Robert Crittenden Newton (June 2, 1840 – June 7, 1877) was a lawyer, politician, and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He is most remembered for his involvement in the Brooks-Baxter War. Robert C. Newton Camp # 197 of Little Rock was named for him and was the oldest continually run camp of the Arkansas Division,

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohisto ...

, as well as the oldest continually active camp west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Early life and education

Born in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, son of Thomas W. Newton and Eliza Allen Newton. His father had been a state legislator and a representative in the 28th Congress. Newton was also the grandson of Col. John Allen, who was killed leading his “Bark” at the Battle of River Rasin, January 22, 1813. Newton was educated at the

Western Military Institute The Western Military Institute was a preparatory school and college located first in Kentucky, then in Tennessee. It was founded in 1847 in Georgetown, Kentucky, and it later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where it merged with Montgomery Bell Acade ...

White House, Tennessee White House is a city in Robertson and Sumner counties in the United States state of Tennessee. The population was listed as 12,982 in the 2020 census. It is approximately twenty-two miles north of downtown Nashville. History Settlers The area ...

. He studied at the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, and studied mathematics and languages with a private tutor. He was admitted to the bar in 1862 and practiced law in Little Rock.

American Civil War

He joined the Confederate army as a private in 1861 and was promoted lieutenant and assistant adjutant-general on the staff of

Thomas C. Hindman Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. (January 28, 1828September 28, 1868) was an American lawyer, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he later moved to Mississip ...

. He took part in the battles of Woodsonville, Shiloh, Siege of

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, Prairie Grove, Helana, Little Rock, and Jenkin's Ferry. He was regularly promoted, becoming colonel of the

5th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment The 5th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (1863–1865) was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated at various times as Newton's Regiment Arkansas Cavalry, Morgan's Regiment Arkansas Cavalry, 2nd Regim ...

, and was acting brigadier general in command of the Arkansas state troops at the close of the war. He was a commissioner from Arkansas to authorities at Washington in 1866 to secure representation for the state in congress.

Brooks–Baxter War

Newton arrested

Elisha Baxter Elisha Baxter (September 1, 1827May 31, 1899) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 10th governor of Arkansas from 1873 to 1874. Early life and career Baxter was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He sought and obta ...

for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

during the American Civil War and brought him to

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, the state capital. After the war, when Baxter was governor, he appointed Newton Major General in charge of the Arkansas State Militia. During the coup by Joseph Brooks known as the Brooks-Baxter War, Newton was the commander of the Baxter militia. After the war, Baxter appointed Newton as

state treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

References

External links

Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home PageEncyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110718122909/http://arkansascivilwar.com/ The Arkansas History Commission, State Archives, Civil War in Arkansas {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Robert C. 1840 births 1877 deaths Confederate States Army officers Military in Arkansas Military personnel from Little Rock, Arkansas People of the Brooks–Baxter War State treasurers of Arkansas 19th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly