February 27, 1862 (Thursday): A Poisoning In Arkansas

Mudtown Was About 30 Miles South of Pea Ridge

GENERAL ORDERS,}    HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,

          No. 49.              }                    Saint Louis, Mo., February 27, 1862.

   Official information has been received that the rebel troops in evacuating Mudtown, Ark., poisoned the provisions which they were obliged to abandon, and that forty-two officers and men of one of our regiments were poisoned by eating these provisions.  One brave officer and several men have died and others have suffered terribly from this barbarous act—an act condemned by every civilized nation, ancient and modern.

   We cannot retaliate by adopting the same barbarous mode of warfare; nor can we retaliate by punishing the innocent for the acts of the guilty.  The laws of war forbid this; but the same code authorizes us to retaliate upon the guilty parties.  Any person guilty of such acts, when captured will not be treated as ordinary prisoners of war; they will not be shot but will suffer the ignominious punishment of being hung as felons.  Moreover, all officers are in a measure responsible for the acts of the troops under their command.  Officers of troops guilty of such acts, although not themselves the advisers or abettors of crime, will therefore when captured be put in irons and conveyed as criminals to these headquarters.  The laws of war make it their duty to prevent such barbarities; if they neglect that duty they must suffer the consequences.

   By command of Major-General Halleck:

                                                                                    N. H. McLEAN,

                                                                        Assistant Adjustant-General

Series II., Vol. 3, Part 1, Page 334.

As Curtis advanced through Missouri and drove Price’s men into Arkansas, the Confederate forces were accused of poisoning abandoned provisions and wells in Mudtown, Arkansas.  Mudtown, also known as Bloomington (now Lowell), was about 75 miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri.   It was located on the Old Wire Road (named for the telegraph wires on it) between Fort Smith and Fayetteville.  During the war as many as 10,000 troops camped in the area. As far as we can find out, no other repercussions occurred from the incident.  It is known at least one Union officer had to retire from the Army due to liver damage in the incident.