{⋆★⋆} MG Hindman, Thomas C.

Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr.​

Born: January 28, 1828

Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee

Father: Thomas Carmichael Hindman Sr.

Mother: Sallie Holt Hindman

Wife: Mary Watkins Biscoe Hindman 1838 – 1876

(Buried: Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, Arkansas)​

Education:

1843: Graduated from Lawrenceville Classical Institute​

Occupation before War:

1846 – 1848: Served in the Mexican War rising to 2nd​ Lt.​

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Attorney in Helena, Arkansas​

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1854 – 1856: Mississippi State Representative​

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1859 – 1861: United States Representative from Arkansas​

Civil War Career:

1861: Colonel of 2nd​ Arkansas Infantry Regiment​

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1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Confederate Army, Infantry​

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1862: Wounded during the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee​

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1862 – 1865: Major General of Confederate Army Infantry​

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1864: Struck in eye by a tree limb Battle of Kennesaw Mountain​

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Refused to Surrender with other Confederates Surrendered​

Occupation after War:

Joined the other Confederates in the Mexican town of Carolota, Mexico​

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Active in Politics in Arkansas​

Died: September 28, 1868

Place of Death: Helena, Arkansas

Age at time of Death: 40 years old

Cause of Death: Assassinated

Burial Place: Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, Arkansas

 

[Tin cup]

He tried, but he wasn't qualified enough.

Kevin Dally

 

[Pollaco]

Assassination is too nice a term, it was probably a cold hearted murder/ambush by an unknown killer.

 

[Pollaco]

The division that Hindman took over in Aug.1863 as a major general was the one that was commanded by Gen. Jones Withers. He succeeded Withers when that general was transferred to Alabama.

 

[James N.]

Hindman's Civil War career should certainly include his command of the Arkansas state troops in 1862, resulting in the lost battle of Prairie Grove that December. Hindman Hall Museum at Prairie Grove State Park was erected by his descendants and dedicated to him around the time of the Civil War Centennial. Below, Hindman's headquarters have been moved within the park; here he conferred with his subordinate generals the night before the battle. He was buried in the same hilltop cemetery in Helena near his prewar friend Pat Cleburne.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

I must admit, since reading more into the Prairie Grove Campaign, General Hindman has become one of my all time favorite Generals in the CW.

His actions after returning to the smoldering wreck of a State Van Dorn's worthless self left, (I really don't like Van Dorn), and the way Hindman was able to put everything back together and got Arkansas running again, not to mention his outright targeting of profiteers speaks of a great administrator, and of a good officer not afraid of his superiors to get the job done. Also while a failure, one must admit, Hindman was bold in the Prairie Grove Campaign, and while I don't have the reference on hand at the moment, I think it was General Curtis' warning to General Herron when he headed to reinforce Blunt that is priceless.

It was something to the effect of, "Be careful Hindman will ambush you." Which Hindman did...

 

[James N.]

Of course, the opposite side of Hindman should be mentioned as well, most notably his incomprehensible failure to attack the isolated division of James Negley in McLemore's Cove, Georgia during the Chickamauga Campaign. Hindman was always a proponent of the attack, as long as the final responsibility wasn't his; but for some reason he got cold feet there and dallied long enough to ruin Bragg's well-laid trap, allowing Negley to escape.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Of course, the opposite side of Hindman should be mentioned as well, most notably his incomprehensible failure to attack the isolated division of James Negley in McLemore's Cove, Georgia during the Chickamauga Campaign. Hindman was always a proponent of the attack, as long as the final responsibility wasn't his; but for some reason he got cold feet there and dallied long enough to ruin Bragg's well-laid trap, allowing Negley to escape.

Indeed, even at Prairie Grove his aggression disappeared and he got cold feet. He was one for the attack, a good administrator, and good at disciplining unruly troops.

Still when it comes to politicians in uniform, I'd say he was one of the better ones.

 

[Desert Kid]

I visited his grave at Maple Hill Cemetery in Helena, Arkansas last year. He's buried a few plots over from Patrick Cleburne.

Good book about him too:

 

[maximus_flavius]

 

[Frank Watson]

I thought I knew this but I heard it the other way recently.

Pronouncing Hindman, "Hind" rhymes with "bend" or "kind" ? I can find both ways online.

 

[jackt62]

It was something to the effect of, "Be careful Hindman will ambush you."

General Curtis' warning to General Herron:
"Be cautious. Hindman is shrewd and active. He will try hard to deceive you by drawing you into an ambush."

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday Major General Thomas Hindman! Salutes remembering General Hindman on his birthday.

 

[Missouri Swampfox]

I must admit, since reading more into the Prairie Grove Campaign, General Hindman has become one of my all time favorite Generals in the CW.

His actions after returning to the smoldering wreck of a State Van Dorn's worthless self left, (I really don't like Van Dorn), and the way Hindman was able to put everything back together and got Arkansas running again, not to mention his outright targeting of profiteers speaks of a great administrator, and of a good officer not afraid of his superiors to get the job done. Also while a failure, one must admit, Hindman was bold in the Prairie Grove Campaign, and while I don't have the reference on hand at the moment, I think it was General Curtis' warning to General Herron when he headed to reinforce Blunt that is priceless.

It was something to the effect of, "Be careful Hindman will ambush you." Which Hindman did...

Me too!

 

[Missouri Swampfox]

To me, Hindman's biggest problem was "Granny" Holmes and indeed one of the major drawbacks of the TMD. With Holmes and Jeff Davis with their politics and Davis' favorites, the West didn't stand a chance. Even Kirby Smith faced odds hard to overcome.

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

As I recall, he made a speech or tried to make a speech from his front porch after he was shot. Does anyone recall this?

 

[Desert Kid]

As I recall, he made a speech or tried to make a speech from his front porch after he was shot. Does anyone recall this?

It was before he was shot.

If I remember, it was that night, someone snuck to his house and killed him with a a few musket rounds.

 

[James N.]

Recent modern representations of the diminutive Hindman and his principal opponent James Blunt inside the recently remodeled Hindman Hall Museum at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, Arkansas, below which was financed by the General's descendants and dedicated to his memory around the time of the Civil War Centennial.

 

[Luke Freet]

Hindman is one of the more fascinating characters of the war. He was quite the controversial politician before the war, apparently surviving an angry mob in Little Rock and an assassination attempt by Know Nothings in Helena (in the later incident, friend and future general Patrick Cleburne took the bullet for Tom).

His biggest achievement of the war was forming an entire army from scratch in Arkansas, though this resulting in more political shenanigans that further ****** off other politicians in the state, and his defeat at Prairie Grove forced his removal and reassignment to the Army of Tennessee. He commanded Withers' former Division in the Chickamauga Campaign, infamously disobeying Bragg's orders at Dug Gap and letting a golden opportunity to isolate and destroy a Union division go to waste; that said, his command performed conspicuously at Chickamauga. He backed Cleburne's infamous proposal for Confederate emancipation and recruitment of slaves. He did well in the Atlanta Campaign, before he was injured badly on July 7th and left the field; he would never command an army again.

His postwar career is one of political scheming, being one of many Southern democrats who pandered to blacks in generally cynical efforts to garner votes. He was mortally wounded by an unknown rider passing by his house the night of the 28th of September. He gave a speech before a gathering crowd of locals, before dying in his home that morning. It is unknown who assassinated him, and given his ability to **** off a large number of people, the possible culprits are endless.

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

Blue and Gray Magazine covered Helena and Hindman in one of their final issues.