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 See Harris FLANAGIN in the Family Tree
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Harris FLANAGIN,
Born:
3 NOV 1817 in Roadstown, Cumberland Co, NJ, 1
Occupation: Gov., Lawyer, Conf. Col. in AR
Died: 23 SEP 1874 in Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
Age: 56 years
Buried: in Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
|  Born  Married  Died |
Children with Martha Elizabeth NASH ,
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Duncan Charles FLANAGIN
| Born: 5 AUG 1852
Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
| Died: 4 MAY 1929
Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
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Nash FLANAGIN
| Born: 30 MAR 1855
Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
| Died: 4 FEB 1907
Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
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Laura FLANAGIN
| Born: 1 APR 1858
Arkadelphia, Clark, AR
| Died: 12 JAN 1927
San Antonio, TX
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Notes:
Moved to Arkansas in 1839
From "The Clark County Historical Journal, Winter 1975, vol. 11 No. 1, published by the Clark County Historical Association, Arkadelphia, Clark Co, AR, THE GOVERNORS OF ARKANSAS, Essays in Political Biography, Edited by Timothy P. Donovan and Willard B. Gatewood, Jr. (Flanagin article written by Michael B. Dougan), The University of Arkansas Press, Fayettesville, AR, 1981 and THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNORS, edited by W. Buck Yearns, published in 1985 by the University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA 30602 (contributor was Michael B. Dougan, professor of History at Arkansas State University.
His early education was in Quaker schools in NJ and seems to have been thorough. At age eighteen he was made professor of mathematics and English at Clermont Seminary, Frankfort, PA, where he taught for a hear before opening his own school at Paoli, IL. While in IL he commenced the study of law, and after two years was admitted to the bar. Seeking a more profitable field for his legal pursuits, and hearing of the dearth of lawyers in the new state of Arkansas, the young lawyer headed South in 1839 and settled in Clark County, AR to seek his fortune. The county`s 1845 tax books reveal that Flanagin owned 120 acres and no slaves; eight years later his acreage had increased to 2,720 and he also owned thirteen town lots. His ownership of that property plus six slaves, $1,500 worth of furniture, four cows, and a carriage made him one of the largest taxpayers in the county. This success did not stem from the practice of law but rather from an association with Benjamin Duncan, a friend from Pennsylvania (whom he had known at Clermont Seminary and after whom he named his second son), in real estate speculation.
A Whig, Flanagin had a modest political career in Democratic AR, serving a term in the lower house of the state legistlature in 1842-43 and winning a hotly contested race for the state Senate in 1848 against the county`s leading Democrat, Hawes H. Coleman. He also served in the state militia during the Mexican War. After the Compromise of 1850 and the collapse of the Whig party, Flanagin retired from politics.
1851 stands out as a most important year in the life of Lawyer Harris Flanagin. Until that time, the business of law and his constant application to his studies had taken all of his time. In his young years, when his youthful thoughts might have been colored by dreams of matrimony, he had sacrificed to send money home to his parents and had found little time and certainly no money to encourage such dreams. Legends built about the name of Harris Flanagin tell us that he was of a mathematical turn of mind, precise and exact in all his dealings, a very poor orator unless his tongue caught fire from the force of his business. Maybe this explains the logical decision to get married. Stories are told that a friend merely reminded him at the age of thirty-four that he shouldn`t be a bachelor, gave him the address of a nice girl. Considering the logic of the friend`s reasoning, he came to the conclusion that the friend was right, pocketed the address of the nice girl and went a-courtin`.
Flanagin descendants say the friend`s very words were these: "Harris, I don`t see how come you don`t get hitched up. I know you are a smart man and you`re purty good to look at. You oughta be married. Come to think of it, I know the very girl for you -- lives down at Washington in Hempstead County. She is the sweetest, prettiest, and best of all girls for a wife that I have ever seen -- exceptin` one." Whether or not these are the exact words that inspired the young lawyer, he set out for Washington the very next day. He arrived one Thursday afternoon and his business in Arkadelphia demanding his time, he proceeded immediately to accomplish his purpose. He presented himself to the family, showed his credentials, and told the father that the daughter had been recommended to him by a very influential man. He had supper with the family, proposed to the young lady the same evening, was accepted, and returned to Arkadelphia the following morning. What powers of persuasion he used, no one knows. Three weeks after the proposal he returned to Washington to make Miss Martha Elizabeth Nash, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Phineas Nash, his bride. The wedding, marked by much old-time festivity, took place on July 3, 1851. (They eventually had three children: two sons, Duncan and Nash; and a daughter, Laura.) During the 1850s he served as city alderman of Arkadelphia and was a trustee for the state`s first institute for the blind, which opened in Arkadelphia.
When the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 precipitated Southern secession and led the Arkansas legislature to authorize the summoning of a convention, Flanagin was selected on February 18, 1861 as a delegate to the secession convention from Clark County. Officially he was classified as a secessionist, but in debate his reluctant attitude was obvious and his friendships were largely with the conditional Unionists who dominated the convention prior to the firing on Fort Sumter. His support for secession was recorded as being based on the inevitability of the event, rather than on its desirability. After the ordinance of secession was passed on May 6, 1861, Arkansas began arming for war. After the war started, Flanagin left the convention to accept the command of Captain of Company E of the Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles. He saw action at Wilson`s Creed (Oak Hills) and Pea Ridge (Elk Horn Tavern), Benton Co. His regiment was transferred east of the Mississippi in 1862. Following the death of Colonel James McIntosh in the latter battle, Flanagin was elected colonel.
2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles
The 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles was organized at Osage Prairie, Arkansas on July 29th, 1861 under the command of Colonel James McQueen McIntosh, with field officers Lt. Col. Ben T. Embry, Major Henry K. Brown, Adjutant W.H. Elstner, Surgeon W.L. DeBerry, and Sergeant Major J.W. Head. Company commanders were: Co A, from Bentonville, Cpt. William Gipson; Co B, from Galla Rock, Cpt. Ben T. Embry (succeeded in command by 1LT Peter W. Parker upon the former`s promotion to Lt. Col..); Co C, Cpt James M. King; Co D, from Bentonville, Cpt. John A. Arrington; Co E, from Arkadelphia, Cpt. Harris Flanagin; Co F, Cpt James L. Witherspoon; Co G, the "Sevier Rifles" of Paraclifta, Cpt. Henry K. Brown; Co H, the "Hempstead Cavalry" of Old Washington, Cpt. George E. Gamble; Co I, Cpt. William F. Patterson; and Co K, Cpt. C.G. Reagan. Cpt. Edwin R. Hawkins` company, the "Texas Fencibles" of Daingerfield, TX was temporarily assigned to the 2nd Mounted Rifles until more companies arrived to form a new Texas regiment, and later was reassigned as Co A, 4th Texas Cavalry Battalion in November, 1861.
Initially assigned to McCulloch`s Brigade near the Arkansas-Missouri border, the 2nd Mounted Rifles first fought in the battle of Wilson`s Creek, MO on August 10, 1861. Returning to Arkansas, the regiment served as the core of a force sent to the Indian Territory to quell a possible Indian uprising, fighting the Creeks and Seminoles under Hopoeithleyohola at Chustenlah, in present-day Osage County, OK on December 26, 1861. Col McIntosh was promoted to brigadier general, and Lt. Col. Embry assumed command of the regiment. McCulloch`s brigade went into winter quarters at Fort Smith, and in February 1862, moved north to Strickler`s Station where they linked up with Price`s Missouri State Guard under MG Earl Van Dorn to form the Army of the West. The regiment was engaged on the Leetown battlefield at Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, and afterwards retreated to Van Buren, AR.
From there, the regiment moved overland with the Army of the West to Corinth, MS. Dismounted at DeValls Bluff, Arkansas, in April 1862 and fought as infantry for the remainder of the war. Reorganized at Corinth, MS on May 1, 1862, re-enlisting for three years or the duration of the War, and held new elections, replacing all the company commanders and field officers. The regiment participated in the campaign around Corinth that spring, and in the battle of Farmington on May 9. 1862.
The 2nd Mounted Rifles were then assigned to BG T.J. Churchill`s brigade in McCown`s Division, which accompanied Kirby Smith`s army in an attempt to re-occupy Kentucky in the summer and early fall of 1862. General Churchill was reassigned to a command in Arkansas in July, and General McNair assumed command of the brigade. The brigade fought in the battle of Richmond, KY on August 29-30, 1862. Following the Battle of Perryville fought by Bragg`s army in October, Kirby Smith`s army followed Bragg back into middle Tennessee where it was merged with Bragg`s Army of Tennessee. The regiment fought at the battle of Murfreesboro on December 30, 1862 - January 2, 1863. In the early summer of 1863, McNair`s brigade was detailed to General Joe Johnston`s forces in an attempt to relieve the federal siege of Vicksburg, and fought in the siege of Jackson, MS. Following the fall of both Vicksburg and Jackson, the brigade returned to Bragg`s Army of Tennessee near Tullahoma, and fought in all of that army`s battles for the remainder of the war... at Chickamauga; Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign including Dug Gap, Resaca, New Hope Church, Pine Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Moore`s Hill, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, the siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy`s Station and Moon`s Station; the battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville, Sugar Creek, the Carolinas Campaign, and Bentonville. Consolidated with the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, 4th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, and the 4th, 9th, and 25th Arkansas Infantry regiments and the consolidated unit renamed as the 1st Mounted Rifles Regiment (Consolidated)(Dismounted) at the last reorganization of the Army of Tennessee near Smithville, North Carolina on April 9, 1865. Surrendered with the Army of Tennessee near Durham Station, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.
Officers: Col (later Brigadier General) James Q. McIntosh. Field Officers: Major Henry K. Brown; Major (later Lt. Col.) James P. Eagle; Lt. Col. (later Col.) Benjamin T. Embry; Colonel Harris Flanagin; Major William Gipson;
Major (later Lt. Col.) James T. Smith; Lt. Col. (later Col.) James A. Willaimson
References: Wesley Thurman Leeper, Rebels Valiant - The Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Dismounted)
(Complete unit history and muster rolls)
He was serving in TN during the fall of 1862 when his friends entered him in a special election against Governor Henry Massie Rector, the incumbent governor who was considered by the convention delegates as incompetent or worse. Older histories claim that Flanagin was unaware of his nomination and election until a telegram reached him after the election. But other soldiers in the Army of TN were apprised. One wrote: "I would not have Colonel Flanagin beaten for governor for anything in reason." Rector found it difficult to fight the absentee soldier. A pro-Rector newspaper attempted to stir up xenophobic reactions by describing Flanagin as a Yankee Irishman whose real name was O`Flanagin. But the tactics were unsuccessful. The complete wreck of state government left by Rector and the united front that all forces threw against him led to Flanagin`s polling 18,187 votes to Rector`s 7,419. During his administration, the Federals occupied Little Rock and forced Flanagin to establish a government in exile in Washington (Hempstead Co) for the remainder of the war.
On November 4, 1862, Flanagin was inaugurated in Little Rock at Arkansas` seventh governor. In his inaugural address Flanagin called for aid for indigent soldiers` families and renew dedication to the war effort. Under his direction the legislature completed work on virtually all the possible wartime legislation. It strengthened the liquor laws, allocated $1.2 million for poor relief, and made adjustments in the court system. The scarcity of salt and cotton cards prompted an appropriation of $300,000 to assist manufactories. Unfortunately the state was bankrupt. Only the printing press supplied Arkansas with money, and even paper was in short supply. The suspension of tax collection meant that no new revenue would be forthcoming. Like the rest of the Confederacy, Arkansas financed the revolution by mortgaging the future.
As Arkansas` chief executive, Flanagin inherited several problems. He refused to join the civil rights chorus of complaints mounting against Holmes and Hindman (two Confederate Generals that set up systems of martial law in parts of Arkansas during Rector`s governing without the slightest official approval). After Hindman`s defeat at Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, he was transferred east of the Mississippi River, and the great effort to modernize and regiment Arkansas to win the war lapsed into Holmesian senility. Flanagin, a strict constitutionalist if not a strong states` rights man, did involve himself in the adminstration of the conscription laws. Nothing in Arkansas was more unpopular than conscription, arraying the rich against the poor, the slaveholder against the nonslaveholder, and the influential against the powerless. When conscription officers attempted to induct the clerk of the state supreme court, the court protested and Flanagin agreed: "(It is) the duty of the Executive to ask and insist upon those rights of the State which she undoubtedly possesses."
Flanagin did not take such a strong line on other matters. That nothing was actively done on the executive level to enforce the liquor laws led a Baptist minister friend to write Flanagin in 1864: "I have had it said to me, `your governor loves whiskey too well to get him to stop still houses` ". Similarly, rampant inflation, profiteering, and the wide-spread crime went unchecked by the state authorities.
The winter of 1862-63 was not a happy one in Arkansas. Hindman`s defeat at Prairie Grove in December was followed by the fall of Arkansas Post in January, prompting the governor to issue a call for volunteers for sixty days to defent the state. The potential of a revived state army did not exist; the volunteers were to bring their own weapons. The fall of the post was merely a by-play in the great Mississippi campaign centered on Vicksburg. The failure of the Confederates to coordinate their defense, a failure largely due to policies of Jefferson Davis, prompted a futile diversionary attack on the Federal post at Helena the same day Vicksburg surrendered.
The fall of Vicksburg convinced many that Confederate defeat was inevitable. The rush to save property by moving to Texas now became general. Confederate military authorities added to the pessimism by removing supplies and machinery from Little Rock. Flanagin protested: "If the state be abandoned again, she may well ask to be protected from her friends." The realists, among Senator Johnson and C. C. Danley, urged turning to guerilla warfare and giving the Trans-Mississippi commander, Edmund Kirby Smith, extraordinary powers without waiting for Richmond. Jefferson Davis, who lived with the bugbear of a seceding Trans-Mississippi and who believed in making all decisions himself, quarreled with Senator Johnson over the issue. Privately Flanagin may have believed that the war was over, and even received what amounted to treasonous correspondence from one of his friends.
None of this stopped the Federal advances from Indian Territory in the west and up the Arkansas River in the east. In September of 1863 both Little Rock and Fort Smith fell to the bluejackets, and the greater part of the state passed under nominal Federal control. Flanagin again attempted to rally a state defensive force of old men and led them himself, but the war enthusiasm was gone. Little Rock fell on September 10, 1863 and the Confederate state government went into exile. After about a month, during which the governor was in Arkadelphia, Flanagin reassembled the state government in Washington, Arkansas, in the Hempstead County courthouse.
While many secessionists were calling for total guerrilla war, for the next six months Flanagin did little except pardon convicted soldiers. The state government did not lapse without some protest. Even many of the most conservative men were convinced that Flanagin was not up to the cricis. In a quarrel with Senator Johnson, Flanagin claimed that "the clamor that has been raised against me arises from disappointed applicants for position." He castigated the aggressive war governor of Louisiana, Henry Watkins Allen, as "a governor who acts without or contrary to law." Flanagin played a minor role in the somewhat sordid politics of Kirby Smith`s little Fiefdom. Generally he supported the military authorities. In contrast to Senator Johnson, he agreed with them that it was useless to attempt to recapture the Arkansas River Valley. There was not enough food to feed an army even if it won, and the transportation did not exist to get supplies from Texas.
Since the governor would not act outside the law, the logical step was to change them. A session of the legislature was made possible by the supreme court declaring that a quorum consisted of two-thirds of those present. Thus in September of 1864 the rump legislature heard the governor declare the war effort had failed. State relief to soldiers` families had stopped after December 1863; the cotton card manufactory had never materialized; the laws were unenforced and unenforceable. The legistlature`s response was to appropriate more nonexistent monies ($35,000 in gold and silver and $1 million in paper for cotton cards and medicine, $200,000 for salt) and to substitute the lash and the pillory for the use of the new Federally occupied penitentiary.
After the legislature adjouned, new elections were held for the next regularly scheduled session to meet in the fall of 1865. That body never assembled and Flanagin was left alone to preside over the demise of state government. "The outcry against your policy has been so general," a friend wrote, "that a careful and scholarlike exposition is necessary to show that your action is in accordance with the law and the constitution of the state." Another adivsed Flanagin to do something to show the people "that our Governor is not as slow a man as they took him to be."
The total collapse of the Confederacy in the spring of 1865 occurred in the East. Confederate leaders in the West were still discussing their options at a conference at Marshall, Texas when the privates dissolved the army by going home. Flanagin professed a desire "to restore quiet to the country at the earliest possibl day." A delegation from Washington conferred with the Federals in Little Rock on Flanagin`s proposal to summon the legislature, repeal all acts of secession, and then resign. Flanagin urged the Federals to recognize existing county governments in the Southwest. However, the only thing the Federals would permit was for Flanagin to return the state archives to Little Rock and to retire unmolested to his home in Arkadelphia.
Neither of Arkansas` wartime governors had been effective. Henry Rector failed to unify and lead the state and he depleted the healthy treasury that was in balance when he took over the state to develop his pet army. He also totally failed to anticipate the obvioius wartime problems of food supply, salt, and civil disorder.
Harris Flanagin inherited a lost cause and made it more hopeless by his inactivity. Not as overbearing as Rector, and much more sympathetic to the sufferings of the poor, he nevertheless felt compelled to follow the letter of the law, even if it destroyed him, his government, and his people.
In 1865, the Flanagin family moved back to the old home in Arkadelphia and there Governor Flanagin resumed his law practice. In 1869, he built the red brick law office that is still standing north of the Clark County court house. The small office was also the office of his son Duncan. In Arkadelphia Flanagin attempted to rebuild his law practice. His overwork in this regard was considered a factor in his early death. Politically he remained in touch with the ex-Whigs and conservative Democrats who led the opposition to the Republican party from 1868 to 1874. His advice was usually conservative and moralistic, opposing violent methods and political trickery. In 1872 he was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. With the impending demise of Reconstruction after the Brooks-Baster War, he was even mentioned as a possible candidate for governor. Elected to the constitutional convention of 1874, he served as chairman of its judiciary committee. The claim has been made that he was the ablest man at the convention. He died on October 23, 1874, before the final ratification of the constitution, although he signed a draft previous to his death.
Flanagin had been raised a Baptist but never joined a Baptist church in Arkansas. His wife was a Presbyterian, and he attended that church regularly in her company. He was "a large man, thin faced, and had the appearance of a man of sorrow". His friends and family were devoted to him, and his slaves remained with the family after the war. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery At Arkadelphia, Clark Co, AR
From cemetery record:
Civil War Arkansas Governor. Served as the 7th Governor of Arkansas from 1862 to 1864. He moved the state government to Washington, Arkansas, after Little Rock fell to Union troops in 1863.
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Sources
| 1. | Title: 1850 Carroll Co, MO Census
Page: 3 |
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