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Clark's March Down Red River
In Response To: Re: What did Shelby do? ()

CLARK’S MARCH DOWN RED RIVER IN TEXAS

The Official Records reveal that by November 22, 1864, the remaining three brigades of Price’s Army of Missouri have retreated across Red River at Kemp’s Ferry. MG Price will camp near old Warren, Texas, only 12 miles northwest of Bonham. All were marching for Clarksville, Texas, only 79 miles away via Bonham. BG Jo Shelby with Shelby’s Division (Shelby’s Iron Brigade, under BG Jeff Thompson, and Col. Jackman’s brigade), crossed Red River on November 22, 1864 and camped nearby. The next day, Shelby’s cavalry division marched on southeast to Bonham, remaining there until about noon on the 24th taking on food and forage. Movement of the remnants of MG John S. Marmaduke’s division (mostly Clark’s brigade), commanded by BG John B. Clark, Jr., is another story!

Bonham was the headquarters of the CSA’s sub-district of North Texas, commanded by Texan BG Henry McCulloch, Ben. McCulloch’s younger brother. Bonham was also the main commissary and supply depot of North Texas in 1864, and its depot provided most of the military supplies for Indian Territory at that time. A good wagon road went west-east along the high prairie divide between the county seats of Sherman (Grayson County), Bonham (Fannin County), Paris (Lamar County), and Clarksville (Red River Co.). Old U.S. 82, going directly into the downtowns, follows this wagon road which most of Price’s command followed to Clarksville. Along this road between Bonham and Paris sat the neat historic “Texas” town of Honey Grove. Most of Price’s remaining army took this route, but not BG Clark’s command. Meager evidence suggests an intriguing story.

Price’s Staff Reports

Two records from Price’s staff (LC Maclean and Capt. Mackey) provide some overall guidance but no insight on the movement along Red River of BG John B. Clarks brigade (Freeman’s brigade of Marmaduke’s division had already left Price at Cane Hill).

41-1-648 LC L.A. Maclean, AAG for Price’s Army, recorded the following events:

11-22-64 “Crossed Red River. Clark went on to Clarksville; Shelby caught up; sixteen (16) miles (marched).”
11-23-64 “Marched to Bonham; twelve (12) miles.”

41-1-705 Capt. T. J. Mackey, corps of engineers of Price’s Army, states at Price’s Court of Inquiry of his Expedition held at Shreveport in April 1865:

“On the 22d (we marched) sixteen miles, crossing Red River at Kemp’s Ferry into Texas. General Marmaduke’s division there took the river route to Clarksville, Tex., eighty-five miles distant, where it joined the main body, which had marched through Bonham. This junction occurred on the 28th or 29th.” (Price, Shelby and Clark’s command arrived on 28th, Thompson’s command on 29th).

Why did Clark’s brigade leave the main body after crossing Red River near Warren, TX when Bonham (the largest depot in North Texas) was only 12 miles ahead (and it will be shown that Clark’s brigade crossed Red River first, on the 21st, at least a day ahead of Shelby? Why did Clark take the “river route? Or did he?

Unfortunately, most records of Price’s Army were lost following Price’s retreat from Kansas City (Westport). Many wagons were abandoned and burned to aide in escaping the Federal pursuit, particularly the records of the various regiments and brigades.

Clark’s Report

41-1-685 BG John B. Clark’s official report (for Shelby’s brigade) only briefly covered his retreat in Indian Territory: “The retreat through the Indian Nation was attended with many hardships, particularly to the new recruits; but as the army was without meat rations only two days, there was nothing like starvation.”

Clark, now commanding the remainder of Marmaduke’s division (since his capture at Mine Creek, Kansas), did not mention any route variation from Price’s Army, nor did any of his regimental commanders that reported. No mention of taking the “River Route” was made in the reports of Col. Greene-3rd Mo, Col. Burbridge-4th Mo, Col. Kitchens 7th Mo, LC Davies- 7th Mo 7th + Davies Batt, or Col. Lawther 10th Mo of Clark’s brigade. Only Capt. Mackey, Price’s staff engineer, noted that Clark took the “river route” to Clarksville.

So what route did Clark’s brigade take from Warren, Texas (near Kemp Ferry) to Clarksville? Only one report, that of Davies, provides a clue -- a travel log much like LC L.A. Maclean, AAG of Price’s Army, provided for the Expedition overall.

Davies’ Report

41-1-695 On 12-12-1864 Camp on Red River, 7th Missouri Cavalry (Col. Solomon G. Kitchen’s) and Davies’ Missouri Cavalry Battalion, by LC J. F. Davies. Both of Clark’s Brigade of Marmaduke’s division. (Col. Kitchens wounded on 23rd on Big Blue, p. 696):

“21st, (marched) 23 miles; crossed Red River and camped in Texas. Here we drew forage for our horses – the first we received since we left Cane Hill -- being 17 days. Here we drew full rations of flour. 22nd, marched 17 miles. 23rd, remained in camp. 24th, marched 12 miles. 25th, 21 miles. 26th, 17 miles. 27th, 15 miles. 28th, camped at Clarksville, having marched 12 miles. 29th and 30th, remained in Clarksville. December 1, marched 16 miles in direction of Laynesport.”

Davies travel log shows that his command crossed Red River into Texas on November 21, one day ahead of Price’s “main body.” This is shocking! All of Price’s staff correspondence indicates that Price crossed Red River on 11-22-64. How and why did Clark get one day ahead of Price’s command? Why did Price let this happen? What did Price do about it?

Speculation

Here are my thoughts. After Price let most (if not all of) Shelby’s division leave the “main body” and go search for food and forage on both sides of the Arkansas River on the 7th and 9th (with MG Fagan’s last two brigades leaving for Arkansas on the 10th), about the only cavalry troops left with Price from Perryville to Red River were from Clark’s brigade from Marmaduke’s division (MG Fagan and his escort left around Atoka and Wood’s battalion had left a few days earlier). Col. Tyler’s brigade of mostly unarmed Missouri recruits left for Clarksville via Doaksville as Price approached Boggy Depot. Price and his staff are known from their correspondence to have spent most, if not all, of the 18th at Boggy Depot, and Shelby is still trying to collect his men and catch up with Price. Only Clark’s brigade of hungry, beaten and angry Missourians remained on the Texas Road. Hearing that little food and forage were available at Boggy Depot after all, why should they stop now? Perhaps they ask Price for permission, perhaps they told Price they were marching on to Bonham as Texas was only a few day’s march away, and now they could get there first. North Texas was widely known to Confederate soldiers as being the “Grainery of the Confederacy.” Now the last would be first! Translation: “The Early Bird Gets the Worm.” Not even AAG Maclean would admit this hiatus! Shelby’s division would have to wait for a table at Bonham.

Gen. Price must have foreseen his friend BG Henry McCulloch’s predicament. Here comes Price’s most undisciplined mob of hungry and beaten warriors headed straight for his friend’s headquarters town, the up-scaled and prosperous town of Bonham, Texas. McCulloch’s solution was to go and feed the famished at the river, twelve miles away. Why wait for certain pillage and destruction?

The River Route

The price that BG Clark paid for such a welcome party, courtesy of BG McCulloch, was the directive, from either MG Price or BG McCulloch, for Clark to take the River Route along the south side of Red River to Clarksville. I don’t believe Clark knew this longer river road existed. I am sure Gen. Price also had his reasons to support Clark’s move. Price had his own image to worry about.

Davies log shows his command marched 94 miles in seven days from Warren (Kemp’s Ferry), arriving at Clarksville on November 28, the same day Price arrived (probably with Jackman’s brigade). Shelby’s Brigade under BG Jeff Thompson arrived on the 29th. It is estimated from AAG L.A. Maclean’s log, that Price marched 79 miles from Warren (via Bonham) to Clarksville in 6-7 days (most along old US 82). The daily distance marched (26th) to Paris was missing in Maclean’s log. It was estimated (from Google) to have been 13 miles. (Neither routes’ distance is the 85 miles that Capt. Mackey thought Clark had marched.) Thus, Davies marched 15 miles more along the river route than Price did from Warren via Bonham, Honey Grove and Paris to Clarksville.

Fannin County historical land records note there was a river route east from Warren along Red River (Warren was originally the county seat of Fannin County.) The county maintained road frequently changed location with the times and politics. One branch went to Honey Grove, but the main river route continued along the south side of Red River all the way (Warren-Blue Bluff (near Elwood)-Pine Bluff (near Arthur City)-Kiomatia) to the old steamboat landing of Jonesborough. The river road to Jonesborough connected at Kiomatia, a few miles west of Jonesborough, to the military route from Doaksville/Ft. Towson that ran southeast to Clarksville. Jonesborough was the most upstream steamboat port on Red River in Texas having dependable freight service to/from Shreveport prior to the civil war. A Red River County road went directly from Jonesborough to Clarksville. It does not appear that Clark’s command took this longer Jonesborough route to Clarksville, for Clark coming from the west, but rather the (shorter for Clark) military road from Doaksville/Ft. Towson via Kiomatia.

A plausible longer “river route” (following one shown on a few historical maps of Red River) from Warren to Clarksville (but bypassing Bonham, Honey Grove and Paris and staying near plentiful Red River farm land) was plotted and measured on Google maps to be the 94 miles Davies reportedly marched. This 94-mile Google route from Warren (near Ambrose) goes along the south side of Red River (staying in Texas) eastward to Elwood, Chicota, Arthur City, Kiomatia (cemetery), then southeast to Manchester, Negley and on to Clarksville.

So Why did Clark Agree?

Why did Clark agree, supposedly with Price’s permission, to take the longer river route of 94 miles to Clarksville when he was in the lead of Price’s army with plentiful supplies and forage being only 12 miles ahead at the Bonham depot?

As noted above, Davies says supplies and forage were waiting for Clark (from CSA-Bonham) when he crossed Red River at Kemp’s Ferry. Perhaps MG Price was not happy that Clark’s command had cleaned out the welcoming party to Texas that BG McCulloch had provided. But Clark’s large command would soon be hungry again, and abundant food and forage would still be needed for man and horse. Clark could expect that abundant supplies would be found on the large plantations along the river route of the Red River Valley in Texas, a fact that McCulloch probably noted. But I don’t think this was the only reason.

Discipline had recently broken down in several regiments of Clark’s brigade. Battle fatigue, severe losses and near starvation were mentioned as probable causes of this demoralization and near rebellion. Consider this report by Col. Burbridge:

41-1-694, On 12-8-64, Col. John Q. Burbridge commanding 4th Missouri Cavalry of Clark’s brigade, Marmaduke’s division noted:

“The march from thence (Cane Hill) to Red River was over a desolate country, where no food for men or forage for horses could be obtained. Its (my command) previous defeat and severe starvation now completed the demoralization. I have the honor to report now, however, that in some degree (we have) recovered from the fatigues and hardships of the campaign, its numbers are gradually swelling and its condition rapidly being brought to some degree of discipline.”

Conclusion

I think MG Price, like BG McCulloch and perhaps BG Clark himself, did not want to risk the possible outcome of Clark’s demoralized, haggard and hungry Missouri brigade marching ahead into the blossoming county seats of Bonham and Paris, and the historic Texas town of Honey Grove, all untouched by the ravages of the war, representing the pride and glory of Price’s Expedition into Missouri. Quantrill, with only a small squad of Missouri raiders, had only recently (3-28-64) threatened to pillage and burn Bonham to the ground, only a few months after setting fire to Sherman, Texas following a ruckus during a new years eve ball of 1864. As the Texas secession legislation of 1861 showed, the Sherman-Bonham-Honey Grove-Paris corridor was not a Confederate stronghold, politically speaking. Moreover, MG S. B. Maxey, commanding Indian Territory, and his family lived in Paris before, during and after the war. Neither Price nor McCulloch wanted Clark’s fatigued Missouri ruffians foraging through the main county-seat towns of Northeast Texas. They all had made good decisions as no incidents were reported while Price’s Army marched across Northeast Texas in two columns, Clark’s brigade along Red River and Shelby’s division along old U.S. 82. After nearly 1,400 miles, they were almost home.

Messages In This Thread

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Fagan's men at Doaksville.
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Thanks for your comments, Ken.
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Bernie ...
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