James A. McNeely (1820–1896)

James A. McNeely, who became a pharmacist and mayor of Alma (Crawford County), served the Confederacy during the Civil War as a major and colonel of the Thirteenth Arkansas Infantry. He led the regiment during the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee (April 6–7, 1862) but resigned in May because of the effects of wounds and health issues.

James A. McNeely was born on April 1, 1820, in Rowan County, North Carolina, to Alexander and Ann McNeely. His father died during his infancy, and little is known about his early childhood and education.

In 1845, he married Margaret Morrison, who died in 1855, leaving him with five children. At some point, he studied the profession of pharmacy and worked as both a merchant and pharmacist in Rowan County.

In 1857, McNeely moved his family to Arkansas, settling in Greensboro (Craighead County), where he opened a drugstore and served as postmaster. He married Jane McCoy in 1858, and they had two children. He was elected deputy Craighead County clerk and conducted the first census of that county in 1860.

After the secession of Arkansas, McNeely enlisted on July 29, 1861, and was elected major of the Thirteenth Arkansas Infantry. The regiment was transferred to Columbus, Kentucky, and assigned to Major General Leonidas Polk’s First Division, Western Department. Polk sent the Thirteenth Arkansas, a cavalry battalion, and a battery of artillery across the Mississippi River to Belmont, Missouri, to act as a camp of observation. McNeely participated in the Battle of Belmont on November 7, 1861, when Brigadier General Ulysses Grant attacked and captured their camp before Confederate reinforcements arrived and counterattacked, with both sides withdrawing back across the river to Kentucky.

The Thirteenth Arkansas was then assigned to Brigadier General Alexander P. Stewart’s brigade, Polk’s Corps, as part of General Albert Sidney Johnston’s Army of Central Kentucky. After withdrawal from Kentucky, Johnston’s army, now designated as the Army of the Mississippi, concentrated around Corinth, Mississippi, before attacking Union forces of General Grant camped twenty-five miles north at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee (April 6–7, 1862).

During heavy fighting on the first day, McNeely was thrust into command upon the death of Lieutenant Colonel Grayson during the absence of Colonel James Tappan. He led the regiment through heavy fighting although wounded in the right arm and having his horse shot from under him. On the second day, McNeely led his troops forward, participating in at least three assaults on Union lines near Shiloh Church supporting the right wing of the Confederate army. Again, he was wounded by an exploding artillery shell but continued in command, leading his men through these actions until Colonel Tappan arrived, resuming command. In his after-action report, Brigadier General A. P. Stewart personally acknowledged Major McNeely for gallantry on the field during both days’ heavy fighting.

The Army of the Mississippi withdrew back to Corinth, where Major McNeely was elected and promoted to colonel of the regiment on April 14, 1862, although absent and recovering. During his convalescence, he became weaker due to fever, a chronic liver condition, and the effects of his wounds. McNeely, at the surgeon’s recommendation, resigned his command and returned to Arkansas, continuing duties as a druggist and deputy county clerk.

In 1868, McNeely moved to Stoddard County, Missouri, serving as postmaster at Lakeville and opening a general store. He moved to Carthage, Missouri, in 1876, before returning to Arkansas in 1877 and settling at Alma in Crawford County. McNeely continued as a druggist and merchant, and was elected mayor of Alma, serving from 1880 to 1881 and again from 1888 to 1893.

McNeely died on April 7, 1896, and is interred in the Alma City Cemetery.

For additional information:
Smith, Timothy B. The Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and the Battlefield. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2008.

Willis, James. Arkansas Confederates in the Western Theater. Dayton, OH: Morningside Press, 1998.

Anthony Rushing
Benton, Arkansas