Ray Hanley

Remembering Arkansas Confederates and the 1911 Little Rock Veterans Reunion Ray Hanley

Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861, opening a chapter in the state's history that would change its destiny for decades. An estimated 6,862 Arkansas Confederate soldiers died from battle and disease, while some 1,700 Arkansas men died wearing Union blue. Total casualties, killed and wounded, represented 12 percent of the white men in the state between the ages of 15 and 62. Bloody, hard-fought battles included Pea Ridge, Helena, Little Rock, and the rare Confederate victory in southwest Arkansas at Jenkins' Ferry. Following the war, the event that included the largest parade ever in Arkansas, the 1911 United Confederate Veterans Reunion, is presented in picture and word. The event has largely been neglected by history books. From the monuments and veterans to the loyal reenactors still gathering today, the story of the Civil War in Arkansas is remembered and preserved for coming generations.