Nicholas Bartlett Pearce (commonly known as N. Bart Pearce) (July 20, 1828 – March 8, 1894) was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

State Troops 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 led a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

in one of the war's earliest battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater before serving as a commissary officer in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

for the rest of the war.

Early life and career

Pearce was born in

Caldwell County, Kentucky Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,649. Its county seat is Princeton. The county was formed in 1809 from Livingston County, Kentucky and named for John Caldwell, who ...

, to Allen and Mary (Polly) Morse Pearce. He studied at Cumberland College in Kentucky before appointment to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. He graduated from West Point in 1850, twenty-sixth in a class of forty-four. He was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

7th U.S. Infantry The 7th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. In its 200-year history it has participated in 12 wars, been awarded 78 campaign streamers, and 14 unit decorations. The regiment has served in more campaigns than any ...

and stationed in Arkansas and the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

for most of his

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

career. In March 1858 he resigned to join his father-in-law's mercantile in

Osage Mills, Arkansas Osage Mills is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The millsite and associated dam is located on Little Osage Creek about eight miles southwest of Rogers.''Centerton, Arkansas,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, ...

. Pearce was elected and briefly served as the Colonel of the Benton County Militia Regiment.

Civil War service

Despite Pearce's vocal opposition to

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

, 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. Brigadier General Pearce assumed command of the 1st (Western) Division and had the following units under his direct command:Battles and leaders of the Civil War, 1884–1887, The Century Company, Page 306, accessed January 6, 2010, https://books.google.com/books?id=8C4OAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA306&dq=Sam%20J.%20Churchill%20Arkansas%20general&pg=PA306#v=onepage&q&f=false :

3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops (1861) was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named ...

, (Gratiot's Regiment) : 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, (Walker's Regiment) : 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, (Dockery's Regiment) : 1st Cavalry Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (Carrols Regiment) :

Pulaski Light Artillery The 3rd Arkansas Field Battery (1860–1865) was a Confederate Army artillery battery from Pulaski County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. The battery is also known as the Totten Light Artillery, Pulaski Light Artillery, the Weaver Lig ...

, (Woodruff's Battery). : Fort Smith Artillery, (Ried's Battery) Brigadier General Pearce, who lived in Benton County, established the headquarters, 1st Division, Provisional Army of Arkansas at Camp Walker at Maysville. Thus when a Union army began operating around

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

in Southwest

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, Pearce's state troops were nearby. Pearce's troops, which are referred to as a brigade of State Troops in the official accounts of the battle, numbered 2,234 troops. Pearce agreed to co-operate with Brigadier General

Benjamin McCulloch Brigadier-General Benjamin McCulloch (November 11, 1811 – March 7, 1862) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a major-general in the Texas militia and thereafter a major in the United States Army (United States Volunteers) ...

and his force of about 8,000 other soldiers from several commands, to form a sizable force and immediately marched toward Springfield. On August 10, 1861, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the forceful commander of Union troops in Missouri, attacked the Confederates.Edwin C. Bearss, Battle of Wilson's Creek (Diamond, MO, 1975), pp. 59, 77–78. See also Huff, "Military Board", p. 90. The Battle of Wilson's Creek came to an abrupt and inglorious halt when the Union commander was killed. Leaderless and outnumbered five-to-one, the bluecoats fled the battlefield. The Arkansas troops played a role in winning the battle, but paid a heavy price for victory.Report of Brig. Gen N. B. Pearce, commanding First Division, Army of Arkansas, The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.; Series 1 – Volume 3, Page 123, Accessed January 11, 2011, http://dlxs2.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar;cc=moawar;xc=1;idno=waro0003;g=moagrp;q1=arkansas;q2=Wilson%20s%20Creek;q3=Gratiot;frm=frameset;view=image;seq=137;page=root;size=s Two Arkansas units suffered particularly heavy casualties. Colonel Thomas J. Churchill's

1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate States Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was formed as a mounted infantry regiment, but was dismounted in the spring of 1862 and remained dismounted for the rem ...

counted 42 killed and 155 wounded out of 600 men. Colonel John Gratiot's 3rd Arkansas Infantry, State Troops suffered 109 casualties, including 25 killed, out of a force of 500 men.National Park Service
Brief Account of the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Retrieved 2008-10-17. 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's troops were polled as to whether they wanted to be transferred to Confederate command as had been arranged prior to the battle. Brig. Gen. Pearce actively campaigned against joining the Confederate States Army. Sources differ as to how many of these Arkansas state troops agreed to the transfer. It appears that few were willing to continue in either service. Several units signed petitions requesting that General Pearce be allowed to remain in command.The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.; Series 1 – Volume 3, Page 716, Accessed 10 January 2010, http://dlxs2.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar;cc=moawar;xc=1;idno=waro0003;g=moagrp;q1=Arkansas;q2=Wilson%20s%20Creek;q3=Gratiot;node=waro0003%3A4;frm=frameset;view=image;seq=729;page=root;size=s By the end of September 1861, all organized state troops had either been transferred to Confederate command or mustered out of state service.Bearss and Gibson, Little Gibraltar, pp. 250–251; Montgomery, "DWJ", p. 3.; Huff, "Military Board", p. 80; Dougan, Confederate Arkansas, pp. 77–79. From December 13, 1861, to the end of the war, Pearce served as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Confederate Commissary Department in Arkansas, the Indian Territory, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. On June 21, 1865, he was paroled in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. He then went to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and secured a pardon from President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

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 Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

, resigning this position in 1874 and returning to Osage Mills. From 1870 to 1884 he was employed by a

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

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 () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, on March 8, 1894, at the home of his daughter-in-law. He is buried in

Whitesboro, Texas Whitesboro is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,793 at the 2010 census. Whitesboro is named for its founder, Ambrose B. White. It is part of the Sherman-Denison metropolitan area. History The area was once kn ...

References

* Allardice, Bruce S., ''More Generals in Gray.'' Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

Louisiana State University Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of American Univer ...

, 1995.

Notes

Service Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Nicholas Bartlett 1828 births 1894 deaths Confederate States Army officers Confederate militia generals People of Arkansas in the American Civil War People from Caldwell County, Kentucky United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers People from Benton County, Arkansas University of Arkansas faculty