Arkansas secession
The U.S. state of Arkansas seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861. The ninth state to join the Confederacy, it was admitted on May 18, 1861.
Background
The presidential election of 1860 was an important inflection point in Arkansas politics. Given the distasteful policies of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party to many southerners, the election became a three-horse race: Southern Democratic candidate 14th Vice President of the United States John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, Constitutional Union candidate Senator John Bell of Tennessee, and Democratic candidate Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who was the favorite of the northern wing of the national Democratic party. Abraham Lincoln was not on the ballot in Arkansas. In the 1860 gubernatorial race between two members of the politically dominant Conway-Johnson family devolved into a political "fratricidal war", a campaign based on personalities that largely agreed on the importance of southern rights and the expansion of slavery. The "outsider" candidate Henry Rector's key campaign surrogate Thomas C. Hindman sought to "out-southern" The Family on every issue, viewing secession as imperative and a positive good, in contrast to the Family's position that disunion would be a regrettable, but possible, option.On election day, the Southern Democrats won Arkansas's electoral votes, but Lincoln took the White House. Rector was elected governor and Hindman was re-elected to Congress. Newspapers in Arkansas urged restraint and caution pending Lincoln's inaugural address. Elsewhere, South Carolina declared its secession from the Union. By February 1861, six more Southern states made similar declarations. On February 7, the seven states adopted a provisional constitution and established their temporary capital at Montgomery, Alabama. A pre-war February Peace Conference of 1861 met in Washington in a failed attempt at resolving the crisis.
As the secession movement grew, people in Arkansas became greatly concerned. In January 1861 the General Assembly called an election for the people to vote on whether Arkansas should hold a convention to consider secession. At the same time the voters were to elect delegates to the convention in case the vote should be favorable. On February 18, 1861, Arkansans voted to call a secession convention, but elected mostly Unionist delegates.
Rector and the arsenal crisis
Secessionist forces began calling for the seizure of the Federal Arsenal in Little Rock. When rumors were circulated that the Federal Government intended to reinforce the troops at the Little Rock Arsenal, the leading citizens of Helena sent Governor Henry M. Rector a telegram volunteering 500 men to assist in its seizure. Edmund Burgevin, adjutant general of Arkansas, carried the message to the Governor. Burgevin complained of the impropriety of a direct offer of volunteers to the governor of a State which had not seceded, and might not secede. Governor Rector's response was:In response to the Governor's message, militia companies began assembling in Little Rock by February 5, 1861, and they made their intention to seize the Arsenal known to its commander, Captain James Totten. Eventually more than a thousand militiamen would assemble, representing Phillips, Jefferson, Prairie, White, Saline, Hot Spring, Montgomery, Monroe, and St. Francis counties. Although generally opposed to secession, the Little Rock City Council feared that a battle might ensue within the city itself and passed an ordinance requesting the Governor assume control of the assembling volunteer forces and to seize the Arsenal "to prevent the effusion of blood".
Governor Rector, now armed with the city council's request, took control of the military situation. With militia forces now surrounding the arsenal grounds, Governor Rector dispatched General Thomas D. Merrick, commander of the First Division, Arkansas Militia, with a formal demand for the Arsenal's surrender. Captain Totten, Arsenal commander, agreed to evacuate the Arsenal in return for safe passage out of the state. Governor Rector agreed and the Militia took control of the Arsenal on February 8, 1861. Later, artillery batteries were set up at Helena on the Mississippi River and Pine Bluff on the Arkansas to prevent reinforcement of Federal military posts.
Arkansas Secession Convention
On March 4, 1861, Lincoln was sworn in as president. In his inaugural address, he argued that the Constitution was a "more perfect union" than the earlier Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, that it was a binding contract, and called any secession "legally void". He stated he had no intent to invade the Southern states, nor did he intend to end slavery where it existed, but that he would use force to maintain possession of federal property belonging to the United States. His speech closed with a plea for restoration of the bonds of union.The next day, the Arkansas Secession Convention convened at the State House in Little Rock. Judge David Walker, who opposed secession, was elected its president. The convention continued in session for two and a half weeks. Feelings ran high and many fiery speeches were made. Governor Rector addressed the convention in an oratory urging the extension of slavery:
But it soon became evident that a majority of the delegates to the convention did not think that the situation at that time called for secession. The convention voted down a resolution condemning Lincoln's inaugural address, and defeated a conditional ordinance of secession. The opinion seemed to prevail that Arkansas should secede only if the United States' government made war on the Southern states. Still hoping for a compromise settlement that would avoid war, the delegates agreed to go adjourn, subject to recall by the president of the convention, until after the people had voted on the secession question at a special election to be held in August.