Edward W. Gantt
Edward W. Gantt | |
|---|---|
 Gantt, as depicted inFrank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaperin 1864 | |
| Born | 1829 Maury County, Tennessee |
| Died | June 10, 1874(aged 44–45) Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | |
| Service/ | |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | |
| Commands held | 12th Arkansas Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Attorney,Freedmen's Bureauagent |
Edward W. Ganttwas an American politician andConfederatesoldier who defected to the Union during the American Civil War and was aFreedmen's Bureauagent duringReconstruction.Born inMaury County, Tennessee,in 1829, Gantt was a delegate to the 1850Nashville Convention,which consideredsecession.Later in the decade, he moved toArkansas,which he felt allowed him more opportunities to gain prominence. He spread secessionist rhetoric after the1860 United States presidential election.He was elected to theUnited States House of Representativesbut did not take his seat. After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil Warin 1861, Gantt became thecolonelof the12th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.He was wounded in an artillery duel while his regiment was in reserve at theBattle of Belmont,and in April 1862 was captured when the Confederate defenses ofIsland Number Tenfell.
Imprisoned atFort Warrenfor several months, Gantt returned to Arkansas but failed to receive another command appointment amid rumors of alcoholism and womanizing. He defected to theUnionin 1863, becoming an opponent of slavery, secession, and the Confederacy. From late 1865 to 1866, he was an agent of the Freedmen's Bureau in southwest Arkansas. After moving toLittle Rock,he was a regional prosecuting attorney from 1868 until he resigned in 1870. At the time of his death in 1874, Gantt was working on a compilation of Arkansas state law.
Biography
[edit]Edward W. Gantt was born inMaury County, Tennesseein 1829.[1]His father, George, was a preacher and teacher.[2]Becoming a lawyer, Gantt practiced inWilliamsport, Tennessee,and was along with his brother was a delegate to theNashville Conventionin 1850,[1]which consideredsecession.[2]Gantt was one of the convention's youngest delegates and did not participate extensively.[3]In 1854[1][2]or 1853, he moved toWashington, Arkansas,where he also practiced law. Gantt had ambitions to become a prominent figure, and did not believe that Tennessee or eastern Arkansas gave him an adequate opportunity for that.[4]Gantt was elected asprosecuting attorneyfor the Sixth Judicial District of Arkansas in 1854, 1856, and 1858. He married Margaret Reid in 1855; the couple had four children.[2]Her family was prominent inDallas County, Arkansas.[1]In 1858, he was reported to own three carriages, eight slaves, and $10,000 of real estate. As an opponent ofArkansas's ruling political "Family",Gantt ran for a seat in theUnited States House of Representativesin 1860. His campaign received the support ofThomas C. Hindman.[2]TheDemocratic Partywas unable to decide on a nominee between Gantt andCharles B. Mitchel,so both candidates ran.[5]Gantt won the general election,[2]polling at 54 percent.[6]
Abraham Lincolnwon the1860 United States presidential election,and Gantt began canvassing northern and western Arkansas with secessionist speeches.[2]Gantt's speeches focused on the claimed risks that the culture of the northern United States presented to southern ideals of honor, pride, and freedom, although the historian Randy Finley questions whether Gantt actually believed his rhetoric.[7]In November, both he and Hindman made inflammatory speeches to theArkansas General Assembly.[8]Arkansas seceded in early 1861, and joined theConfederate States of Americain May.[2]Gantt never took office in the United States House of Representatives, and was also elected to theConfederate States Congress.He preferred a military command to a legislative office though. In late July, he was electedcolonelof the12th Arkansas Infantry Regiment;[1]Gantt had previously requested to be made amajor general.[9]
He and his regiment were transferred toColumbus, Kentucky.[1]On November 7, the 12th Arkansas remained in reserve at theBattle of Belmont,but Gantt was badly wounded during an artillery duel.[10][2]In December, another regiment was added to Gantt's command, and he and his men were transferred to the defenses of theIsland Number 10andNew Madrid, Missouri,area.[11]Gantt's superior,Leonidas Polk,recommended him for promotion tobrigadier general,but the request was denied byJudah P. Benjamin,theConfederate States Secretary of War.[12]GeneralP. G. T. Beauregardappointed Gantt as an acting brigadier general early the next year.[13]In early April, the Confederate defenses at Island Number 10 collapsed, and Gantt surrendered atTiptonville, Tennessee,on April 8. He was imprisoned atFort Warrenuntil August 27, when he was exchanged.[14]
Back home in Arkansas, Gantt awaited another military assignment, but did not receive one. Rumors of a drinking problem had spread,[15]and there were also claims that he flirted with the wives of other officers. Believing that the Confederacy no longer offered him a chance at prominence, Gantt made his way to theUnionlines atVicksburg, Mississippi,and surrendered.[2]He met with Lincoln the next month, and then returned to Arkansas, where he advocated for Arkansans to reject the Confederacy.[16]On December 11, he received the first pardon given by Lincoln to a Confederate officer,[17]Gantt spoke against the Confederacy, slavery, and secession,[15]and in 1863 and 1864 gave speeches in the northern United States designed to strengthen support in the Union for continuing the war.[2]Lincoln proposed theten percent planfor returning the seceded states to the Union, and Gantt promoted this plan in Arkansas; his defection from the Confederacy and support for the Union earned him the disgust of many southerners.[18]
In March 1865, theFreedmen's Bureauwas formed,[19]and the war was mostly over by the next month.[2]According to Finley, with the war over, Gantt opposed giving many Arkansas Confederates pardons; Finley suggests that Gantt was still unhappy over his lack of promotions in Confederate service.[20]However, the historian Carl Moneyhon states that Gantt advocated pardoning some Arkansas Confederates to build support for the Unionist government of the state, with Gantt specifically asking for the pardon ofAugustus H. Garland.[21]In September, Gantt became the general superintendent of the Freedmen's Bureau for the Southwest District of Arkansas.[20]In this role, he oversaw the relation between freed slaves and white Arkansans in his district;[2]he spent much time reviewing and mediating labor contracts. Gantt also organized fundraising for a hospital, supported education for former slaves, and encouraged African Americans in his district to have formal marriages.[22]He also attempted to end "bodily coercion" as a means of enforcing labor contracts in his district.[23]
In 1866, Gantt left his role with the Freedmen's Bureau and moved toLittle Rock.His work with the Bureau had made him unpopular with Arkansas's class of white elites, which would block his hopes for higher political office. From 1868 to 1870, he was the regional prosecuting attorney. In this role, he integrated juries with African Americans, and tried to make the judicial system fair for both races. Gantt received death threats, sometimes carried seven weapons on his person, and kept his house dark after sundown. In 1868[24]or 1869, he had been badly beaten for his stances.[2]Gantt opposed the activities of theKu Klux Klanand in 1867 and 1868 supportedUlysses S. Grant's presidential election campaign. Gantt resigned his role as prosecuting attorney in 1870, although he continued to prosecute occasional cases.Powell Clayton,thegovernor of Arkansas,tasked Gantt in 1873 with compiling Arkansas's legal code.[25]While continuing this work, Gantt died in Little Rock of a heart attack on June 10, 1874, and was buried inTulip.[15]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefAllardice 1995,p. 95.
- ^abcdefghijklmnFinley, Randy (June 16, 2023)."Edward W. Gantt (1829-1874)".Encyclopedia of Arkansas.Retrieved17 February2024.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 54–55.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 55–56.
- ^Dougan 1970,p. 103.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 58.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 59–60.
- ^DeBlack 2003,p. 29.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 60.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 61.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 61–62.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 62.
- ^Allardice 1995,pp. 95–96.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 62–63.
- ^abcAllardice 1995,p. 96.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 64.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 65.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 66–67.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 68.
- ^abFinley 2002,pp. 68–69.
- ^Moneyhon 2002,p. 192.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 69–70.
- ^Moneyhon 2002,p. 210.
- ^Finley 2002,pp. 70–71.
- ^Finley 2002,p. 71.
Sources
[edit]- Allardice, Bruce S. (1995).More Generals in Gray.Baton Rouge, Louisiana:Louisiana State University Press.ISBN978-0-8071-3148-0.
- DeBlack, Thomas A. (2003).With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861–1874.Fayetteville, Arkansas:University of Arkansas Press.ISBN1-55728-740-6.
- Dougan, Michael (1970). "A Look at the" Family "in Arkansas Politics, 1858–1865".Arkansas Historical Quarterly.29(2): 99–111.doi:10.2307/40019277.JSTOR40019277.
- Finley, Randy (2002). ""This Dreadful Whirlpool" of Civil War: Edward W. Gantt and the Quest for Distinction ". In Finley, Randy; DeBlack, Thomas A. (eds.).The Southern Elite and Social Change: Essays in Honor of Willard B. Gatewood Jr.Fayetteville, Arkansas:University of Arkansas Press.pp. 53–73.ISBN1-55728-720-1.
- Moneyhon, Carl H. (2002) [1994].The Impact of Civil War and Reconstruction on Arkansas: Persistence in the Midst of Ruin.Fayetteville, Arkansas:University of Arkansas Press.ISBN1-55728-735-X.