John Mortimer Harrell (December 14, 1828July 4, 1907) was an American lawyer and writer. He composed the very first

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sent from

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he distinguished himself as a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

in the operations of the West. Afterwards, he served as commander of the Southern Division, Arkansas

United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...

Life and career

In 1861 John Mortimer Harrell was the political editor of the ''Old Line Democrat''. He was the editor of the ''Southern States'', a weekly that succeeded the ''Old Line Democrat''. In 1876 he was one of the editors of the ''Arkansas Gazette''. Soon after this he removed to

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

, where he continued to reside for many years, until the death of his wife, when he moved out of the State. In about 1880 he was the editor of the ''Hot Springs Telegraph''. During the

Reconstruction Period The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebui ...

, he served as secretary of the 1867 Democratic convention. He wrote extensively about politics in Little Rock during this time, keeping newspaper clippings and long commentaries on the articles. His writings were published in 1893 as the ''Brooks and Baxter War'', and are one of the most prominent sources on the

Brooks–Baxter War The Brooks–Baxter War, also known as the Brooks–Baxter Affair, was an attempt made by failed gubernatorial candidate Joseph Brooks (politician), Joseph Brooks of the “Brindle-tail” faction of Arkansas' Republican Party of Arkansas, Rep ...

. In 1899, Harrell and John Dimitry co-authored ''

Confederate Military History ''Confederate Military History'' is a 12-volume series of books written and/or edited by former Confederate Brigadier General Clement A. Evans that deals with specific topics related to the military personalities, places, battles, and campaigns in ...

, Volume X: Louisiana and Arkansas''.

Selected works

* ''Brooks and Baxter War'' (1893) * ''

, Volume X'' (1899)

References

External links

*
John M. Harrell
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, John M. 1828 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American non-fiction writers American Civil War prisoners of war American non-fiction writers American people of Irish descent Arkansas Democrats Burials in Arkansas Cavalry commanders Confederate States Army officers Journalists from Arkansas Lawyers from Little Rock, Arkansas Male non-fiction writers Military personnel from Little Rock, Arkansas People of Arkansas in the American Civil War People from Gatesville, North Carolina United Confederate Veterans United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Arkansas University of Nashville alumni Writers from Little Rock, Arkansas Writers of American Southern literature

Life and career

Selected works

See also

References

External links