Monthly Archives: February 2014

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James Harrison Kay: Dual War Veteran

The Mexican-American war began in 1846 and lasted for nearly two years — depending on the ages of the soldiers, many of the troops who fought together during that war fought either with or against each other in the Civil War, which began about 14 years later in 1861.

As an example,  Generals Ulysses Grant and Robert E Lee were allies in the Mexican war, and of course bitter arch rivals less than two decades later.

In a moment of pure luck, Lynn and I  discovered a gentleman from the Ozarks who was a veteran in both wars: James Harrison Kay.  He was born in 1817  (Lynn noticed that he was born only 18 years after George Washington’s death, which is kind of mind-blowing) and died in 1891; he’s buried in Coffelt Cemetery in Benton County, Arkansas:

James Harrison Kay Burial Site

James Harrison Kay Burial Site

Kay was born in Abbeville, South Carolina – when President Polk asked for volunteers to help win the Mexican war, James Kay answered the call at the age of 29 becoming a member of the South Carolina Palmetto regiment.

The prestigious Palmettos were the first regiment to storm the gates of Mexico City and to subsequently raise the American flag in victory.

At some point after the his valiant service in the Mexican War, Kay relocated to Mississippi — he became a 2nd Lt. in the Confederate Army, serving in the 17th regiment of the Mississippi Infantry –the regiment (nicknamed the Burnsville Blues) garnered high praise from General Robert E. Lee for meritorious service.

One of Kay’s fellow soldiers, Robert A Moore  kept a diary of the regiment’s day to day activities up until he was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga (late summer, 1863)– this battle was probably the most notorious and bloodiest battle the 17th regiment was engaged in.  In fact, the Battle of Chickamauga was the bloodiest battle in the Western theater — 13,000 troops were killed.

“Whoever controls Chattanooga Wins the War” — Abraham Lincoln  

Lincoln’s opinion regarding a Chattanooga victory was based on logistical fact. Defeating Chattanooga would result in a “clear shot” all the way to Atlanta. A major rail hub, a disruption of supply lines to the confederates would also be possible. These reasons, plus the fact that Chattanooga was a banking, commerce and manufacturing center fueled Rosecrans [Union general] toward this ultimate goal.

Despite the fact that the Chickamauga “skirmish”  was considered a Confederate victory, nothing was gained by the South.  A determined Rosecrans ultimately took control of Chattanooga — the beginning of the end was near for the confederates. A footnote in Robert Moore’s diary describes the plight of the 17th regiment 2 years and some months into the war:

“. . .with some marching and countermarching, the 17th remained with Longstreet in East Tennessee, enduring great hardships. More than half of the men were at times barefooted and almost naked, when the weather was bitter cold and ground covered with snow.”

Confederate soldier monument, Confederate Cemetery, Fayetteville, AR

Confederate soldier monument, Confederate Cemetery, Fayetteville, AR

 

 

James Harrison Kay after the War

2nd Lt. Kay returned to Mississippi after the Civil War, no doubt a changed man – one of his sons was lost in battle and he had to begin the task of rebuilding a life for his family in the post Civil War south — a process complicated by the assassination of Lincoln.  At one point after the War– sometime before 1880, he relocated to Arkansas, where he lived until his death in 1891. – just one of the many unsung heroes hidden in the Ozarks

Although it's certainly not uncommon to locate gravestones of Confederate soldiers in Arkansas, it's much less common to find a dual war veteran, such as James Harrison Kay.

Although it’s certainly not uncommon to locate gravestones of Confederate soldiers in Arkansas, it’s much less common to find a dual war veteran, such as James Harrison Kay.

 

 

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1947 Bright Water Tornado, Part II

In the last post, we shared one family’s experience of being in the midst of a tornado in 1947, ala Dorothy style.

Here’s what Charlene Ford remembers in the aftermath:

“Many of our cows landed in the front yard. There was a hollow between the farmhouse and where they grazed — there’s no way they could have descended into the hollow and them climb back into our yard, yet several of them were standing by our front door (think “Twister”).”

She also recalls seeing one of their roosters inside the wheel of their car, another anomaly that is difficult to explain. Debris was everywhere, yet the house, handmade from solid oak, remained standing. It had, however, been lifted off of its foundation and landed 6 feet to the west (think Wizard of Oz).

In 1981, Charlene’s son, Russ Stockton took a class on meteorology at the University of Arkansas, and was amazed to discover that his grandfather’s farmhouse was famous in meteorology circles, and was known for the “Dorothy affect.”

Checking on Neighbors

Concerned for other area residents, they piled into their car to go check on them. Unfortunately, one family a few hundred yards away wasn’t as unscathed. A mother and her two year old daughter were blown out of their out and the child was ripped from the mother’s arms, killing her.

The origin of the tornado was in Bright Water, a community close to Rogers, AR and 5 miles due south from the Ford home. Some of Charlene’s family members were just a few hundred yards from where the tornado first touched down; amazingly, they hid under the Bright Water railroad bridge, and all survived:

Bright Water Railroad Bridge

Bright Water Railroad Bridge

 

 

Just about 100 yards from this bridge are all that remains of Bright Water:

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Mr. and Mrs. Arch Blanchett, owners of the general store in Bright Water, were killed there; in all, 10 Arkansans perished, while 11 more in Missouri were killed.

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The 1947 Brightwater Tornado

From the time I first watched “The Wizard of Oz” at age 4, I’ve been fascinated (and terrified) by tornadoes.

Here in the Northwest Arkansas portion of the Ozarks, it’s relatively rare for a tornado of any real significance to blast through — that’s because of a phenom that scientists refer to as the “Bella Vista Split” — as bad weather makes its way toward the area from Tulsa (whether it’s an ice storm, thunderstorm, or tornadic activity), once the system hits the mountains of Bella Vista Arkansas, it “splits” – driving the worst of the weather to the northeast and southeast, where the the worst outcomes occur.

But such was not the case in April of 1947, when the Brightwater community of Rogers, AR, Garfield AR and Seligman, MO were hit with a massive tornado that claimed 21 lives.

And one family in Northwest Arkansas actually experienced an “Oz” moment and lived to tell the tale.

Path of Destruction

 

It was 8:00 p.m., on an early spring evening. The air was still, lightning appeared in the distance. Within minutes, all hell broke loose.

The 1947 storm began at Brightwater Crossing, a small community that built up around the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad — that town was virtually wiped out — the General Store was destroyed and those who were inside were all killed. Several buildings simply blew away.

Remnants of the Bright Water tornado -- the community was never rebuilt

Remnants of the Bright Water tornado — the community was never rebuilt

After desecrating Brighwater, the tornado headed toward a farming community close to Garfield, AR — the home of Vallis and Sylvia Ford was directly in the path of the storm — their daughter, Charlene recalls the horror of the experience:

“I remember hearing thunder and lightning, and then a loud noise, the sound of a freight train. My Dad asked [her older brother] Clinton to open the curtain to see what the noise was from. Just as he did that, the glass imploded all over him.

I was sitting on my mother’s lap and we were knocked over and a dresser fell on top of us — it fell on my legs, but directly on top of my mother — only her arm was sticking out from underneath.

I looked up and saw the wallpaper in our dining area start peeling off, from top to bottom — then I saw my dad literally fly across the room — later, he would say that what saved him from [certain death] was that he grabbed onto my mother’s arm — she had a deep bruise for months after the storm.”

They Weren’t in Kansas, but it Seemed Like They Were

“My Dad built that house himself, and it was made of solid oak — I think that’s why we weren’t killed.” But, in a true Dorothy moment, they realized the house had been picked up off of it’s foundation, and was laid down 6 feet to the west.

Next Post: Tending to their Neighbors