Terry

While I will admit the majority of the newspaper article paints a far rosier picture of the Military Situation in Arkansas in early June 1862 than the reality of the situation was. There is something in the article that I cannot answer.

Unless the editor of the Arkansas True Democrat newspaper had very good spy system how did he know the commander of the PONCHARTRAIN was Lt. Dunnington? When Thomas C. Hindman the Commanding General of Arkansas did even know that any Gunboats were coming to Arkansas as demonstrated by the following telegraph found in Hindman Copybook of telegraphs June to October 1862, from the peter Wellington Alexander Collection, Columbia University Library, New York, New York.

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Little Rock, June 3rd, 1862

R. W. Johnson {C. S. Senator}

Pine Bluff

I applied for gunboats yesterday. No answer. Pillow evacuated last night, Corinth day before.

T. C. Hindman Maj-Genl Comdg
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This would seem to confuse the issue even further since this telegraph and newspaper article were supposedly written the same day.

The only answer that I can surmise is that the Arrival of the PONCHARTRAIN at Little Rock had nothing to do with Hindman application for Gunboats but it fact was sent to Arkansas specifically Little Rock in response to Governor's Rectors threat to have Arkansas to Secede from the Confederacy and declare itself independent from both the United States and the Confederate States.

That the CSS Ponchartrain was actually on a mission to keep Arkansas in the Confederacy by a display of military power in order to bolster the flagging sprites of the Governor and people of Arkansas. Hence the upbeat tone of the Newspaper article. For that reason, I tend to believe the Article. Because it would have been too easy for the presence of the PONCHARTRAIN to have been verified by the people of Little Rock Arkansas and Governor Rector. It is obvious that General Hindman knew nothing about the coming of the PONCHARTRAIN or he wouldn't have written such a telegraph to the Senator Johnson.