November 16, 1862

The daughters of Isaac Murphy began their return journey to Huntsville (Madison County) after visiting him in Pea Ridge. Following the Battle of Pea Ridge, Murphy’s life had been threatened, and he had been forced to flee to Pea Ridge (Benton County). Murphy’s plans to have his family moved to Missouri failed, and his daughters remained in Huntsville, where they faced constant harassment. By the fall of 1862, Murphy’s daughters had made the trip to Pea Ridge. As the Battle of Prairie Grove approached, they had to be sent back to Huntsville. Colonel Albert W. Bishop furnished an escort of twenty-five soldiers. A following skirmish may have contributed to the shooting of nine men by Union soldiers, which became known as the Huntsville Massacre.