Arkansas disaster with civil war connection
Vienna,VA 6/12/10 __ This past Thursday, a freak storm brought death and disaster to a recreational camp in Arkansas, on the banks of the Little Missouri River, near Caddo Gap. With a flash flood warning given at 2:00 a.m., when most of the 300 campers there were asleep, the river rose over its banks in a mighty flood at 3:00 a.m., sweeping over the campground. It peeled up asphalt like pieces of chewing gum, threw cars and RVs from one end of the area to the other, and thus far has resulted in the known deaths of at least seventeen campers – men, women, and children alike. The list of the missing is incomplete, since the sign-in roster disappeared in the floodwaters.
The campground was known as the Albert Pike Recreation Area, and the connection is thus to Brig. Gen. Albert Pike, Confederate officer and a confusing gentleman about whom to try and write. He was born in Boston, one of seven children, educated at Harvard, became an attorney, soldier, writer, poet and Mason. He was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court in 1849, along with Abraham Lincoln. His is the only statue of a Confederate military figure to have a statue outdoors in Washington, DC, and that one is in the prestigious Judiciary Square.
He served honorably in the Mexican-American War, albeit was involved in an altercation with his commanding officer, Gen. John S. Roane, which resulted in a duel with no one being injured. After the war he lived for a while in New Orleans but then moved to Arkansas in 1857, one of a number of young men who moved there in their early twenties hoping to make their fortune. He advocated slavery and was against secession early on, yet joined the Confederacy for the civil war.
His service entailed work with the Indians, and he became envoy to the Native Americans, ultimately forging an association between the Five Civilized Tribes. Leading a brigade of Indians, he scored a victory at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which subsequently was turned into a rout in a counter-attack. After the Pea Ridge debacle, charges were brought against Pike and his men that soldiers in the field had been scalped, as well as assertions that he had improperly handled both money and material. While the accusations were later dropped for lack of evidence, Pike had had enough, and took off for the hills of Arkansas, supposedly forwarding a letter of resignation from the CSA Army.
He was later charged with treason and jailed, but was pardoned by a fellow Mason, President Andrew Johnson, and, in fact, visited Johnson at the White House the next day.
Here, the easy facts end.
It is the extracurricular activities of Pike that raise the most argument. He was a Satanist and wore a Luciferian bracelet, which permitted him to converse with Satan daily. Or not. He was a founder of the Illuminati of the Catholic Church (see Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons.”) Or not. He was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan, and head of a local group. Or not. He was the founder of the Scottish Rite Order of the Masons and wrote most of its Rituals. Or not. The contradictions of his life after the war are confusing at best, and difficult to thrash out. His career of good work with the Masons appears inarguable, but the fine points leave a lot to be desired.
In the latter part of his life, he moved back to Washington, DC and practiced law til the 1880s. He was known for his writing, his knowledge of languages, his translation skills and the quiet life he maintained. The 6’3”, 300 lb. former general died in 1891 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Subsequently his body was removed and today is buried inside the Scottish Rite Temple on 16th Street in Washington, DC, a fitting tribute to the Highest Masonic Dignitary in the country.
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