The 23rd Arkansas Infantry (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Organization

23rd (Lyles') Arkansas Infantry Regiment, originally C. W. Adams' 23rd Regiment, was organized at Helena, Arkansas on April 25, 1862 by consolidating Adams' and Hughes Infantry Battalions and Adair's Infantry Company. The companies were reorganized May 27, 1862 but the regiment was not organized until September 10, 1862. The original field officers were:

• Colonel Charles W. Adams, of Helena
• Lieutenant-Col. Simon P. Hughes, of Clarendon
• Major J. S. Robinson, of Chicot County

The commanders of companies were:

• Captain A. A. Adair, of Craighead County
• Captain E. McAllister, of Crittenden County
• Captain Henry Hillis, of Craighead County
• Captain John Clendenin, of Phillips County
• Captain W. W. Smith, of Monroe County
• Captain Thomas Westmoreland, of Poinsett County
• Captain J. H. Robinson, of Chicot county, and after his election as major, Captain Craycraft, of Chicot
• Captain Simon P. Hughes, of Monroe, and after his election as lieutenant-colonel, Capt. John B. Baxter, of Monroe
• Captain Seward, of St. Francis County
• Captain Brown Dolson, of Cross County

The strength of the regiment, at organization, was about 900 men.

In May 1862 the Confederate Army underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1962. All twelve-month regiments had to re-muster and enlist for two years or the duration of the war; a new election of officers was ordered; and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home. Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas regiments in and around Corinth, Mississippi, following the Battle of Shiloh. When the regiment was reorganized after the battle of Shiloh, and the following field officers elected:

• Colonel. O. P. Lyles, of Crittenden County
• Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Pennington, of Clark County
• Major E. R. Black, of Monroe County
• Adjutant C. W. Lewis, of Crittenden
• Quartermaster McMurray, of Chicot
• Commissary Norton, of Phillips County

Its members were from the counties of Graighead, Phillips, St. Francis, Monroe, Cross, Poinsett, and Chicot. The field officers were Colonel Oliver P. Lyles, and Lieutenant Colonels Erastus L. Black and A. H. Pennington.

Battles

The unit fought in the conflicts at Corinth and Hatchie Bridge and reported 5 killed, 23 wounded, and 116 missing. Later it was assigned to General Beall's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. In April, 1863, it was united with the 15th Northwest Arkansas Infantry, the 16th Arkansas Infantry, Powers' 14th and Crockett's 18th Arkansas Regiments, Col. Batt. Jones' battalion sent to defend Port Hudson, where it was captured in July 1863. After being exchanged and mounted, the regiment served in the Trans-Mississippi Department and took an active part in Price's Missouri Expedition.

Corinth Campaign, April - June 1862

Battle of Corinth

Second Battle of Corinth

The Second Battle of Corinth was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. For the second time in the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S...

, October 3–4, 1862.

Siege of Port Hudson

Siege of Port Hudson

The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....

, May–July 1863

Price's Missouri Raid, Arkansas-Missouri-Kansas, September, 1864

External links

• Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
• The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
• The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
• The Arkansas History Commission, State Archives, Civil War in Arkansas

See also

• List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
• Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State
• Confederate Units by State
• Arkansas in the American Civil War
  Arkansas in the American Civil War
  The state of Arkansas was a part of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, and provided a source of troops, supplies, and military and political leaders for the fledgling country. Arkansas had become the 25th state of the United States, on June 15, 1836, entering as a...
  
  
• Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
  Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
  The units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War included militia organizations to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection: the militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia...