashley township.
Gainer, A J—Greenbrier township.
Gallaway, R M—White River township.
Gilbert, Reuben—Christian township.
Glenn, William W—Washington township.
Goodwin, O P—Gainesboro township.
Gray, John W Jr—Wallace township.
Grigsby, Charles B—Washington township.
Grigsby, William H—Washington township.
Grimes, ??—Ashley township.
Hall, Alfred W—Wallace township.
Hammond, Samuel—Fairview township.
Haney, John—Franklin township.
Hassell, William J—Washington township.
Hatfield, Hardy—Franklin township.
Hatfield, John—Franklin township.
Hatfield, Tandy—Franklin township.
Hawkins, Henry Zachariah—Barren township.
Headstream, James W—Washington township.
Herrington, J Mc—Gainsboro township.
Hogan, Griffin—White River township.
Hollandsworth, Isaac—Franklin township.
Horn, J M—Barren township.
Horn, T H—Jefferson township.
Hotchkiss, T C—Jefferson township.
Hulsey, Hardin—Christian township.
Hurley, John A—Gainsboro township.
Hutchins, Nathaniel M—Fairview township.
Ivy, James Jr—Wallace township.
Jackson, Benjamin Franklin—Barren township.
Jenkins, William D—Liberty township.
Johnson, Isaac J—Ashley township.
Jones, ??—Washington township.
Jones, A C—Union township.
Jones, Jno—Washington township.
Jones, John L—Jefferson township.
Jones, Nathaniel P—Barren township.
Jones, Reddin B—Washington township.
Kelly, Floyd—Ashley township.
Kinman, A J—Christian township.
Kinsberry, William—Healing Springs township.
Kinsey, William A—Healing Springs township.
Kittle, Josiah—Jefferson township.
Knight, John—Franklin township.
Kyler, John—Caney township.
Lacefield, Calvin—Ruddell township.
Laman, George W—Barren township.
Landrum, Thomas L—Fairview township.
Leggett, Jeremiah—Ruddell township.
Leneave, Ewell—Gainsboro township.
Lewis, Riley—Barren township.
Linebarger, Peter—Caney township.
McCauley, George W—Fairview township.
McDearman, J T Sr—Franklin township.
McDowell, Virgil—Christian township.
McElmurry, David—Jefferson township.
McGuire, Edwin R—Christian township.
Magness, David G W—Big Bottom township.
Magness, William—Big Bottom township.
Malden, Hayden—Liberty township.
Martin, F A—Jefferson township.
Martin, John—Jefferson township.
Martin, John G—White River township.
Martin, Owen S—Healing Springs township.
Maxfield, Uriah—Ruddell township.
Mayo, Thomas—Greenbrier township.
Meacham, Christopher B—Barren township.
Meacham, William B—Ruddell township.
Moore, Charles—Fairview township.
Moore, James F—Christian township.
Moore, John W—Black River township.
Moore, Levi—Gainsboro township.
Morris, Robert—Gainsboro township.
Morris, Timothy B—Gainsboro township.
Moser, J W—Union township.
Nail, Benjamin F—Union township.
Neill, Henry—Greenbrier township.
Nelson, B F—Black River township.
Nelson, John—Ruddell township.
Northern, William W—Gainsboro township.
O’Neal, Charles—Washington township.
Osborn, Roland—Big Bottom township.
Pate, Calvin—Greenbrier township.
Pate, John—Greenbrier township.
Patterson, George W—Ashley township.
Patton, James—Liberty township.
Pearce, Jesse—Fairview township.
Peel, Allen B—Greenbrier township.
Peel, Joab H—Greenbrier township.
Phillips, Josiah—Union township.
Pierce, Thomas—Christian township.
Powell, Henry—Caney township.
Prince, Nathan—Big Bottom township.
Rackley, Silas P—Healing Springs township.
Ramsey, Allen D—Ruddell township.
Ray, George—Union township.
Reeves, George W—Caney township.
Reeves, Noel—Caney township.
Richards, William R—Liberty township.
Riddle, Harmon—Caney township.
Riddle, John—Union township.
Riddle, William—Union township.
Robinson, Lewis—Washington township.
Rose, Uriah M—Ruddell township.
Rushing, Enoch D—Caney township.
Russell, Benjamin F—Union township.
Rutherford, Walter B—White River township.
Saffold, James F—Christian township.
Scribner, George W—Ashley township.
Shaddon, Eli—Barren township.
Shanks, William—Barren township.
Shaw, John J—Ashley township.
Sherrill, Franklin C—Ashley township.
Sherrill, Hiram M—Washington township.
Simpson, Henson—Greenbrier township.
Sims, Leonard H—Ashley township.
Sims, Thomas C—Jefferson township.
Six, William M—Greenbrier township.
Smith, Doctor L—Fairview township.
Smotherman, Nathaniel—Caney township.
Sneed, Charles—Gainsboro township.
Soward, William—Black River township.
Sparks, B J—Barren township.
Stanfill, E J—White River township.
Steel, Robert M—Jefferson township.
Stewart, Joseph—Wallace township.
Stokes, Larkin M—Wallace township.
Stone, John—Black River township.
Sturdivant, John—White River township.
Suttle, Edward J—Jefferson township.
Thomas, John—Caney township.
Tidwell, Nott W—Healing Springs township.
Tomlinson, Lewallen—Big Bottom township.
Totty, Edward—Ashley township.
Tucker, Henry C—Caney township.
Tunstall, James M—Black River township.
Tunstall, Thomas Todd—Big Bottom township.
Vaughan, H W—White River township.
Vincent, Thomas—Liberty township.
Waggoner, Andrew J—Caney township.
Wall, Grandison M—Franklin township.
Wamac, Thomas—Ruddell township; appointed Gun Repair Commissioner.
Waugh, James L—Washington township.
Webb, Jeremiah—Ashley township.
Weldon, Samuel T—Black River township.
White, Isaac—Fairview township.
Whitten, Thomas—Barren township.
Williams, Daniel M—Ashley township.
Williamson, Samuel—Liberty township.
Williamson, Thomas S—Union township.
Wilson, John G—Ashley township.
Womble, Holly J—Healing Springs township.
Wood, Daniel—Ashley township.
Wood, William (1)—Ashley township.
Wood, William (2)—Franklin township.
Wright, John Jr—Washington township.
Wright, Lemuel Jr—Washington township.
Wycough, Samuel Butler—Ruddell township.
Young, F S—Black River township.
Young, Richard—Big Bottom township.
Younger, Armistead—Franklin township.
The above information may be used for non-commercial historical and geneological purposes only and with the consent of the page owner may be copied for the same purposes so long as this notice remains a part of the copied material. EDWARD G. GERDES
If you have any questions or comments or if you would like to have more information about the Civil War and Pension Records of the men who served in these Companies, contact Jeri Helms Fultz or Bryan Howerton.