Goodspeeds, 1890
At the approach of the Civil War, when the question of secession was first discussed, a majority of the people of Izard County seemed opposed to it, but when actual hostilities commenced, all but a few were naturally in full sympathy with the Southern Cause, and soon thereafter favored the secession of the State. Of the several companies of soldiery raised within the county for the Confederate Army, one, gathered by Capt. Deason, served in the Seventh Arkansas Regiment: four, commanded, respectively, by Capts. C. C. Elkins, T. N. Smith, Hugh A. Barnett and T. J. Mason, became a part of the Ninth Arkansas Regiment; two, commanded, respectively, by Capts. C. Cook and Richard Powell, served in Col. Freeman's regiment of Cavalry; three, commanded, respectively, by Capts. T. M. Gibson, R. C. Matthews and Samuel Taylor, formed a part of Col. Shaler's Regiment. A portion of a company was raised by Capt. John H. Dye, the other part being raised in Independence County, and a part of another was raised by Capt. James Huddleston, the other being recruited in what is now Sharp County. Some individuals went out and joined companies raised in adjoining connties. Thus ten companies, besides the fractions of other companies, were furnished by the county for the Confederate Army.

Early in the war period. most of the Union men here removed to Rolla. Mo., and were there organized into a company by Capt. L. D. Toney, and served in the Federal Army. All the able bodied men of the county, and many boys in their teens, joined the armies. Only the old and feeble were left with the women and children. There was no fighting or bushwhacking among the citizens. The county, however, was over run by scouting parties from the contending armies, and while but little burning was done, all stock and provisions that could be found were seized and carried away, thus leaving the citizens in great want for food. Parties of women, each accompanied by an old man, frequently hauled cotton inside of the Federal lines and exchanged it for salt and other necessities. Salt was also obtained by extracting it from the earth under old smoke houses. Meat was concealed from the scouting parties by hiding it in straw beds, in the rocks and under brush heaps. Grain was also hid in peculiar places. J. B. Hunt, the postmaster at Melbourne, states that he saved his corn by shelling it and hiding it in the hollow walls of his house, between the weather boarding and the inside boarding, and had a hole at the bottom through which he drew it out on going to the mill. Others, no doubt, saved their grain in a similar way.