Nicholas Bartlett Pearce
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce (commonly known as N. Bart Pearce) (July 20, 1828 – March 8, 1894) was a brigadier general in the Arkansas
state militia
during the American Civil War
. He led a brigade
of infantry
in one of the war's earliest battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater
before serving as a commissary office in the Confederate States Army
for the rest of the war.
, to Allen and Mary (Polly) Morse Pearce. He studied at Cumberland College
in Kentucky before appointment to the United States Military Academy
. He graduated from West Point in 1850, twenty-sixth in a class of forty-four. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 7th U.S. Infantry and stationed in Arkansas and the Indian Territory
for most of his United States Army
career. In 1858 he resigned to join his father-in-law's mercantile in Osage Mills, Arkansas
.
, in May 1861 the Arkansas Secession Convention appointed Pearce as a brigadier general and assigned him command of the state militia's 1st (Western) Division. He took command of Fort Smith
in June after the Confederate recommissioned the abandoned U.S. Army post. Later that summer, his brigade joined Ben McCulloch's Confederates and Sterling Price's
Missouri State Guard
to defeat Union
Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon's
army at the Battle of Wilson's Creek
in southwestern Missouri
.
Pearce's brief and controversial command ended shortly after the battle when in August, Arkansas authorities attempted to transfer his brigade to Confederate service. Pearce resisted and furloughed his men to their homes, leading to the disbandment of the brigade and the end of his combat command.
From December 13, 1861, to the end of the war, Pearce served as a major
in the Confederate Commissary Department in Arkansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas
. On June 21, 1865, he was paroled in Houston, Texas
. He then went to Washington, D.C.
and secured a pardon from President Andrew Johnson
.
, resigning this position in 1874 and returning to Osage Mills. From 1870 to 1884 he was employed by a Kansas City
wholesale house. Later he moved to Texas for his wife's health and worked as a land examiner.
N. Bart Pearce died in Dallas, Texas
, on March 8, 1894, at the home of his daughter-in-law. He is buried in Whitesboro, Texas
.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He led a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
in one of the war's earliest battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater
Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
The Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War was the major military and naval operations west of the Mississippi River. The area excluded the states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean, which formed the Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War.The campaign classification...
before serving as a commissary office in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
for the rest of the war.
Early life and career
Pearce was born in Caldwell County, KentuckyCaldwell County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,984 people, with 6,292 households in the county.-Communities:*Bakers*Baldwin Ford*Black Hawk*The Bluff*Cedar Bluff*Claxton*Cobb*Cresswell*Crider*Crowtown*Enon*Farmersville*Flat Rock*Friendship*Fryer...
, to Allen and Mary (Polly) Morse Pearce. He studied at Cumberland College
Cumberland College (Princeton, Kentucky)
Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky was founded in 1826 and operated until 1861. It was the first college founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and one of the first American institutions to accept female students. Presidents included Franceway Ranna Cossitt, Richard Beard, Milton...
in Kentucky before appointment to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. He graduated from West Point in 1850, twenty-sixth in a class of forty-four. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 7th U.S. Infantry and stationed in Arkansas and the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
for most of his United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
career. In 1858 he resigned to join his father-in-law's mercantile in Osage Mills, Arkansas
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
.
Civil War service
Despite Pearce's vocal opposition to secessionSecession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
, in May 1861 the Arkansas Secession Convention appointed Pearce as a brigadier general and assigned him command of the state militia's 1st (Western) Division. He took command of Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
in June after the Confederate recommissioned the abandoned U.S. Army post. Later that summer, his brigade joined Ben McCulloch's Confederates and Sterling Price's
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
Missouri State Guard
Missouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard was a state militia organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not initially a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular Confederate...
to defeat Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon's
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
army at the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
in southwestern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Pearce's brief and controversial command ended shortly after the battle when in August, Arkansas authorities attempted to transfer his brigade to Confederate service. Pearce resisted and furloughed his men to their homes, leading to the disbandment of the brigade and the end of his combat command.
From December 13, 1861, to the end of the war, Pearce served as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the Confederate Commissary Department in Arkansas, the Indian Territory, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. On June 21, 1865, he was paroled in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He then went to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and secured a pardon from President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
.
Post-war career
Pearce returned to Osage Mills in 1867 to rebuild his home, mill, and store. In 1872 he left to teach mathematics at the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, resigning this position in 1874 and returning to Osage Mills. From 1870 to 1884 he was employed by a Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
wholesale house. Later he moved to Texas for his wife's health and worked as a land examiner.
N. Bart Pearce died in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, on March 8, 1894, at the home of his daughter-in-law. He is buried in Whitesboro, Texas
Whitesboro, Texas
Whitesboro is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,760 at the 2000 census. Whitesboro is named for its founder, Ambrose B...
.