United States. Army. Military District, 4th

The 4th Military District of the United States Army was established by the First Reconstruction Act, passed by the Fortieth United States Congress on March 2, 1867. It encompassed the states of Arkansas and Mississippi with its headquarters at Vicksburg, Mississippi under the command of Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord. It was later commanded by Maj. Gens. Alvan C. Gillem, Irvin McDowell, and Adelbert Ames. It was one of five military districts that placed ten of the former Confederate states under military authority. Its function was to protect the rights of freedmen, keep the peace, and oversee the election and formation of new state governments in Arkansas and Mississippi loyal to the federal government in Washington D. C. During its existence it combated the rampant post-war racial and political violence experienced throughout the South during that time. Arkansas ratified the Fourteenth Amendment and adopted a new state constitution in the spring of 1868 and on June 22, 1868 was readmitted to the Union, leaving Mississippi the sole state of the district. It disbanded when Mississippi returned to civil government and was readmitted to the Union on February 23, 1870. (Bradley, The Army and Reconstruction 1865-1877; Eicher,Civil War High Commands; Encyclopedia of Arkansas; Wikipedia)