Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1940 The aC reer of Henry Watkins Allen. Luther Edward Chandler Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Chandler, Luther Edward, "The aC reer of Henry Watkins Allen." (1940). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7825. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7825 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MANUSCRIPT THESES Unpublished theses submitted for the master*s and doctorfs degrees and deposited in the Louisiana State University Library are available for inspection. Use of any thesis is limited by the rights of the author. Bibliographical references may be noted, but passages may not be copied unless the author has given permission# Credit must be given in subsequent written or published work. A library which borrows this thesis for use by its clientele is expected to make sure that the borrower is aware of the above restrictions. LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 1 1 9 - a THE CAREER OF HENRY WATKINS ALLEN A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History By Luther Edward chandler B* A. Louisiana College, 19£7 M. A. University of Texas, 1930 1940 UMI Number: DP69203 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI Dissertation Publishing UMI DP69203 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 J.L-3 4 —J— xtmomMmmm Prof6880? Wendell H, Stephenson directed this study and without his words of encouragement, helpful criticism, and guidance It would not hare teen possible. Professor Stephenson gave generously of his time and was prompt in reading the manuscript, these favors are gratefully ac­ knowledged, the writer wishes to express his sincere ap­ preciation to Professor Walter Prichard for reading the msnusoript and correcting many errors. The author is very grateful for many favors from Professor James A. MoMillen, Louisiana State university Librarian, and his staff. Ac­ knowledgements are made for many favors from Mrs. B. P. Friedrichs, custodian of the Olty Archives, New Orleans; Doctor Philip M* Hammer, Chief, Division of Deference, the National Archives; the staff of the Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi; and Mr. V. Id. Lefehvre, Jr., clerk of court, Port Allen, Louisiana. Thanks are ex­ tended to Honorable J. Pair Hardin of Shreveport for assist­ ance in locating source material; to the late Mrs. Mary D* Linsday and Mr. £. B. Schwing, Hr,, for making available newspaper files; and Miss Lavlna Bgan of Mount Lebanon, Louisiana for use of her manuscript collection, Louisiana state university Luther Bdward Chandler University, Louisiana June, 1940 u 346914 - \ <\<rO a . u . TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................... ii ABSTRACT..............................................ir I m E ALLEN F A MIL Y...................................... 1 II TEACHER, LAWYER, AND FARMER IN MISSISSIPPI, 1837-1852 . 8 III THE CITIZEN PLANTER, 1852-1861....................... 27 IY LOUISIANA POLITICS, 1852-1861 .................... 68 Y THE LEGISLATOR, 1858-1861 96 YI FROM FRIYATE TO MAYOR GENERAL, 1861-1863 ........... 118 YII DUAL GOVERNMENT, 1862-1864 ........................ 148 VIII WARTIME GOVERNOR, 1864-1865 159 IE THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT, 1862-1865 .... 196 X EXILES IN MEXICO, 1865-1866 230 H LOUISIANA HONORS A H E R O ............................ 274 APPENDIX ........................................... 293 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................... 305 BIOGRAPHY........................................... 324 111 ABSTRACT A biographical study of Henry w» Allen, one of Louisiana*s very capable and most respected nineteenth century statesmen, has long been overdue, only one effort has been made to treat this subject: that was in 1866 only a few months after his death and at a time when many of the records were not available. This study is based upon newspapers, manuscript correspondence, united States census reports, deeds, mortgage records, assessment and tax rolls, and other county and state records in Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia. Henry Watkins Allen, brigadier general and wartime governor of Louisiana, was born near Parmville, Virginia, April 29, 1820. His father moved to Missouri in 1833; four years later Allen left home and established himself as a tutor in the home of William R. McAlpine, a prominent planter at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The Claiborne County records in port Gibson and in the Department of Archives and History at jaokson reveal that between 1837 and 1852 Allen practiced law, served six months in the Texas army, was for one term an active member of the lower House of the Mississippi legislature, and operated a cotton plantation. He also purchased a large amount of land in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas during this period. In 1844 Allen married Salome Ann crane, the daughter of a prominent Claiborne county planter. Eight years later Allen iv disposed of his property in Mississippi and went to Louisiana, Alien*s life in west Baton Houge was that of the aristo­ cratic, well-to-do plantation owner in the ante-bellum days. The West Baton Bouge Parish reoords show that he acquired a half interest in Westover, a $300,000 sugar plantation, which later was divided. Allen named his portion of the estate Allendale and erected on it a fine brick home, Negro cabins, a sugar mill, and the other neoessary buildings for operating a sugar plantation. Two men were associated with Allen at different times in operating his plantation which permitted him to give much of his time to public life. He aided in building plank roads and in securing the Baton Bouge, Opelousas, and Gross© Tete railroad for his parish and was sealous in organising the sugar planters. During the 1630*s Allen traveled in the United States and Europe and, according to the records of the alumni office, in the summer of 1654 he was in Cambridge and attended classes at Harvard university, while traveling, Allen wrote letters under the psuedonym of **Guy Mannering” and had them published In a Baton Bouge paper. Allen was very active in politics. He was a member of the whig party in Mississippi and after coming to Louisiana he continued his alignment with the organisation until it was replaced by the American or Know Nothing group about 1656. Allen was a member of the American party until 1859 when he affiliated with the Democratic organisation. He supported Breokinrldge in I860 and after the election results v were made known he beoame a rabid secessionist. Alien served in the legislature from 1858 to 1861} and the legislative Journals, acts, committee reports, newspapers, and other documents show that he was very active in the assembly* When the Civil war began, Allen Joined the Delta Bifles as a private and within three years had been appointed a brigadier general by President Davis* Be was also commis­ sioned a major general of the Louisiana troops by Governor Moore. Allen received a wound in the battle at Baton Rouge which incapatitated him for about a year and disabled him for the remainder of his life. As Governor of Louisiana Allen made his name a household word among the people of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas. To supply the needs of the state he established a cloth factory, turpentine still, laboratory for making medicines, and iron foundry. Allen purchased cotton and sent it through Texas to Mexico where it was exchanged for medicines, cloth, paper, and other articles. This part of the study is based primarily upon the confederate records preserved by Allen and left at the close of the war with John M. Sandidge who delivered them to the Federal officials. These sources consist of a letter book, legislative journals and acts, treasury records, and other state documents. They are In The National Archives and have been used for the first time in a Louisiana study. Two manuscript collections sup­ plied valuable information in the preparation of this portion of the work. One consists of about forty letters from Allen vi to Dootor Bartholomew Ugan and are now in possession of his granddaughter, Miss Lavina Sgan, at Mount Lebanon, Louisiana; the other is the official correspondence of Governor Pendleton Murrah of Texas* After the war closed, Allen, like many other Confederate leaders, preferred exile to arrest and Imprisonment; so he went into Mexico, where he spent the last nine months of his life* Allen