at one point, General Hindman began designating new units organized in Arkansas as Trans-Mississippi Rifle Regiments, which resulted in many regiments serving west of the Mississippi having duplicate designations with units serving east of the Mississippi River. Series 1, Volume 31, In Three Parts. The following was transcribed from the original manuscript held by the Arkansas History Commission, with the original spelling and punctuation intact:[177], I hereby certify that the members of Capt. [139], Company E, 14th Georgia Artillery Battalion, Company D, 4th Arkansas Infantry Battalion[142], Company B, 1st Tennessee Heavy Artillery (2nd Organization)[155], Company A, 1st Tennessee Light Artillery(2nd Organization)[155], Company G, 18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Marmaduke's)[160]. The unit participated in the battle of Marks Mill on April 25, 1864, as a part of Brigadier General William L. Cabell's Brigade. . The following is a list of American Civil War engagements fought in Arkansas between 1862 and 1865: Arkansans of note during the American Civil War include Confederate Major-General Patrick Cleburne. The Arkansas Succession Convention decided that rather than activating the existing militia regiments, they would raise new volunteer regiments. There was also a third regiment that was given the designation of 19th Arkansas. Lieutenant Colonel James A. Williamson[30], 11th and 17th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Clarkson's Cavalry Battalion, Independent Rangers [111], Harrell's Battalion Arkansas State Troops[113], Crawford's Arkansas Cavalry Battalion[114], McMurtrey's Arkansas Cavalry Battalion[90][116]. Governor Rector's newspaper charged: "The Confederate government has abandoned Arkansas to her fate. The remnants of the Jackson Light Artillery aided in the defense of Mobile and surrendered with the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. Confederate forces retreated to southwestern Arkansas and establish winter quarters. [11], On March 4, 1861, Lincoln was sworn in as President. ", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted August 4, 2004, Accessed December 8, 2011. However, Confederate authorities realized that they had also accepted Colonel Jordan E. Cravens regiment as the 21st Arkansas. The battle was a major defeat for Southern forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater and led to the loss of northwest Arkansas. 150 Years Ago Today, William M. Bruce, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to Governor Henry M. Rector, Kie Oldham papers, Arkansas History Commission, Accessed August 16, 2013. The attack was unsuccessful, and the Union forces under Colonial M. LaRue Harrison held the field at the end of the day. Christopher Young, "General Thomas C. Hindman and Rep. Henry S. Foote", Army of Tennessee If a unit was not able to field enough companies to organize as a regiment, it was often allowed to organize as a separate battalion until enough companies were added to comprise a full regiment. This recruiting method succeeded in supplying several new mounted companies that participated in resisting Union General Steele's Camden Expedition in the spring of 1864. But it soon became evident that a majority of the delegates to the convention did not think that the situation at that time called for secession. Two Confederate generals were killed in action and the resulting Union victory allowed control of the border state of Missouri for the . Counties bordering the Mississippi, Arkansas, White, Saline, and Ouachita rivers had the highest slave populations. Some of these companies later enrolled in regular Confederate service. Brothers in Arms: Civil War Exhibition. Huff, Leo E. "The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad during the Civil War,", Lovett, Bobby L. "African Americans, Civil War, and Aftermath in Arkansas. Price, commanding the District of Arkansas in place of Holmes, opposed Steele's advance with his cavalry forces while strengthening the northern approaches to the city. Gerdes, Edward G., "COMPANY A,5TH ARKANSAS INFANTRY REGIMENT" Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed January 30, 2011, United States. The new regiments of State Troops were mustered into service for 90 days. Immediately following the battle of Pea Ridge, Van Dorn was ordered to transfer his forces east of the Mississippi River to reinforce Confederate forces in northern Mississippi, near Corinth. [20] Now, faced with President Lincoln's demand for troops, the convention reconvened in Little Rock and, on May 6, 1861, passed the ordinance of secession[21] by a vote of 69 to 1. Daniel Lamas Artillery ", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted November 20, 2011, Accessed December 23, 2011. "Snapshot Within a Portrait: The Civil War in Clark County, Arkansas, 18611865." "[19], The first Arkansas secession convention had pledged the state to "Resist to the last extremity any attempt on the part of such power (President Lincoln) to coerce any state that had succeeded from the old Union". In November 1861, Colonel Solon S. Borland, commanding Confederate forces at Pittman's Ferry received information regarding an impending invasion of Northeast Arkansas and issued an immediate call for militia forces to reinforce his position. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2003. With militia forces now surrounding the arsenal grounds, Governor Rector dispatched General Thomas D. Merrick, commander of the First Division, Arkansas Militia, with a formal demand for the Arsenal's surrender. Hindman turned a blind eye to this legal challenge and began aggressively recruiting. Van Buren, AR: Argus Press, 1897. War Dept. Series 1, Volume 31, In Three Parts. Sikakis, Stewart, Compendium of the Confederate Armies, Florida and Arkansas, Facts on File, Inc., 1992, United States. Because Missouri Confederate troops were effectively driven out of the geographic area of Missouri after the Pea Ridge Campaign, except during raids by Generals Marmaduke, Shelby and Price, many of the Missouri units recruited heavily in Arkansas. Union loss, 57 killed, 146 wounded, 36 missing and captured. He established his base of supply at Rolla, Missouri. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. To further confuse matters, when the United States War Department clerks who put together the Compiled Service Records, decades after the war, ran across scattered records of certain men of the 3rd Arkansas who had been paroled at Springfield, Missouri, after the battle of Prairie Grove, they compiled them with the records of Colonel Van H. Manning's 3rd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment. "[177], The main reason for the creation of the home guard was to control the excesses of so-called "Vigilance Committees" which had been organized in various parts of the State from about 1859 to 1861 in response to hysterical (and unfounded) rumors of nefarious abolitionist plots and secret underground organizations. Almost immediately, the Confederate War Department realized that it had just awarded this designation to Cleburne's former 1st Arkansas, so McRea's Regiment was redesignated as the 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment. Van Dorn's forces were heavily engaged in operations around Corinth in the summer and fall of 1862. "[35] By November 1861 Governor Rector reported that 21 regiments had been raised for the war effort, a total of 16,000 men, and an additional 6,000 men were soon to be in the ranks.[34]. This practice led some Missouri units to be mislabeled as Arkansas Units, and some Arkansas units being mislabeled as Missouri units. Several have only one identified unit member. Gerdes Edward G., "6th Battalion Arkansas Cavalry, CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed January 30, 2011. Borland's Battalion marched on Fort Smith, only to discover the military post had been abandoned by Federal Troops the day before. Governor Rector agreed and the Militia took control of the Arsenal on February 8, 1861. [36], General Van Dorn led his new Army of the West into the Battle of Pea Ridge, March 68, 1862. 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Union) - Wikipedia Colonel Peel was eventually superseded by Charles W. Adams, resulting in what is known as 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (Adams'), which, was disbanded after breaking under fire during the Battle of Prairie Grove. Brothers in Arms Collection (accessed May 18, 2011). [61], The next major military action in Arkansas was the Camden Expedition (March 23 May 2, 1864). ", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted November 25, 2005, accessed June 2, 2012. page 777 781, Accessed 3 March 2010. Given the great distance involved, even before Union forces established effective control of the Mississippi River, many duplications occurred. The convention voted down a resolution condemning Lincoln's inaugural address, and defeated a conditional ordinance of secession. Barnes, Kenneth C. "The Williams Clan: Mountain Farmers and Union Fighters in North Central Arkansas. To rectify the confusion, the Confederate War Department redesignated McRea's Regiment as the 15th Arkansas Infantry. Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Independence County Home Guard1861, Accessed, November 1, 2010. Also known as the 46th U.S. Infantry Regiment (Colored). Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford Univ. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1893; digital images, (. It had been intended to create a pool of replacements for the regiments which were already in Confederate service but had been depleted by disease and battle filed losses. In July 1861 an agreement was reached to transfer the existing state forces into the Confederate army. List of field officers, regiments and battalions in the Confederate States army, 1861-1865. Although the battle was a victory for the Confederacy, the Arkansas State Troops moved back to Arkansas and, after a dispute over transfer to Confederate authority, were disbanded. So long as it is permitted it will be impossible to raise an infantry force which is so much needed now and the present cavalry force is more than ample to eat out all the forage of the country I should be pleased to have a cavalry regiment if it could be obtained but I have seen none throughout the war -I have not seen a cavalry officer who was a sufficient swordsmen to unfix a bayonet nor a single private who could go thru the manual of the saber nor have I seen on this side of the Mississippi 20 privates who were armed with the saber. Part 4, Correspondence, Etc., Book, 1893, Page 1143; digital images, (. 3 (Aug., 1943), pp. Arkansas formed 11 regiments that served in the Union Army . The militia was dispatched to seize the Federal Arsenal at Fort Smith on April 23, 1861. Union Occupation of Arkansas - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Hindman, Thomas C., Trans-Mississippi Photo Archive, Accessed 2 January 2018. A few battalions, like the 12th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, actually saw significant combat as a separate command. The order succeeded in getting companies organized in the counties where the call for the militia was enforced which resulted in seven companies being collected under the call. Some soldiers went to Shreveport on their own to be paroled, but the regiments simply disbanded without formally surrendering.[69]. 2 Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin 3 Other Sources 4 References Brief History 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry was organized at Fayetteville, Arkansas, and mustered in March 25, 1863. From, Fight and Survive! states by date of admission to the Confederacy, List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials, List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic, Confederate artworks in the United States Capitol, List of Confederate monuments and memorials, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. [4], Following the fall of Little Rock to Union Forces in September 1863, the State of Arkansas was again forced to raise units of State Troops in order to provide for its own defense. Little Rock: Arkansas Civil War Centennial Commission, 1967. "Neither Arkansas nor Missouri enacted legislation to adopt an official State flag" (Cannon 1994, p. 48). [25], The Secession Convention also adopted an ordinance providing for the organization of an "Army of Arkansas". List of Arkansas Civil War Union units - Wikipedia Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Borlands Regiment, accessed October 1, 2010, United States. However, they were almost always referred to as Cavalry units (for example 44th Arkansas Cavalry) when the numerical designation was used. As the prospect of Civil War grew closer, Osterhaus enlisted as a private in the Second Missouri Volunteer Infantry (US) and took part in the arrest of secessionists at Camp Jackson on May 10, 1861. [42] Hindman sent a combined force of Texas troops and newly formed and hastily cobbled together Arkansas units to confront Curtis at the Battle of Cotton Plant, on July 7, 1862. The list of Union units is shown separately. A shipment of 18,000 arms were dispatched to Pine Bluff from Vicksburg, Miss. Howerton, Bryan, "Company Names", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted, Monday, September 13, 2004, at 1:25 p.m., Accessed July 21, 2011, Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers in State Militia 18271862, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 32. The Battle of Westport (Kansas City, MO: Franklin Hudson Publishing Co.), 1906., See Also, Monnett, Howard N. Action Before Westport: 1864 (Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado), 1995. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XXXIV, Chapter XLVI, Pg 653, quoted at, "ARKANSAS CAMPAIGN, ARKANSAS", Accessed November 7, 2011. Arkansas 40-Series Regiments | Regimental Histories Once Arkansas left the Union in May 1861, the existing volunteer militia companies were among the first mustered into state service and formed into new volunteer infantry regiments, also referred to as "State Troops". It may also have to do with the fact that several of these new units at least initially contained companies of men from Missouri and Texas who were in Arkansas when the organization began. These regiments were for the most part raised in northeast Arkansas, and seem to have consisted in large part of absentees from other regiments. [7], In response to the Governor's message, militia companies began assembling in Little Rock by February 5, 1861, and they made their intention to seize the Arsenal known to its commander, Captain James Totten. Reynolds, John H., "Official Orders of Governor Harris Flanagin", by Publications of the Arkansas Historical Association, Volume 2, Arkansas Historical Association, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1908, Page 370, Accessed May 11, 2011. Some of the men, including the regimental commander, Colonel Dawson, were absent from Arkansas Post at the time it surrendered. Black troops fought for the Union despite the Confederate Congress passing on May 1, 1863, a proclamation to the effect that any captured Black soldier fighting for the Union would be executed. The system contains names and other basic information from 6.3 million soldier records in the National Archives. Nichols, Ray: "7th Missouri Cavalry CSA", 7th Regiment Missouri Cavalry, CSA Homepage, Accessed December 23, 2011. The convention was also concerned with the cost involved in paying for a large standing state force. War Dept. For these reasons the Arkansas artillery organizations are listed by several names. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. ", This page was last edited on 4 July 2023, at 23:10. [9] Captain Totten, Arsenal commander, agreed to evacuate the Arsenal in return for safe passage out of the state. [41] With the assistance of the Texas troops diverted by General Roane, Hindman commenced a campaign of misinformation designed to mislead Federal authorities about the strength of the state's defenses. The purpose of the series of meetings was to discuss the future treaties and land allocations following the close of the American Civil War and involved Indian tribes east of the Rockies. Odom, Danny, "Re: Trigg's Battery after Shiloh" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted February 13, 2013, Accessed February 13, 2013. [81] Many volunteer companies were simply designated "Volunteer Infantry Company, Conway County," or Volunteer Cavalry Company, Conway County". Before a new unit obtained its final or Confederate designation, the regimental muster rolls and election returns had to be forwarded to the Confederate War Department which would assign the next available number, according to its numbering scheme. The Provisional Army of Arkansas was to consist of two divisions, the 1st Division in the western part of the state, and the 2nd Division in the eastern part of the state. [17] In spite of the fact that Arkansas had yet to officially secede, Governor Rector sensed that the move toward open war would shift public opinion into the secessionist camp and he quickly organized a militia battalion under the command of Solon Borland. Only a small percentage of Arkansas mounted forces met this definition. Rushing, Anthony, "Re: List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units" Posted December 16, 2011, Accessed December 20, 2011. This list includes only those companies with a distinct name. It was a battle between Arkansas Confederates and Arkansas Unionists, a true civil war struggle. On September 5, 1864, the State Troop companies, including Pettus's Battalion, were formed into one regiment of cavalry to be designated as the 3rd Regiment of Arkansas State Cavalry, with Col. Robert C. Newton assigned to the command of the regiment until an election could be held for field officers. Arkansas had the third smallest white population out of the Confederate states, but more whites joined the Union Army from that state than any other besides Tennessee. Gerdes, Edward G., "NAVE'S BATTALION ARK CAVALRY CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed October 27, 2011. The 41st was assigned to the exchanged prisoners of the 20th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, the 42nd was assigned to the survivors of the 23rd Arkansas Infantry. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887, Page 174; digital images, (. During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. In January 1862 Major General Earl Van Dorn was dispatched to Arkansas to build a new force. Neal, Diane (1997). That web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier. 19th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Hardy's), The basic building block of a regiment during the Civil War period was the volunteer company. [3] Many of these volunteer militia companies were enrolled in the new volunteer regiments which were formed by the Military Board of Arkansas.[1]. Arkansas, VOLUME XXXI 1997 NUMBERS 14, Page 45-50, Accessed May 6, 2011. Hempstead, Fay, "A Pictorial History of Arkansas" St. Louis and New York, N. D. Thompson publishing company, 1890, Call number: 9197481, Page 382, Accessed August 24, 2011. Very few have carbines or saddle holsters for pistols and still less with the necessary dragoon equipments. The refugees reported that the Union forces numbered about 30,000, mostly German immigrants. The battery spiked its guns and surrendered at Meridian, Mississippi, on May 11, 1865. Wallis, W.M., "Colonel R.C. [34] Arkansas soon found itself virtually defenseless. A pre-war February Peace Conference of 1861 met in Washington in a failed attempt at resolving the crisis. [48] After he was recalled from active duty to take office, his administration dealt primarily with war-related measures and maintaining order and continuing government while undergoing an invasion. The unit was assigned to the garrison of Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post, where a large part of the regiment was captured when the fort was surrendered on January 11, 1863. The State Military Board authorized the activation of Eighth Brigade of Militia, and one company from the militia regiments of Prairie, Monroe, Poinsett, Saint Francis, and Craighead counties. The secession convention also authorized each county to organize Home Guard units made up of men too young or too old or otherwise exempt from conscription or militia service. [revised edition]. All of the new unit raised and organized after May 1862 would remain in the Trans-Mississippi for the remainder of the war. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887, Page 660; digital images, (, United States. 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Powers'). Gerdes, Edward G., "DAVIES BATTALION ARKANSAS CAVALRY", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed October 27, 2011. Slavery existed but on a much smaller scale in the mountainous northwest and north central parts of the state. 128 volumes. Background Arkansas was a member of the Confederacy during the war, and provided troops, supplies, and military and political leaders. Howerton, Bryan R., "Arkansas Artillery Batteries", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted May 12, 2004, Accessed November 2, 2011. Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. Local Union commanders, who had been aggressively enforcing the Confiscation Acts to grant freedom to slaves of rebel owners, put the Proclamation into effect immediately, freeing many slaves in the area. Other volunteer companies were raised directly for Confederate service and were never organized in the state militia. This act actually specifically forbid the use of conscription to raise to units. 1", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Accessed July 22, 2011. THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE ARMIES, SERIES IVOLUME LIU, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1898, Page 1019, Accessed May 11, 2011. Among the newly organized regiments authorized by the State Military Board were the 34th (Col. William H. Brooks), 35th (Col. Frank A. Rector) and 36th (Col. Samuel W. Peel). Some battalions were formed by the detachment of several companies from a parent regiment as when several companies were detached from McCraven's 14th Arkansas Infantry and transferred to Kentucky with Brigadier General Hardee in 1861, and were designated the 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion. [87], The continued organization of more and more mounted units, and the retention of so many others, in the Department of the Trans-Mississippi seem to defy prevailing military wisdom. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arkansas_in_the_American_Civil_War&oldid=1163449609, Military history of the Confederate States of America, Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War, Articles with dead external links from September 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Skirmishes at Taylor's Creek and Mount Vernon, Arkansas in the American Civil War gallery. When rumors were circulated that the Federal Government intended to reinforce the troops at the Little Rock Arsenal, the leading citizens of Helena sent Governor Henry M. Rector a telegram volunteering 500 men to assist in its seizure. The list of Union units is shown separately. [84], While the concept of a mounted infantry force able to move quickly from point to point and fight as infantry seemed appealing, especially to new recruits, it proved to come at significant costs. [40] He set to work and issued a series of harsh military edicts, instituting conscription, authorizing guerrilla warfare and requisitioning supplies for the defense of the State. These weapons had come from the arsenal of eastern Confederate states that had been returned to the state arsenals as the Confederates had re-equipped themselves with the better captured Union arms. [18] The first four (40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd) were assigned to the Arkansas regiments that were surrendered at the Sieges of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, when these regiments were reorganized in southern Arkansas following their parole and exchange. Arkansas and Missouri Union Army muster rolls, 1863-1864 Jerry and Victor Ponder's "Confederate Surrender and Parole: Jacksonport and Wittsburg, Arkansas, May and June 1865" [Ponder Books, 1995]. Third Arkansas Cavalry (US) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Martin, George, "Numbering of Artillery Units", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted October 20, 2011, Accessed October 20, 2011. Most of the guns were castoffs and unusable weapons from the various state armories which had been returned to the armories after the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi had been re-equipped from the "Battlefield Quartermaster" of Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas and Harper Ferry. Part 2, Correspondence, Etc., Book, 1892; Page 810, digital images, (. After the battle of Pea Ridge, General Van Dorn took most of the organized regiments in the state, and all military supplies that he could lay hand on and moved them across the Mississippi River to Corinth, Mississippi, leaving the state basically defenseless. ", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed October 27, 2011. Also known as the 57th U.S. Infantry Regiment (Colored). War Dept. This leads to confusion for researchers who find Col. Van H. Manning's 3rd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry serving under General Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia and a group in Arkansas who insist on also calling themselves the 3rd Arkansas. There, Steele was supposed to link up with a separate Federal amphibious expedition which was advancing up the Red River Valley. Howerton, Bryan R.; "Re: McMurtrey's Cav Battalion-Bryan H.", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted April 19, 2007, Accessed December 23, 2011. 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment, 21st Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Craven's), 18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment "Harris Flanagin." [38], Major General Van Dorn left the state, but Brigadier General John S. Roane refused to go with him, declaring that Arkansas troops should be left to defend their state.
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