Adams' Arkansas Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Adams' Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a Confederate Army infantry
regiment
which existed during the American Civil War
(1862–1865). The regiment was officially designated by the state military board as the 3rd Regiment, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas. There were two other Arkansas infantry regiments that were designated as the 3rd Arkansas during the Civil War: the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, which spent the entire war in the Eastern Theater of Operations
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
and the 3rd Arkansas State Troops which was assigned to General N. B. Pearce
's 1st Division, Provisional Army of Arkansas, and disbanded following the Battle of Wilson's Creek
.
, General P. G. T. Beauregard
, acting for General Albert S. Johnston, ordered General Earl Van Dorn
to bring his Army of the West
to Corinth, Mississippi
, to join Johnston's force for an attack on the Union Army
at Shiloh. In addition, Van Dorn brought all supplies he could, including the machinery and stores at the Little Rock Arsenal, to northern Mississippi with him, and left few men behind. Nevertheless, due to bad roads Van Dorn failed to reach Corinth until a week after the Battle of Shiloh
.
The Arkansas governor, Henry Massey Rector
, issued an address on May 5, 1862, calling for the formation of 30 new infantry companies and 20 new cavalry companies. Most of the state's militia regiments had conducted their final recorded militia muster during the last week of February and the first week of March 1862. Rector indicated that if there were insufficient volunteers to fill these new companies, a draft would be made upon the militia regiments and brigades. As a further enticement, Rector also indicated that these regiments were for home defense and that they would not be transferred to Confederate service without their consent. During the spring and summer following this order, many former militiamen joined one of the newly formed regiments. It may be that the militiamen decided it was better to enlist and remain together than to wait for forced conscription under new Confederate Conscription laws, which were being strictly enforced during the summer of 1862.
3rd Regiment, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas, was organized mainly from unwilling conscripts, and some outright Unionists, from various counties in northern Arkansas.
Two other new regiments were raised under Governor Rector's plan: Rector's 1st Arkansas, and Brooks' 2nd Arkansas. When finally inducted into State service, these regiments would become Rector's 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
and Brook's 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
. Colonel Samuel W. Peel was originally assigned to command the new 3rd Regiment, but he was superseded by Colonel Charles W. Adams, who had formerly commanded the 23rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment
. The unit was transfered to Confederate service at Elm Springs, Arkansas, on September 12, 1862.
With the exception of Companies A and E, which were recruited from men who were neighbors and relatives, the other companies were made up of men from different areas who were thrown together on a more-or-less county basis. Most of the company officers were also conscripts who had been elected to their positions. With one exception, Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Peel, the field officers were not known to the men. In the four months between organization and the battle of Prairie Grove, there were many changes in the field officers, including three different colonels. General Hindman finally brought in Charles W. Adams as colonel, Colonel Fitzwilliams was reduced to lieutenant-colonel, and Peel was removed. This combination of factors proved to be a poor recipe for unit cohesion and trust between officers and men.
A small core of men, mostly in Companies A and E, were veterans of General N. B. Pearce's Brigade of Arkansas State Troops and had fought at Wilson's Creek
in 1861, mostly in Captain Larkin Bunch's company of the 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
. These men were mostly pro-Southern in attitude; but by far the majority of the men conscripted into the other companies in the regiment were either pro-Union or decidedly neutral and wanted absolutely nothing to do with the war. They were conscripted to fight for a cause they did not believe in. This attitude is expressed very clearly in the autobiography of Pleasant Houston Spears.
under their state designations. It is asserted that Col. Charles W. Adams treated his regiment of conscripts more like prisoners than soldiers, with the men being held under guard and herded around like cattle, for example. The regiment spent the morning of December 7 near Prairie Grove church facing south. At about three o'clock in the afternoon it was ordered into the fight. Upon reaching Battle Ridge, the regiment was placed in a gap between Fagan's Brigade and Shelby's Brigade behind the south fence of the Borden orchard. The regiment fired a volley from behind the fence toward the right wing of the Twenty-sixth Indiana
. When the Hoosiers fell back the regiment climbed over the fence and advanced north through the orchard (which was filled with fearfully mangled Union and Confederate corpses from an earlier clash) directly toward the Borden house. At approximately the place where the modern tour road crosses the orchard the regiment ran into a storm of fire from the left wing of the Thirty-seventh Illinois
, including the left flank company which was armed with Colt revolving rifle
s. That is when the regiment broke. As both Adams and Hindman noted in their reports, many of the company officers went with the men.
Colonel Adams' report of the disaster is quite lengthy and detailed, and it is in included in the Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 4, pp. 79–84.
in the reorganization of the Confederate Army following the Battle of Prairie Grove.
A post-battle payroll list of the men who remained in the regiment after Prairie Grove consists of 76 names, exclusive of field and staff officers. Interestingly, most of those men were veterans of the Arkansas State Troops and the battle of Wilson's Creek, many of them having served in Capt. Larkin Bunch's company in the 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
.
While the men of the regiment were officially referred to as "cowards" by Confederate leadership, this view is challenged by the fact that many survivors of Adams Regiment later joined the Union Army and subsequently fought in many savage engagements for the next three years of conflict in Arkansas.
Following the unit's disastrous performance at the Battle of Prairie Grove, it was broken up. Most of the men who had remained loyal after the unit disintegrated, were to reassigned to either the 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
or Harrell's 17th Arkansas Battalion Cavalry.
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...
which existed 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...
(1862–1865). The regiment was officially designated by the state military board as the 3rd Regiment, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas. There were two other Arkansas infantry regiments that were designated as the 3rd Arkansas during the Civil War: the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, which spent the entire war in the Eastern Theater of Operations
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina...
assigned to the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
and the 3rd Arkansas State Troops which was assigned to General N. B. Pearce
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce was a brigadier general in the Arkansas state militia during the American Civil War...
's 1st Division, Provisional Army of Arkansas, and disbanded following the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
.
Organization
Immediately following the Battle of Pea RidgeBattle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
, General P. G. T. Beauregard
P. G. T. Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...
, acting for General Albert S. Johnston, ordered General Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn was a career United States Army officer, fighting with distinction during the Mexican-American War and against several tribes of Native Americans...
to bring his Army of the West
Army of the West
The Army of the West was a military force within the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War that the was part of the Trans-Mississippi Department and was composed primarily of members of the old Missouri State Guard...
to Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth, Mississippi
Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...
, to join Johnston's force for an attack on the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
at Shiloh. In addition, Van Dorn brought all supplies he could, including the machinery and stores at the Little Rock Arsenal, to northern Mississippi with him, and left few men behind. Nevertheless, due to bad roads Van Dorn failed to reach Corinth until a week after the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
.
The Arkansas governor, Henry Massey Rector
Henry Massey Rector
Henry Massey Rector was the sixth Governor of the state of Arkansas.Henry Massey Rector was born near Louisville, Kentucky. Rector was educated by his mother and attended one year of school at Louisville. He moved to Arkansas in 1835. Rector served as U.S...
, issued an address on May 5, 1862, calling for the formation of 30 new infantry companies and 20 new cavalry companies. Most of the state's militia regiments had conducted their final recorded militia muster during the last week of February and the first week of March 1862. Rector indicated that if there were insufficient volunteers to fill these new companies, a draft would be made upon the militia regiments and brigades. As a further enticement, Rector also indicated that these regiments were for home defense and that they would not be transferred to Confederate service without their consent. During the spring and summer following this order, many former militiamen joined one of the newly formed regiments. It may be that the militiamen decided it was better to enlist and remain together than to wait for forced conscription under new Confederate Conscription laws, which were being strictly enforced during the summer of 1862.
3rd Regiment, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas, was organized mainly from unwilling conscripts, and some outright Unionists, from various counties in northern Arkansas.
Two other new regiments were raised under Governor Rector's plan: Rector's 1st Arkansas, and Brooks' 2nd Arkansas. When finally inducted into State service, these regiments would become Rector's 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
-External links:* * * *...
and Brook's 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 34th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment was originally designated by the state military board as the 2nd Regiment, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas....
. Colonel Samuel W. Peel was originally assigned to command the new 3rd Regiment, but he was superseded by Colonel Charles W. Adams, who had formerly commanded the 23rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment
23rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 23rd Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:23rd 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...
. The unit was transfered to Confederate service at Elm Springs, Arkansas, on September 12, 1862.
With the exception of Companies A and E, which were recruited from men who were neighbors and relatives, the other companies were made up of men from different areas who were thrown together on a more-or-less county basis. Most of the company officers were also conscripts who had been elected to their positions. With one exception, Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Peel, the field officers were not known to the men. In the four months between organization and the battle of Prairie Grove, there were many changes in the field officers, including three different colonels. General Hindman finally brought in Charles W. Adams as colonel, Colonel Fitzwilliams was reduced to lieutenant-colonel, and Peel was removed. This combination of factors proved to be a poor recipe for unit cohesion and trust between officers and men.
A small core of men, mostly in Companies A and E, were veterans of General N. B. Pearce's Brigade of Arkansas State Troops and had fought at Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
in 1861, mostly in Captain Larkin Bunch's company of the 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
-External links:* * * * -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 Militia in the Civil War...
. These men were mostly pro-Southern in attitude; but by far the majority of the men conscripted into the other companies in the regiment were either pro-Union or decidedly neutral and wanted absolutely nothing to do with the war. They were conscripted to fight for a cause they did not believe in. This attitude is expressed very clearly in the autobiography of Pleasant Houston Spears.
Battle Prairie Grove
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regiments participated in the Battle of Prairie GroveBattle of Prairie Grove
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on 7 December 1862, that resulted in a tactical stalemate but essentially secured northwest Arkansas for the Union.-Strategic situation: Union:...
under their state designations. It is asserted that Col. Charles W. Adams treated his regiment of conscripts more like prisoners than soldiers, with the men being held under guard and herded around like cattle, for example. The regiment spent the morning of December 7 near Prairie Grove church facing south. At about three o'clock in the afternoon it was ordered into the fight. Upon reaching Battle Ridge, the regiment was placed in a gap between Fagan's Brigade and Shelby's Brigade behind the south fence of the Borden orchard. The regiment fired a volley from behind the fence toward the right wing of the Twenty-sixth Indiana
26th Regiment Indiana Infantry
The 26th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:*The 26th Indiana Volunteer Infantry was organized and federalized in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 1, 1861...
. When the Hoosiers fell back the regiment climbed over the fence and advanced north through the orchard (which was filled with fearfully mangled Union and Confederate corpses from an earlier clash) directly toward the Borden house. At approximately the place where the modern tour road crosses the orchard the regiment ran into a storm of fire from the left wing of the Thirty-seventh Illinois
37th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 37th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed the "Fremont Rifles" and "Illinois Greyhounds", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Organization:...
, including the left flank company which was armed with Colt revolving rifle
Colt revolving rifle
The Colt Revolving Rifle Model 1855 was an early repeating rifle produced by the Colt's Manufacturing Company.-History:Revolving rifles were an attempt to increase the rate of fire of rifles by combining them with the revolving firing mechanism that had been developed earlier for revolving pistols...
s. That is when the regiment broke. As both Adams and Hindman noted in their reports, many of the company officers went with the men.
Colonel Adams' report of the disaster is quite lengthy and detailed, and it is in included in the Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Vol. 4, pp. 79–84.
Break up and reorganization
Adams' 3rd Arkansas, after breaking under fire at the Battle of Prairie Grove and being ordered broken up, never assumed its intended Confederate designation of 36th Arkansas Infantry and that designation eventually went to McRae's old 28th Arkansas Infantry Regiment28th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
-External links:* * * * -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 Militia in the Civil War...
in the reorganization of the Confederate Army following the Battle of Prairie Grove.
A post-battle payroll list of the men who remained in the regiment after Prairie Grove consists of 76 names, exclusive of field and staff officers. Interestingly, most of those men were veterans of the Arkansas State Troops and the battle of Wilson's Creek, many of them having served in Capt. Larkin Bunch's company in the 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
-External links:* * * * -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 Militia in the Civil War...
.
While the men of the regiment were officially referred to as "cowards" by Confederate leadership, this view is challenged by the fact that many survivors of Adams Regiment later joined the Union Army and subsequently fought in many savage engagements for the next three years of conflict in Arkansas.
Following the unit's disastrous performance at the Battle of Prairie Grove, it was broken up. Most of the men who had remained loyal after the unit disintegrated, were to reassigned to either the 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:27th Infantry Regiment was organized at Yellville, Arkansas, in July 1862, composed of a handful of companies of mounted volunteers, which were dismounted and reinforced with...
or Harrell's 17th Arkansas Battalion Cavalry.
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 WarArkansas in the American Civil WarThe 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 WarArkansas Militia in the Civil WarThe 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...
Sources
- Howerton, Bryan, "mass desertion?", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 3 February 2007, Accessed 26 October 2011, online site
- Howerton, Bryan, "Numerical designation of Adams Ark. Inf.?", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 9 June 2007, Accessed 26 October 2011, online site
- Maddox, George T. Hard Trials and Tribulations of an Old Confederate Soldier. Van Buren: no publisher, 1897.
- Shea, William L. & Earl J. Hess. Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8078-2042-3