Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
Encyclopedia
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 system before the American Civil War
(1861–1865). State law required military service of most male inhabitants of a certain age. Following the War with Mexico (1846–1848) the Arkansas militia experienced a decline, but as sectional frictions between the north and south began to build in the late 1850s the militia experienced a revival. By 1860 the state's militia consisted of 62 regiments divided into eight brigade
s, which comprised an eastern division
and a western division. New regiments were added as the militia organization developed. Additionally, many counties and cities raised uniformed volunteer companies, which drilled more often and were better equipped than the un-uniformed militia. These volunteer companies were instrumental in the seizure of federal installations at Little Rock and Fort Smith
, beginning in February 1861. Once Arkansas left the Union in May 1861, these volunteer companies were among the first mustered into state service and formed into new volunteer infantry regiments, also referred to as "State Troops". These new regiments comprised the Provisional Army of Arkansas. The First Division of the Army of Arkansas participated in the Battle of Wilson's Creek
near Springfield, Missouri
, in August 1861, while others were transferred into Confederate
service. The Arkansas Secession Convention directed each county to organize a Home Guard organization, which was intended to include old men and boys who were otherwise disqualified from active service. The Home Guard were later commissioned to begin guerrilla operations against occupying Union forces. Once Union forces secured the state capitol in 1862, the new loyal state government immediately began raising new loyal militia forces in an attempt to combat bands of guerrillas and bushwhacker
s operating behind Union lines.
during the war with Mexico, ordered General Wood to investigate a state of unrest that existed in Marion County in 1849. Two warring families and their supporters vied for control of all county offices in what was known as the Tutt-Everett War
. The Tutts, of the Whig Party
and the Everetts, of the Democratic Party
had a long running feud which erupted into bloodshed in June 1849. It was said that virtually every man in the county had taken sides in the affair. General Wood raised two militia companies in Carroll County, one commanded by Capt. W. C. Mitchell, the other by Capt. Tilford Denton to assist with the capture of members of the Everetts clan and to guard the jail. General Wood relieved Sheriff Jesse Mooney, who was thought to be a member of the Everett faction and took over the county jail in Yellville. The force was eventually reduced to one company of 75 men who remained in the county from September 1849 through December 1849. Almost as soon as General Wood dismissed his militia companies, members of the Everett clan broke the prisoners out of jail. General Wood resigned the office of Adjutant General in a letter to the Governor dated July 28, 1851. On December 21, 1850, the Arkansas Legislature finally passed an act to pay for the militia called into service by General Wool. It is likely that the experience of calling out the militia for the Marion County War lead to the passage in 1852 of an law styled "an Act to provide for the organization of the Militia when called to suppress insurrections. This law allowed the county sheriff to order elections for offices of companies activated for this purpose.
Elias N. Conway, elected governor in 1854, came from a prominent family of Arkansas politicians, some of whom had served in the militia during its earlier and more active years. The condition of the Arkansas Militia when Governor Conway began his revival may best be summarized by a letter to the Governor from Col. Henry Rieff, Commander of the 20 Regiment Arkansas Militia dated January 3, 1860:
Governor Conway pushed the legislature to revise the militia laws and successfully sparked a renewed interest in the militia. He commissioned a printing of a digest of the militia laws of Arkansas in 1860. A review of the election returns for militia officers in each county in 1860 and the spring of 1861 provide some indication of the success of Governor Conway's attempt to revitalize the organization of the state militia. The militia was organized into two divisions of four brigades each. Each county supplied at least one regiment, and companies were normally organized in each township. Several counties had more than one regiment and one, Lawrence County, had three militia regiments. Regimental and company officers were elected at the annual muster. The election results were forwarded to the Governor either by the regimental commander or by the county clerk. The exact strength of these units is unclear. In May 1860, Col. George M. Holt, commander of the 18th Regiment from Saline County, claimed to have 1,000 to 1,200 men available and requested that the county be granted a second regiment.
. Additionally, section 57 of the act allowed each county to raise up to four Volunteer Companies. These Volunteer Companies were to be either infantry, riflemen, cavalry, or artillery. While the Volunteer Companies were to be separate from the regular militia units, they remained under the supervision and authority of the local militia commander, who was required to set the time and place of the election of officers for volunteer companies and certify their election to the governor. Volunteer Companies were required to drill at least once per month (although the Pulaski Artillery, a Volunteer Artillery Company organized in Little Rock in December 1860, scheduled drill three times a week). Volunteer Companies were allowed to select and acquire their own uniforms and their officers were authorized to wear the uniform of the company. While the standard militia units were organized into lettered companies organized roughly along township boundaries, Volunteer Companies usually adopted colorful names to set them apart. Membership in the Volunteer Companies was encouraged by the provision that once a militiaman had completed five years service in a Volunteer Company, he was exempted from further militia service.
In a letter to the "To The Militiamen Of The State Of Arkansas" dated August 27, 1860, Governor Conway exhorted the raising of additional volunteer companies:
He commented that if all the volunteer companies authorized by the act were to be raised, the state would have a force of 22,000 volunteers. He explained that the general assembly had yet to pass a law allowing the state to provide arms for all the volunteer companies, and he encouraged the counties to consider taxing themselves in order to raise the funds.
Although several Volunteer Companies were already in existence at various locations around the state, the Governor's call sparked a wave of formations. State newspapers in the summer and fall of 1860 have several stories of volunteer companies being formed, drilling, and participating in the regular muster of the militia regiments. The leaders of these volunteer companies began to search for uniforms and equipment, often requesting them through militia channels to the Governor, but then turning to private sources when the State Government was unable to help. The state legislature responded to the need for arms and equipment in January 1861 by appropriating $100,000 for the arming and equipping of the militia being formed into volunteer companies. Act Number 192, which was approved on January 21, 1861, appropriated money "for the purpose of arming the volunteer militia of this state, when formed into volunteer military companies..."
In the beginning, these companies continued to operate under the authority of the local militia commander, with the local regimental commander overseeing the election of officers and forwarding the election results to the Governor. After the state actually seceded in May 1861, Volunteer Companies and Regiments would be raised under the authority of the State Military Board, or directly by Confederate Government
authorities.
The readiness of the Militia organizations was compared to that of the Volunteer Companies springing up around the state when the Crawford County Militia, the 5th Regiment Arkansas Militia, conducted its annual muster and drill on February 23, 1861, at Van Buren
. They were joined on this occasion by two companies of volunteers, the Frontier Guards (led by Captain Hugh Thomas Brown) and the Independent Light Horse Guards (under Captain Powhatan Perkins). The two independent companies received rave reviews for their drill, but the performance of the 5th Militia Regiment provoked the following report from the Van Buren Press:
A more favorable account comes from a report on the September 1860 muster of Pulaski County's 13th Militia Regiment:
Following the parade of the 13th Regiment, Brigadier General Holt and the regimental officers gathered in front of Governor Conway's home and heard a speech in which the governor complemented them "upon the revival, at a critical time, of the military spirit which once animated the people, but seemed long to have been dead."
In October an article appeared in the same paper announcing a drill contest to be conducted as a part of a Fair scheduled for November 8–9, 1860, on the grounds of St John's College in Little Rock. The best-drilled militia company was to receive a "Premium".
triggered South Carolina
's declaration of secession from the Union. By February 1861, six more Southern states made similar declarations. On February 7, the seven states adopted a provisional constitution for the Confederate States of America
and established their temporary capital at Montgomery
, Alabama. A pre-war February Peace Conference of 1861
met in Washington in a failed attempt at resolving the crisis.
As the secession movement grew, people in Arkansas became greatly concerned. In January 1861 the General Assembly called an election for the people to vote on whether Arkansas should hold a convention to consider secession. At the same time the voters were to elect delegates to the convention in case the vote should be favorable. On February 18, 1861, Arkansans voted to call a secession convention, but elected mostly unionist
delegates.
Anti-union forces began calling for the seizure of the Federal Arsenal in Little Rock. 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 Massey Rector
a telegram volunteering 500 men to assist in its seizure. Edmund Burgevin, adjutant general of the Arkansas State Militia, carried the message to the Governor. Burgevin complained of the impropriety of a direct offer of volunteers to the governor of a State which had not seceded, and might not secede. Governor Rector's response was:
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 Totten. The Yell Rifles, commanded by Captain Patrick Cleburne
, and the Phillips County Guards (both of Phillips County), were the first companies to reach Little Rock and report to Governor Rector. Governor Rector denied having called the militia forces, and sent the newly arriving companies into camps near the present state capitol building. In addition to the two Phillips County Companies, the Jefferson Guards of Pine Bluff
, the Southwestern Guards, and the LaGrange Cavalry responded to the call to seize the Arsenal. Eventually more than a thousand men would assemble, representing Phillips, Jefferson
, Prairie, White
, Saline, Hot Spring, Montgomery
, Monroe
, and St Francis counties. Many citizens of Little Rock opposed the occupation of the Arsenal, fearing a loss of life and property. The Little Rock City Council reacted with alarm at this sudden invasion of the capitol by the newly-formed volunteer companies and called out its own militia unit, the Capitol Guards, and ordered them to patrol the streets and stand guard over the volunteer companies. Although generally opposed to secession, the Little Rock City Council fear that a battle might ensure within the city itself and passed an ordinance requesting the Governor assume control of the assembling volunteer forces and to seize the Arsenal "to prevent the effusion of blood".
Governor Rector, now armed with the city council's request, took control of the military situation. The 13th Militia Regiment of Pulaski County was activated and Brigadier General Holt, the local militia brigade commander, was placed in command. 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. Captain James Totten, Arsenal commander, agreed to evacuate the Arsenal in return for safe passage out of the state. Governor Rector agreed and the Militia took control of the Arsenal on February 8, 1861. Totten and his men were escorted from the city by the Capitol Guards. Grateful citizens of Little Rock presented him a sword, which some later came to regret; Totten would eventually meet Arkansas troops on the field of battle. Later, artillery batteries were set up at Helena on the Mississippi River
and Pine Bluff on the Arkansas
to prevent reinforcement of Federal military posts.
The Yell Rifles returned to Helena and then moved to Mound City, where they mustered into state service as Company A, 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops
. Patrick Cleburne was elected to command the new regiment. The Phillips Guards under the command of Captain George Otey, remained in Little Rock to provide a garrison for the newly-seized Arsenal.
was sworn in as President. In his inaugural address
, he argued that the Constitution was a "more perfect union"
than the earlier Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
, that it was a binding contract, and called any secession "legally void". He stated he had no intent to invade the Southern states, nor did he intend to end slavery where it existed, but that he would use force to maintain possession of federal property. His speech closed with a plea for restoration of the bonds of union.
The next day, the Arkansas Secession Convention convened in the State House in Little Rock. David Walker, who opposed secession, was elected president. The convention continued in session for two and a half weeks. Feeling ran high and many fiery speeches were made, but it soon became evident that a majority of the members did not think that the situation at that time called for secession. The convention voted down a resolution condemning Lincoln's inaugural address, and defeated a conditional ordinance of secession. The opinion seemed to prevail that Arkansas should secede only if the Federal government made war on the Confederate States. Still hoping for a compromise settlement that would avoid war, the delegates agreed to go home until after the people had voted on the secession question at a special election to be held in August.
in Virginia, Fort Sumter
in Charleston, South Carolina, and Fort Pickens
, Fort Jefferson, and Fort Taylor
, in Florida, were the remaining Union-held forts in the Confederacy, and Lincoln was determined to hold them all. Under orders from Confederate President Jefferson Davis
, troops controlled by the Confederate government under P. G. T. Beauregard
bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, forcing its capitulation. Northerners rallied behind Lincoln's call for all the states to send troops to recapture the forts and to preserve the Union, citing presidential powers given by the Militia Acts of 1792. President Lincoln called upon the "militia of the several states" to provide 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion. For months before that, several Northern governors had discreetly readied their state militias; they began to move forces the next day.
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 spite of the fact that Arkansas had yet to officially secede, a militia battalion was quickly organized under the command of Solon F. Borland
; the force included the Pulaski Lancers, the Capitol Guards, and the Pulaski Light Artillery (all associated with the 13th Militia Regiment, Pulaski County). Captain Daniel Ringo's Peyton Rifles was dispatched to seize the Federal Arsenal at Fort Smith
on April 23, 1861.
The Adjutant General, Edmond Burgevin, provided the state's response to the War Department's demand for troops:
Faced with President Lincoln's demand for troops, the Secession Convention reconvened in Little Rock and, on May 6, 1861, passed the ordinance of secession by a vote of 69 to 1. Future Governor Isaac Murphy
was the only "No" vote.
The Pulaski Light Artillery was initially assigned to garrison the captured arsenal at Fort Smith. Brigadier General Napoleon Bonapart Burrows, commander of the 8th Brigade, Arkansas Militia was sent to Fort Smith, where he began negotiations with the Chickasaw Nation
to occupy Federal forts in the Indian Territory.
The Secession Convention also adopted an ordinance providing for the organization of an "Army of Arkansas". The Army was to consist of two divisions: the 1st Division in the western portion of the state and the 2nd Division in the eastern portion of the state. Each division was to be commanded by a brigadier general. While called "divisions", the formations were actually intended to be of brigade size, with each being composed of four regiments of infantry and two artillery batteries. The ordinance required each regiment to consist of not less than six companies and not more than 10. Each company was to consist of not less than 64 men and not more than 96 men and four officers. The officers were to be elected by the men of the regiment. $2 million was appropriated to fund the Board.
The Convention elected three of its members as commanders of the new army: Major General James Yell of Jefferson County (overall commander) Nicholas Bartlett Pearce
, a graduate of West Point
and resident of Benton County
(commander of the First Division), and Thomas H. Bradley of Crittenden County (commander of the Second Division). Historian Leo Huff has referred to these commanders as "three political generals"; however, each had some connection to the militia. Major General Yell had served as the commander of the 2nd Division of the Arkansas Militia, Brigadier General Pearce had served as the Colonel of the Benton County Militia Regiment, and Brigadier General Thomas H. Bradley had previously served as a major general in the Tennessee Militia. General Pearce, who had graduated from West Point, had the most military training of the three generals. But all three of these men did harm to the war effort by opposing the transfer of Arkansas troops to a unified Confederate command. Eventually, all three men were either relieved of their command or transferred to other activities.
The Secession Convention enacted an ordinance on May 30, 1861, that called upon all the counties in the State to appoint a "home guard of minute men" for local defense, until regular military regiments could be raised and deployed. These Home Guard units were made up of old men and boys who were not eligible for normal military service. Like the Militia, the Home Guard units were organized at the county level, with companies being supplied by each township. Originally these units were intended to be separate from the state militia. Most counties presumably complied with the law, but records of only a few of these 1861 home guard organizations can now be found. The Independence County Home Guard was established in accordance with this new ordinance. The Independence County Court, in special session, established and made appointments to the local home guard organization on June 29, 1861. Subsequent appointments were made in July, October, and November 1861. About 220 men were appointed in all the townships of the county. Virtually all of them were property owners, many quite prominent and wealthy, and, as far as can be determined, all were over the conscript age. Some were quite elderly. Despite their age, wealth, and social position, many later served in regular Confederate units in the latter part of the war, especially in Dobbin's and Morgan's cavalry regiments. John Farrell Allen was appointed General Commander of the Independence County Home Guard.
Militia leaders were hopeful that their existing formations would be mobilized and utilized to defend the state. Brigadier General Jett, commanding the 1st Brigade, Arkansas Militia even wrote directly to Confederate President Jefferson Davis
and offered the services of his brigade, which he described as "all officered and ready for action except in arms and munitions of war." The Secession Convention had other plans: they intended for the militia to remain separate from the Confederate forces. The existing militia organizations were to be retained as a source of manpower and a last-ditch defense network. This resulted in many local militia company commanders volunteering their existing forces as new volunteer companies rather than organizing separate Confederate companies.
Efforts to mobilize the state's forces were subject to the competing interest of the State Military Board. The board recognized the need to quickly mobilize troops to defend the state, but wished to avoid as much of the cost of the mobilization as possible. Additionally the Military Board feared that troops raised to defend the state would be diverted into the eastern theater of operations by the Confederate government. This concern quickly proved valid. The board made a decision not to mobilize the existing state militia regiments, and instead began organizing new regiments of "State Troops". The regiments are also referred to as Volunteer Regiments in state records from the period. Existing Volunteer Companies, already organized in the militia, were inducted into these new Volunteer Regiments. The militia regiments would maintain a separate identity from the State Troops and Confederate troops until the spring of 1862, when most former militia units conducted final musters and then enlisted in new Confederate units.
The board dispatched Christopher C. Danley of Little Rock to Richmond to open negotiations with the new Confederate government for the transfer of State Troops to the Confederate government. The Board immediately issued a call for 10,000 troops (10 regiments).
Much confusion exists in tracking the formation of military units during the initial months of the war because several different governments (Confederate, state, and county), all with competing interests, were raising troops within the state. The State Military Board was raising units which it hoped to transfer to Confederate service. James F. Fagan, Thomas C. Hindman
, and Albert Rust
received authority directly from the new Confederate government to raise regiments for Confederate service. The War Department assigned the regimental designations of 1st Arkansas Volunteers (Fagan), 2nd Arkansas Volunteers (Hindman), and 3rd Arkansas Volunteers (Rust). The 1st and 3rd Arkansas Regiments organized, armed, and reported themselves ready for active service in May 1861, and received orders to report to Lynchburg, Virginia
. Col. Hindman, however, had problems organizing his companies and obtaining arms, perhaps because the Arkansas State Troops were actively organizing in the same area. Col. Hindman's 2nd Arkansas Volunteers did not complete its organization and recruiting until June, and then had trouble getting orders from the War Department. Hindman's regiment was eventually sworn into state service and was then transferred to Confederate service with the rest of the eastern division of the Army of Arkansas.
The Military Board developed its own plan for numbering the regiments of State Troops, but this plan was apparently ignored by the new brigade commanders, who tended to number regiments sequentially based upon the date they were sworn into state service. The plan was also ignored by Confederate authorities, who often renumbered the regiments of State Troops when they were transferred into Confederate service, based on the date they were sworn into the Confederate Army. The result is a great deal of confusion regarding the designation of any particular Arkansas unit.
The 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops, commanded by Colonel Patrick R. Cleburne, was one of the first regiments created from the initial wave of Volunteer Companies. Of the eight companies which were inducted into state service as a part of this regiment at Mound City on May 14, 1861, seven had been originally organized as volunteer companies under the militia law. The regiment was initially mustered into the Confederate Army as the 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States Army. Later it was determined that another regiment had already received that designation. The unit recognized by the Confederate War Department as the 1st Arkansas Infantry
was commanded by Col. James F. Fagan. Col. Fagan had served as a lieutenant with Company C of the Arkansas Regiment of Mounted Volunteers
during the War with Mexico. Fagan's regiment was not mustered into state service, but left the state for the Eastern Theater; it was mustered in to Confederate service in Lexington, Virginia
. Col. Cleburne's 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops, was redesignated as the 15th Arkansas Infantry. The confusion did not end there, because a total of three Arkansas Infantry regiments were eventually named the "15th", the first being the aforementioned 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops commanded by Col. Cleburne. The new 15th Arkansas moved into camp with the 2nd Division of the Army of Arkansas, under the field command of Major General Yell, in Pocahontas
.
Brigadier General Thomas Bradely, who initially commanded the eastern or 2nd Division, was quickly relieved of command after a dispute with Col. Cleburne. Major General Yell assumed command of the 2nd (Eastern) Division and had the following units under his command:
Brigadier General Pearce assumed command of the 1st (Western) Division and had the following units under his direct command:
On July 14, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General William J. Hardee
arrived in Little Rock to assume unified Confederate command in the state. The following day the state Military Board signed an "Article of Transfer", which provided that all state forces (excepting the militia), some 10,000 men, would be transferred on a voluntary basis to the command of the Confederate States of America. All weapons, ammunition, and supplies were also to be transferred. Before the transfer could take place, Arkansas State Troops got their first taste of real battle.
Brigadier General Pearce, who lived in Benton County, established the headquarters, 1st Division, Provisional Army of Arkansas at Camp Walker at Maysville
. Thus when a Union army began operating around Springfield
in Southwest Missouri
, Pearce's state troops were nearby. Pearce's troops, which are referred to as a brigade of State Troops in the official accounts of the battle, numbered 2,234 troops. Pearce agreed to co-operate with Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch
and his force of about 8,000 other soldiers from several commands, to form a sizable force and immediately marched toward Springfield. On August 10, 1861, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the forceful commander of Union troops in Missouri, attacked the Confederates. The ensuing day-long battle was fought on a number of fronts. Captain William E. Woodruff, Jr., commander of the Pulaski Light Artillery, engaged in a fierce artillery duel with Captain James Totten, who had only a few months earlier surrendered the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock. Captain Totten found himself with an opportunity to gain revenge, and his cannons roared throughout the day.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek came to an abrupt and inglorious halt when the Union commander was killed. Leaderless and outnumbered five-to-one, the bluecoats fled the battlefield. The Arkansas troops played a major role in winning the battle, but paid a heavy price for victory. Two Arkansas units suffered particularly heavy casualties. Colonel Thomas J. Churchill's 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles
counted 42 killed and 155 wounded out of 600 men. Colonel John Gratiot's 3rd Arkansas Infantry, State Troops
suffered 109 casualties, including 25 killed, out of a force of 500 men.
The Secession Convention and Military Board fears of Arkansas troops being transferred east of the Mississippi quickly became a reality. Brigadier General William J. Hardee
led his new brigade of Arkansas Troops on a short uneventful raid into Missouri, and then transferred the command east of the Mississippi to join what would become the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Arkansas soon found itself virtually defenseless. By insisting that all state troops have the right to approve their transfer to Confederate service, state authorities had effectively killed the chance of raising a large unified force in the state. Governor Rector's newspaper charged: "The Confederate government has abandoned Arkansas to her fate."
A second round of recruiting for new regiments was just getting underway when Col. Borland began receiving reports of enemy movements in Missouri. The initial reports seemed to indicate a possible movement on Pitman’s Ferry. The Union army was massing troops in southeast Missouri mainly for the purpose of a thrust down the Mississippi River. But this posed a very real threat to all areas of northeast Arkansas. Col Borland indicated that he had reliable information that "that there are 300 infantry and 150 cavalry at Rives’ Station, on Black River, 35 miles north of Pitman’s Ferry Also that there is a strong infantry force-7,000-at Greenville, 15 miles north of Rives’ Station." Borland was maintaining a regular correspondence with Brig Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, of the Missouri State Guard, who commanded the First Military District of Missouri at Bloomfield, Missouri.
Reports of these Union troop movements were sent to area militia units. The Jacksonport Herald of October 26, 1861 published a communication received by Christopher W. Board, Commander of the 34th Militia Regiment of Jackson County.
Col. Borland moved his command from Pitman’s Ferry to Pocahontas and was sufficiently alarmed over the reports to issue a call for reinforcements from the militia. On November 5, 1861, Col. Borland issued an appeal for volunteers in the surrounding counties to hastily organize companies for the defense of Pitman’s Ferry until new regular Confederate regiments could be organized and dispatched.
When news of Borland's situation reached Little Rock, the state Military Board responded to Borland's call for aid by calling out the 8th Militia Brigade under the command of Brig. Gen. Phillips:
Brig. Gen. Theodore H. Phillips offered his services to Col. Borland, who welcomed his aid in the emergency. Phillips undertook the organization of the new 30 day volunteer companies into a brigade. He placed a requisition for camp equipment as follows:
Brig. Gen Phillips added his explanation for the requisition: "In response to Col. Borland's call for militia service for 30 days. We have responded and entered service. [with] Capt. Ruffner." The receipt was dated Pocahontas November 23. 1861, and was signed by "T. H. Phillips, Brig. Gen. 8th Brigade of Arkansas Militia."
Col. Borland's call received an almost immediate response, but he continued to harbor serious misgivings about his situation. On November 10, he wrote to Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk, C.S.A., commanding the 1st Division Western Department, at Columbus, Kentucky, and told of his call for reinforcements from the militia. He said the response was “somewhat tumultuous." On November 9, 1000 men had arrived unorganized and so ill-supplied with arms that be deemed it best to direct them to return home. They followed this direction and assured Borland that within a weeks time he would have at least 3000 men at his command. He told them that companies thus organized and prepared would be received into service for 30 days from the time they reported again to him. Borland added a postscript to this letter, saying that he had just received a report from his scouts that a Federal force of 7450 was between Reeve's Station and Greenville in Missouri. He told Gen. Polk that the force he had was wholly insufficient for either attack or defense. It should be three times as large or be abandoned altogether; and finally he asked to be relieved of his command. "It is a Brigadier’s command, and should have his responsibility, which I am daily growing more and more distrustful of my competency to sustain. Public interests here would be better provided for by other and abler hands.”
News of Borland’s call for volunteers and the resulting convergence upon Pocahontas was of course reported to other parts of the state. The Arkansas True Democrat of November 14 printed a dispatch from Des Arc dated November 9, 11:00 pm:
Some two dozen of these emergency companies were organized in Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence and Randolph counties, including the areas now encompassed in present-day Clay, Cleburne, Sharp and Woodruff counties. They converged on Pocahontas and Pitman’s Ferry, beginning about November 9, and were mustered into Confederate service for a period of thirty days. Few records of these hastily-organized and short-lived companies have survived. It appears that three thirty-day regiments were organized from these companies.
The men of Companies A, B and C returned to their respective homes after being discharged. The men of Company D stayed on to enlist in Confederate service for one year and became Company K of McCarver’s 14th Arkansas Infantry. No colonel or lieutenant-colonel was ever assigned to the 2nd Regiment. The only field-grade officer mentioned in the record is a Major Allen, commanding the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment.
The period of enlistment for these emergency companies expired from mid-December to early January, about the time that the new regular regiments arrived, and they were discharged and sent home. Most of the volunteers subsequently enlisted in various regiments organized in the third round of troop mobilization in March and April 1862.
The regiment mustered on November 26, 1861, at Burrowville (now Marshall
), and spent the next few weeks identifying and apprehending suspected Peace Society members throughout the mountains of north-central Arkansas. Finally, in mid-December, the regiment "escorted" their prisoners to Little Rock, where most of them were forced into Confederate service. Companies I and K of Marmaduke's 18th Arkansas
(later 3rd Confederate) regiment were composed primarily of men rounded up by the 45th Militia. Their mission completed, the regiment returned to Searcy County and mustered out on December 20, 1861. The next spring, most of them enlisted in the 27th
and 32nd Arkansas
Infantry Regiments.
to the State. He immediately made a requisition upon the State Military Board for ten additional regiments of infantry and four companies of artillery. These new Volunteer Regiments raised by the State Military Board in the fall of 1861 and winter of 1862 were formed into General Van Dorn's new Confederate Army of the West. In a proclamation, "To The People Of Arkansas, dated January 31, 1862, Governor Rector commented that:
. Following his defeat at this battle, Van Dorn moved his army east of the Mississippi to assist with operations near Corinth, Mississippi
. This resulted in Arkansas once again being left virtually defenseless in the face of a continued threat of invasion.
in the summer of 1862 created the Trans-Mississippi
District, made up of Arkansas, Louisiana
, and Texas. Major General E. Kirby Smith was placed in command, with headquarters at Shreveport, Louisiana
. Major General Thomas C. Hindman
, a resident of Helena and a forceful commander, was named to command the forces in Arkansas. Facing the immediate threat of Federal occupation, General Hindman insisted that the State Military Board transfer all remaining state troops to Confederate service. Rector, having won the battle with Richmond and facing staggering costs in maintaining a state army, was in no position to refuse. On June 2, 1862, Rector issued a proclamation noting that it was "essential that but one military organization shall exist within the Trans-Mississippi Department" and transferred all state forces to Confederate command. It is possible that this led to the aforementioned large number or enlistments from former militiamen into Volunteer Regiments in the summer of 1862.
Hindman wasted no time in trying to correct the complicated situation in Arkansas. The general at once began to raise a new army. Relying upon a recently adopted Confederate conscription law, he drafted large numbers of men. With Federal troops only 35 miles (56.3 km) from Little Rock, Hindman was forced to take drastic measures. While on his way to Little Rock he had "impressed" $1 million from Memphis
banks. At Helena he raided the stores, confiscating supplies ranging from medicine to ammunition, all of which he loaded on impressed steamboats. Of doubtful legality, these actions continued once Hindman reached Arkansas. Professor Michael Dougan has written that Hindman took "stores of all kinds" from citizens, even going so far as to raid the State Library to obtain paper for making cartridges. Finally, he burned thousands of bales of cotton to prevent their falling into enemy hands.
The home guards proved to be popular with Confederate sympathizers in Arkansas, primarily because these units could not be sent out of the state without the consent of state authorities. While some of these groups did engage in informal guerrilla activities, others were well-organized and competently commanded. The Home Guard units continued to operate until the closing days of the war.
(December 7, 1962) and later at the Battle of Helena
in July 1863. The state capitol, Little Rock, fell to advancing Union Forces on September 10, 1863. Arkansas Confederate forces continued to resist until the end of the war, and managed to inflict a few embarrassing Union defeats, notably at Battle of Jenkins' Ferry
and Battle of Marks' Mills
during the Red River Campaign
of 1864. Many of the units which participated in these final battles of the conflict in Arkansas were raised as State Troops from the militia of southern Arkansas.
(who had defeated Governor Rector in his re-election bid of 1862) began organizing a new force of state troops in the fall of 1863. Governor Flanagin appointed Gordon N. Peay to serve as his Adjutant General. Peay would serve in this capacity until the end of the war. Flanagin issued a proclamation on August 10, 1863, just a month before the capitol fell, announcing that he had been authorized to raise new regiments of state troops and that by special agreement these new units could not be transferred out of the state by Confederate authorities. After the fall of Little Rock, recruiting was far more difficult than it had been in the first years of the war. The constant transfer of Arkansas troops into the eastern theater of the war, across the Mississippi River from their homes, was a major objection by the remaining population of men eligible for military service. With Federal forces now occupying the state capitol, the Confederate state government had no way of enforcing conscription laws in the counties behind the Union lines, except during raids by Generals Price and Shelby in 1864. The remaining Confederate regiments were plagued by desertions.
On September 16, 1863, in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the state capitol, Governor Flanagin issued General Order No. 6 from Arkadelphia, which called in to service the militia regiments of the counties of Clark, Hempstead, Sevier, Pike, Polk, Montgomery, La Fayette, Ouachita, Union, and Columbia in order to resist the Federal army. The Governor's order directed the regiments to march to Arkadelphia at the earliest possible day. Companies were to be mounted and commanders were to compel persons evading the call to come to the rendezvous. The intent was to form companies of twelve-month mounted volunteers. Only six physicians, one druggist, millers to supply the wants of the country, clerks, sheriffs, postmasters, and persons in the employ of the Confederate States were exempted from the order. In describing this call in a letter to General Holmes dated October 18, 1863 from Washington, Arkansas, the new Confederate state capitol, Flanagin stated that he issued the order calling out the militia, as an experiment, expecting to get volunteers. The order succeeded so well as to get companies organized in the counties where the call for the militia was enforced which resulted in seven companies being collected under the call. Flanagin also stated that "the troops raised by the State are more than double all the troops raised by volunteering, or by the conscript law, within the past few months".
On October 26, 1863 Governor Flanagin directed Adjutant General Peay to:
These new units of Arkansas State Troops were placed under the overall command of Col. William H. Trader who was detailed to Governor Flanagin by General E. Kirby Smith. Col. Trader remained in command of the state troops until he resigned in June 1864.
Allen T. Pettus was elected Lieutenant Colonel of this battalion. The unit participated in the battle of Marks Mill on April 25, 1864 as a part of Brigadier General William L. Cabell’s Division. Lt. Col. Pettus was killed during the battle and Capt. P.K. Williamson of Company A commanded the battalion until the unit was increased to a regiment and transferred to Confederate service.
On September 5, 1864, the State Troop companies, including Pettus Battalion, were formed into one regiment of cavalry to be designated as the 3rd Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry, with Col. Robert C. Newton assigned to the command of the regiment until an election could be held for field officers. The companies of this regiment included.:
This unit was mustered into the Confederate Service on the October 31, 1864 as the 10th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment. Col. Newton was elected Regimental Commander. The unit operated in the Arkansas River Valley, interdicting the supply route between Little Rock and Fort Smith during the winter of 1864 to 1865.
That new loyal government was led by Isaac Murphy
. Murphy had gained fame, and no small degree of hatred, by his firm refusal to vote for secession during the state secession convention. In early 1864 a convention was held in Little Rock to draft a unionist state constitution. On March 14 the document was approved by the available voters; Isaac Murphy was shortly thereafter elected governor.
Among Murphy's first acts was to call for the formation of a loyal state militia, as bushwhackers were running rampant in the state. On May 31, 1864, the legislature adopted Act Number Nineteen, which provided for the creation of "a loyal State militia." This legislation stipulated that "none but loyal and trustworthy men shall be permitted to bear arms in said organization." So that the legal militia could be easily separated from the guerrilla forces, the act required each militiaman to "wear, as a mark of distinction, and for the purpose of being recognized at a distance, a band of red cloth [three] inches in width, to be worn on their hats, or in the most manner...." Governor Murphy was authorized by the legislature to solicit 10,000 stands of arms from the Federal authorities to supply the militia force. Albert W. Bishop, a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Arkansas (Union) Cavalry, became Murphy's adjutant general.
Using United States Army officers to oversee recruitment, the new militia slowly took shape. Recruitment was most effective in strong unionist areas, especially northwest Arkansas, and in areas where a large Federal garrison could provide assistance. By the end of September 1864 militia drills were being held at Little Rock and Fort Smith as well as other points. In Little Rock, authorities ordered businesses to close during the three-hour weekly drills to encourage full attendance.
The rural areas of Northwest Arkansas, which experienced continual depredations by guerrilla forces, witnessed the formation of paramilitary organizations akin to, but different from, the Militia. Portions of the area had been stripped of productive farms, given the roaming bands of bushwhackers and Federal troops who frequently impressed food and supplies. Thus, a large percentage of the population faced starvation. As early as 1863, well before the formation of the Murphy government in Little Rock, Colonel M. LaRue Harrison, a Unionist commander and the man after whom the city of Harrison would be named, formed what came to be known as "Farm Colonies". These colonies would serve both a military and agricultural purpose. The colonies organized Militia companies composed entirely of farmers, which would be expected to cultivate the land and protect it.
units do not trace their lineage and honors to any of the units that participated in the Civil War. This is due in part to the lack of organization and poor record-keeping at the state level both before and after the war, and in part due to confusion over identification of units. In contrast to other southern states whose current National Guard units are awarded the campaign participate credits for their unit's participation in the various campaigns and engagements while in Confederate service, no current Arkansas National Guard unit has Campaign Participation Credit for the period of the Civil War.
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
organizations to which the current Arkansas National Guard
Arkansas National Guard
The Arkansas National Guard comprises both Army and Air components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status...
has a connection: the militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia system before 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...
(1861–1865). State law required military service of most male inhabitants of a certain age. Following the War with Mexico (1846–1848) the Arkansas militia experienced a decline, but as sectional frictions between the north and south began to build in the late 1850s the militia experienced a revival. By 1860 the state's militia consisted of 62 regiments divided into eight brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s, which comprised an eastern division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
and a western division. New regiments were added as the militia organization developed. Additionally, many counties and cities raised uniformed volunteer companies, which drilled more often and were better equipped than the un-uniformed militia. These volunteer companies were instrumental in the seizure of federal installations at Little Rock and Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, beginning in February 1861. Once Arkansas left the Union in May 1861, these volunteer companies were among the first mustered into state service and formed into new volunteer infantry regiments, also referred to as "State Troops". These new regiments comprised the Provisional Army of Arkansas. The First Division of the Army of Arkansas participated in 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...
near Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, in August 1861, while others were transferred into Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
service. The Arkansas Secession Convention directed each county to organize a Home Guard organization, which was intended to include old men and boys who were otherwise disqualified from active service. The Home Guard were later commissioned to begin guerrilla operations against occupying Union forces. Once Union forces secured the state capitol in 1862, the new loyal state government immediately began raising new loyal militia forces in an attempt to combat bands of guerrillas and bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
s operating behind Union lines.
The Marion County War
Two famous Arkansas veterans of the War with Mexico would find themselves deeply involved in the first use of the Arkansas Militia following the War with Mexico. Allen Wood, who had raised a volunteer company in Arkansas which became part of the 12th United States Infantry Regiment during the war with Mexico was appointed as Adjutant General in 1849. On September 16, 1848, Governor John Sheldon Roane, who was himself a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Arkansas Regiment of Mounted VolunteersArkansas Militia and the War with Mexico
The history of the Arkansas Militia and the War with Mexico began when the Territory of Arkansas gained admission to the Union as the 25th State on June 15, 1836. Within days the State Governor received a request for troops to relieve federal troops securing the border with Mexico...
during the war with Mexico, ordered General Wood to investigate a state of unrest that existed in Marion County in 1849. Two warring families and their supporters vied for control of all county offices in what was known as the Tutt-Everett War
Tutt-Everett War
The Tutt-Everett War, also called the Marion County War or the Tutt, King, Everett War was a politically motivated feud that took place in Marion County, Arkansas, during the politically charged era preceding the American Civil War....
. The Tutts, of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and the Everetts, of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
had a long running feud which erupted into bloodshed in June 1849. It was said that virtually every man in the county had taken sides in the affair. General Wood raised two militia companies in Carroll County, one commanded by Capt. W. C. Mitchell, the other by Capt. Tilford Denton to assist with the capture of members of the Everetts clan and to guard the jail. General Wood relieved Sheriff Jesse Mooney, who was thought to be a member of the Everett faction and took over the county jail in Yellville. The force was eventually reduced to one company of 75 men who remained in the county from September 1849 through December 1849. Almost as soon as General Wood dismissed his militia companies, members of the Everett clan broke the prisoners out of jail. General Wood resigned the office of Adjutant General in a letter to the Governor dated July 28, 1851. On December 21, 1850, the Arkansas Legislature finally passed an act to pay for the militia called into service by General Wool. It is likely that the experience of calling out the militia for the Marion County War lead to the passage in 1852 of an law styled "an Act to provide for the organization of the Militia when called to suppress insurrections. This law allowed the county sheriff to order elections for offices of companies activated for this purpose.
Antebellum militia on the eve of conflict
With the conclusion of the Mexican-American War, the Arkansas militia fell into a state of disorganization. Without a threat from Mexico or the Indians, it seemed Arkansans needed protection from no one. Election of militia officers in most counties had basically stopped by 1849. Throughout much of the 1850s the Arkansas militia was practically dead; company and regimental musters were held infrequently, and officers stopped performing their duties. Governor Elias Conway, in an address to the state legislature dated November 7, 1854, stated that the state militia had not filed a single annual status report with the War Department since 1843. Without these reports, the militia did not receive its quota of Federal arms and equipment. One Little Rock newspaper editor wrote in 1852:Elias N. Conway, elected governor in 1854, came from a prominent family of Arkansas politicians, some of whom had served in the militia during its earlier and more active years. The condition of the Arkansas Militia when Governor Conway began his revival may best be summarized by a letter to the Governor from Col. Henry Rieff, Commander of the 20 Regiment Arkansas Militia dated January 3, 1860:
Governor Conway pushed the legislature to revise the militia laws and successfully sparked a renewed interest in the militia. He commissioned a printing of a digest of the militia laws of Arkansas in 1860. A review of the election returns for militia officers in each county in 1860 and the spring of 1861 provide some indication of the success of Governor Conway's attempt to revitalize the organization of the state militia. The militia was organized into two divisions of four brigades each. Each county supplied at least one regiment, and companies were normally organized in each township. Several counties had more than one regiment and one, Lawrence County, had three militia regiments. Regimental and company officers were elected at the annual muster. The election results were forwarded to the Governor either by the regimental commander or by the county clerk. The exact strength of these units is unclear. In May 1860, Col. George M. Holt, commander of the 18th Regiment from Saline County, claimed to have 1,000 to 1,200 men available and requested that the county be granted a second regiment.
| Regiment | Brigade | Commander | Date of Election or Commission | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Militia Division | Major General T.D. Merrick | |||
| 1st Militia Brigade | 1st Division | Brigadier General Benjamin P. Jett, Sr. | Sevier, Hempstead, Lafayette, Pike, Clark, Ouachita, Hot Springs, Montgomery, Polk, Columbia | |
| 2nd Militia Brigade | 1st Division | Brigadier General George M. Holt | Pope, Yell, Conway, Perry, White, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline | |
| 3rd Militia Brigade | 1st Division | Brigadier General Napoleon B. Borrow | Crawford, Franklin, Scott, Johnson, Sebastian | |
| 4th Militia Brigade | 1st Division | Brigadier General William T. Neal | Washington, Madison, Benton, Carroll | |
| 2nd Militia Division | Major General James Yell | |||
| 5th Militia Brigade | 2nd Division | Brigadier General W. H. Robands | Mississippi, Crittenden, Poinsett, St. Francis, Phillips, Moore, Craighead | |
| 6th Militia Brigade | 2nd Division | Brigadier General Thomas S. James | Arkansas, Union, Chicot, Desha, Jefferson, Ashley, Calhoun, Dallas, Drew, Bradely | |
| 7th Militia Brigade | 2nd Division | Brigadier General E. W. Turner | Van Buren, Izard, Fulton, Marion, Searcy, Newton | |
| 8th Militia Brigade | 2nd Division | Brigadier General Theodore H. Phillips | Randolph, Green, Lawrence, Independence, Jackson | |
| 1st Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. Alexander H. Reynolds | February 9, 1861 | Arkansas |
| 2nd Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. John T. Humphreys | February 21, 1861 | Benton |
| 3rd Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. Henry Helton | April 9, 1860 | Carroll |
| 4th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. William Turner | February 29, 1860 | Conway |
| 5th Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. John T. Humphreys | January 12, 1861 | Crawford |
| 6th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. William. W. Johnson | February 27, 1860 | Desha County |
| 7th Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. Albert L. Berry | April 20, 1860 | Franklin |
| 8th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. Daniel Griffin | February 8, 1860 | Hempstead |
| 9th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. W. A. Bivens | November 21, 1860 | Independence |
| 10th Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. John W. May | February 27, 1860 | Johnson |
| 11th Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. Benjamin Vaughan | June 7, 1861 | Madison |
| 12th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. William H. Robards | April 9, 1860 | Phillips |
| 13th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. Craven Peyton | February 11, 1860 | Pulaski |
| 14th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Robert H. Baird | February 16, 1860 | Poinsett |
| 15th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. John L. Williamson | July 23, 1860 | Pope |
| 16th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. James T. Martin | February 13, 1860 | Randolph |
| 17th Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. James F. Lee | February 11, 1860 | Scott |
| 18th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. George M. Holt | February 11, 1860 | Saline |
| 19th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Marsh Walker | February 18, 1860 | St Francis |
| 20th Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. Henry Rieff | January 7, 1860 | Washington |
| 21st Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. John Critz | February 8, 1860 | White |
| 22nd Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. J. B. Simms | June 24, 1861 | Van Buren |
| 23rd Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. Batt Jones | April 9, 1860 | Chicot |
| 24th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. Donelson McGegor | February 22, 1860 | Jefferson |
| 25th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. James H. McCalob | April 21, 1860 | Lawrence |
| 26th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. William H. Dawson | February 27, 1860 | Yell |
| 27th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. I. E. Crane | June 20, 1841 | Bradley |
| 28th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. William M. Bruce | March 12, 1860 | Clark |
| 29th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. William R. Cowser | May 10, 1860 | Union |
| 30th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Reuben T. Redman | May 17, 1860 | Crittenden |
| 31st Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. J. R. Dowd | February 28, 1860 | Marion |
| 32nd Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. George W. Hughes | July 16, 1860 | Washington |
| 33rd Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. R. C. Mock | April 10, 1860 | Green |
| 34th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. Christopher W. Board | February 8, 1860 | Jackson |
| 35th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Calab W. Richardson | March 8, 1860 | Monroe County |
| 36th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. John Baskins | March 1, 1860 | Perry |
| 37th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. Charles L. Dawson | March 14, 1860 | Sevier |
| 38th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. James W. M. Murphy | January 31, 1860 | Pike |
| 39th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. Joab B. Brooks | February 20, 1860 | Ouachita |
| 40th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. John H. Hamiter | February 11, 1860 | Layfette |
| 41st Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. Pleasant Fowler | May 10, 1860 | Newton |
| 42nd Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. John J. Kemp | April 18, 1860 | Izard |
| 43rd Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. Thomas Srable | April 18, 1860 | Fulton |
| 44th Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Col. Benjamin Vaughan | Madison | |
| 45th Militia Regiment | 7th Brigade | Col. Eldridge G. Michell | March 13, 1860 | Searcy |
| 46th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. H.H. Elliot | February 16, 1860 | Dallas |
| 47th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. Robert S. Clayton | February 20, 1860 | Hot Springs (Garland) |
| 48th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Joseph. B. Barum | February 11, 1860 | Mississippi |
| 49th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. A. S. Alexander | March 9, 1860 | Polk |
| 50th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. E.E. Dismukes | February 29, 1860 | Prairie |
| 51st Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. Samuel L. Griffing | February 6, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 52nd Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. Lawrence H. Belser | March 12, 1860 | Drew |
| 53rd Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. William MacKlin | March 26, 1860 | Ashley |
| 54th Militia Regiment | 6th Brigade | Col. Henry Atkinson | February 18, 1860 | Calhoun |
| 55th Militia Regiment | 5th Brigade | Col. Adam D. Grayson | March 14, 1860 | Craighead |
| 56th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. James P. Austin | February 11, 1860 | Columbia |
| 57th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. Nathaniel Grant | April 6, 1860 | Montgomery |
| 58th Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. John M. Council | April 20, 1860 | Franklin |
| 59th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. Sterling Allen | June 22, 1860 | Independence |
| 60th Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. R. G. Shaver | July 23, 1860 | Lawrence |
| 61st Militia Regiment | 8th Brigade | Col. J.C. Holmes | July 23, 1860 | Lawrence |
| 62nd Militia Regiment | 3rd Brigade | Col. William Whitaker | September 3, 1860 | Johnson |
| 63rd Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. David F. Shall | October 9, 1860 | Pulaski |
| 64th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. John F. Hicks | March 11, 1861 | White |
| 65th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Col. Dona Rogers | March 11, 1861 | White |
| 66th Militia Regiment | 2nd Brigade | Lt Col Caleb Fletcher | November 29, 1861 | Saline |
| 67th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col C. W. Paisley | March 11, 1861 | Clark |
| 68th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. E. W. Bacon | March 11, 1861 | Columbia |
| 69th Militia Regiment | 1st Brigade | Col. Hammon Biskolf | July 8, 1861 | Hempstead |
| 70th Militia Regiment | There does not appear to have been a 70th Regiment. Why this number was skipped is unclear. | |||
| 71st Militia Regiment | 4th Brigade | Capt. G. W. Maris | February 5, 1862 | Carroll |
Militia vs. volunteer companies
The Militia Law of Arkansas as published in 1860 provided for a two-tiered militia system. Section one of the law made all able-bodied free white male inhabitants between the age of 18 and 45 liable for service. The militiamen were required to provide their own weapons and equipment and were to muster four times annually, including two company drills, one battalion muster, and one regimental muster. No provision was made for uniforms for the private militiamen, while officers were required to acquire and wear the uniform of the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Additionally, section 57 of the act allowed each county to raise up to four Volunteer Companies. These Volunteer Companies were to be either infantry, riflemen, cavalry, or artillery. While the Volunteer Companies were to be separate from the regular militia units, they remained under the supervision and authority of the local militia commander, who was required to set the time and place of the election of officers for volunteer companies and certify their election to the governor. Volunteer Companies were required to drill at least once per month (although the Pulaski Artillery, a Volunteer Artillery Company organized in Little Rock in December 1860, scheduled drill three times a week). Volunteer Companies were allowed to select and acquire their own uniforms and their officers were authorized to wear the uniform of the company. While the standard militia units were organized into lettered companies organized roughly along township boundaries, Volunteer Companies usually adopted colorful names to set them apart. Membership in the Volunteer Companies was encouraged by the provision that once a militiaman had completed five years service in a Volunteer Company, he was exempted from further militia service.
In a letter to the "To The Militiamen Of The State Of Arkansas" dated August 27, 1860, Governor Conway exhorted the raising of additional volunteer companies:
He commented that if all the volunteer companies authorized by the act were to be raised, the state would have a force of 22,000 volunteers. He explained that the general assembly had yet to pass a law allowing the state to provide arms for all the volunteer companies, and he encouraged the counties to consider taxing themselves in order to raise the funds.
Although several Volunteer Companies were already in existence at various locations around the state, the Governor's call sparked a wave of formations. State newspapers in the summer and fall of 1860 have several stories of volunteer companies being formed, drilling, and participating in the regular muster of the militia regiments. The leaders of these volunteer companies began to search for uniforms and equipment, often requesting them through militia channels to the Governor, but then turning to private sources when the State Government was unable to help. The state legislature responded to the need for arms and equipment in January 1861 by appropriating $100,000 for the arming and equipping of the militia being formed into volunteer companies. Act Number 192, which was approved on January 21, 1861, appropriated money "for the purpose of arming the volunteer militia of this state, when formed into volunteer military companies..."
In the beginning, these companies continued to operate under the authority of the local militia commander, with the local regimental commander overseeing the election of officers and forwarding the election results to the Governor. After the state actually seceded in May 1861, Volunteer Companies and Regiments would be raised under the authority of the State Military Board, or directly by Confederate Government
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
authorities.
The readiness of the Militia organizations was compared to that of the Volunteer Companies springing up around the state when the Crawford County Militia, the 5th Regiment Arkansas Militia, conducted its annual muster and drill on February 23, 1861, at Van Buren
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
. They were joined on this occasion by two companies of volunteers, the Frontier Guards (led by Captain Hugh Thomas Brown) and the Independent Light Horse Guards (under Captain Powhatan Perkins). The two independent companies received rave reviews for their drill, but the performance of the 5th Militia Regiment provoked the following report from the Van Buren Press:
A more favorable account comes from a report on the September 1860 muster of Pulaski County's 13th Militia Regiment:
Following the parade of the 13th Regiment, Brigadier General Holt and the regimental officers gathered in front of Governor Conway's home and heard a speech in which the governor complemented them "upon the revival, at a critical time, of the military spirit which once animated the people, but seemed long to have been dead."
In October an article appeared in the same paper announcing a drill contest to be conducted as a part of a Fair scheduled for November 8–9, 1860, on the grounds of St John's College in Little Rock. The best-drilled militia company was to receive a "Premium".
Volunteer companies organized in the state militia
This list includes volunteer militia companies who were organized in accordance with Section 57 of the 1860 Militia Law, by having the election of their company officers certified by the Colonel commanding the local militia regiment, or whose association with the local militia regiment can be documented through contemporary accounts.| Regiment | Company | Company Commander | Date of Election/Commission | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Militia Regiment | "Home Defenders", Cavalry Company | Captain Logan Fitzhugh | February 8, 1861 | Arkansas |
| 1st Militia Regiment | "Dewitt Guards", Company Number 1 | Captain D. B. Quertermous | February 8, 1861 | Arkansas |
| 2nd Militia Regiment | "Spavinaw Volunteer Rifle Company" | Captain David C Patten | February 21, 1861 | Benton |
| 4th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Light Infantry Company" | Captain S. S. Ford | July 27, 1860 | Conway |
| 4th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Cavalry Company" | Captain William D. Adams | October 13, 1860 | Conway |
| 4th Militia Regiment | "Mounted Rifle Company" Also known as, "McCulloch Rangers" | Captain R. W. Harper | May 1, 1861 | Conway |
| 5th Militia Regiment | "Van Buren Frontier Guards" | Captain Hugh T. Brown | January 12, 1861 | Crawford |
| 5th Militia Regiment | "Independent Light Horse Guards" | Captain Powhatan Perkins | Crawford | |
| 5th Militia Regiment | "Crawford County Rangers" | Captain William S. Pennyhouse | March 21, 1861 | Crawford |
| 5th Militia Regiment | "Pope Walker Guards" | Captain Charles A. Carroll | June 14, 1861 | Crawford |
| 6th Militia Regiment | "Napoleon Grays" | Captain Henry E. Green | February 28, 1861 | Desha |
| 6th Militia Regiment | "Napoleon Cavalry" | Captain J. L. Porter | March 7, 1861 | Desha |
| 6th Militia Regiment | "Home Guards" | Captain O. F. Parrish | March 8, 1861 | Desha |
| 7th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain Robert C. Tweed | November 21, 1860 | Franklin |
| 7th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain John J. Walker | May 1, 1861 | Franklin |
| 7th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain John R. Titsworth | June 3, 1861 | Franklin |
| 7th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Rangers" | Captain Albert H. Moffit | June 3, 1861 | Franklin |
| 7th Militia Regiment | "Ozark Rifles" | Captain David Alexander Stewart | July 1, 1861 | Franklin |
| 8th Militia Regiment | "Nashville Blues" | Captain Sims McCoran | March 20, 1861 | Hempstead |
| 8th Militia Regiment | "Hempstead Riflemen" | Captain John R. Gratiot | January 12, 1861 | Hempstead |
| 8th Militia Regiment | "Hempstead Cavalry" | Captain George E. Gamble | May 28, 1861 | Hempstead |
| 8th Militia Regiment | "Confederate Guards" | Captain John A. Rowles | July 8, 1861 | Hempstead |
| 10th Militia Regiment | "Independent Company Riflemen" | Captain Alfred Dixon King | Nov 27, 1860 | Johnson |
| 10th Militia Regiment | "Independent Company Cavalry" | Captain Lynus Armstrong | Dec 28, 1860 | Johnson |
| 10th Militia Regiment | "Johnson Mounted Rifles" | Captain Oliver Basham | May 22, 1861 | Johnson |
| 10th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Infantry" | Captain J. W. Ring | Jun 12, 1861 | Johnson |
| 10th Militia Regiment | " Johnson County Lancers" | Captain Baston W. Cox | June 18, 1861 | Johnson |
| 10th Militia Regiment | "South Johnson Rifles" | Captain George Turner | July 10, 1861 | Johnson |
| 11th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Militia" | Captain Patrick Saunders | June 3, 1861 | Madison |
| 12th Militia Regiment | "Yell Riflemen" | Captain Patrick R. Cleburne | January 29, 1861 | Phillips |
| 12th Militia Regiment | "Phillips Guards" | Captain George Otey | January 29, 1861 | Phillips |
| 12th Militia Regiment | "LaGrange Cavalry" | Captain Thomas Gist | February 18, 1861 | Phillips |
| 12th Militia Regiment | "Tappan Guards" | Captain James C. Tappan | May 23, 1861 | Phillips |
| 12th Militia Regiment | "Artillery Company Helena Greys" | Captain J. C. Clendening | December 11, 1861 | Phillips |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Little Rock Guards" | Captain John C. Peay | September 25, 1858 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Capitol Guards" | Captain Gordon N. Peay | October 10, 1860 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Pulaski Lancers" | Captain Thomas J. Churchill | March 16, 1860 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Totten Artillery Company" later "Pulaski Light Artillery Pulaski Light Artillery The Pulaski Light Artillery was a Confederate Army artillery battery from Pulaski County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War... " |
Captain William E. Woodruff, Jr. | March 22, 1861 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Peyton's Rifles" | Captain Daniel W. Ringo | April 20, 1861 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Artillery" | Captain John Trigg | May 22, 1861 | Pulaski |
| 13th Militia Regiment | "Pulaski Rangers" | Captain R. W. Stevenson | June 3, 1861 | Pulaski |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Harrisburg Riflemen" | Captain Granville F. Smith | June 3, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company" | Captain Benjamin Harris | August 1, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company" | Captain James Shegres | August 6, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Confederate Greys" | Captain Evan Watkins | August 10, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Rough and Ready" | Captain William F. J. Clements | August 10, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Tappan Guards" | Captain Robert B. Lambert | August 10, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 14th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company" | Captain Andrew Balfou | August 12, 1861 | Poinsett |
| 15h Militia Regiment | Volunteer Cavalry Company | Capt. W. W. Raukins, later Capt. P.W. Parker Capt | August 20, 1860 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | Volunteer Light Infantry or Riflemen Company | Capt. A. D. Oats | January 8, 1861 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | "Norristown Guards" | Capt. William D. Caldwell, later Capt. L. W. Burges | May 13, 1861 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | "Dover Mounted Riflemen " | Capt. John H. Scott | June 12, 1861 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | "Pope County Lancers " | Capt. Thos. P. Linton | June 13, 1861 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Infantry" | Capt. Caleb Davis | June 24, 1861 | Pope |
| 15h Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Capt. Samuel Brown | March 31, 1862 | Pope |
| 18th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Infantry Company" | Captain Samuel Abby | May 16, 1860 | Saline |
| 18th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Infantry Company " | Captain J. D. Heuster | May 16, 1860 | Saline |
| 18th Militia Regiment | "Company Horse Guards" | Captain John E. D | May 2, 1861 | Saline |
| 18th Militia Regiment | "Saline Rifle Rangers" | Captain Mazarine J. Henderson | May 29, 1861 | Saline |
| 19th Militia Regiment | "Horse Guards" | Captain R. C. Harris | May 3, 1861 | St. Frances |
| 19th Militia Regiment | "Linden Dead Shots" | Captain Poindexter Dunn | May 16, 1861 | St. Frances |
| 19th Militia Regiment | "Richland Rangers" | Captain John C. Johnson | August 26, 1861 | St. Frances |
| 20th Militia Regiment | "Washington Rifle Guards" | Captain George C. North | January 7, 1860 | Washington |
| 20th Militia Regiment | "Washington Mounted Rifles" | Captain James M. Tuttle | February 18, 1860 | Washington |
| 21st Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Light Infantry", Also Known as the "Arkansas Guards" | Captain Dandridge McRae, Later Capt John C. McCauley | September 12, 1860 | White |
| 21st Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain James M. West | September 14, 1860 | White |
| 22nd Militia Regiment | "Quitman Rifles" | Captain Allen R. Witt | June 24, 1861 | Van Buren |
| 23rd Militia Regiment | "Chicot Rangers" | Captain Jacob Connell, 2nd Lieut Daniel H. Reynolds | October 3, 1860 | Chicot |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Jefferson Guards" | Captain Charles H. Carlton | September 24, 1860 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Southern Guards" | Captain Joseph W. Bocage | December 18, 1860 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Pine Bluff Artillery" | Captain Frederick Stick | April 21, 1861 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Bradley Guards" | Captain J. Bradley | June 17, 1861 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "McCullock Guards" | Captain George W. Bayne | July 24, 1861 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Arkansas Travellers" | Captain R. M. Wallace | July 24, 1861 | Jefferson |
| 24th Militia Regiment | "Hardee Guards" | Captain James T. Armstrong | August 2, 1861 | Jefferson |
| 25th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain Reed Shell | February 19, 1861 | Lawrence |
| 25th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Infantry" | Captain Samuel J. Herndon | February 19, 1861 | Lawrence |
| 27th Militia Regiment | "Sweeney Riflemen" | Captain B. F. Swinney | January 26, 1861 | Bradley |
| 28th Militia Regiment | "Arkadelphia Guards" | Captain Charles Stakes | May 1, 1860 | Clark |
| 30th Militia Regiment | "Crittenden Rangers" | Captain Frank B. Rodgers | April 10, 1861 | Crittenden |
| 30th Militia Regiment | "Mound City Greys" | Captain B. C. Crumk | July 5, 1861 | Crittenden |
| 31st Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain Eli Dodson | June 13, 1860 | Marion |
| 31st Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain William Christmas Mitchell | June 14, 1861 | Marion |
| 33rd Militia Regiment | "Gainesville Guards" | Captain Flavius S. White | July 8, 1861 | Green |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Jackson Guards" | Captain Wiley M. Mitchell | March 8, 1860 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Glaize Rifles" | Captain George E. Orme | December 28, 1860 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Augusta Cavalry" Also Known as "August Rifles" | Captain Charles H. Matlock | December 28, 1860 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Rifles Rangers" | Captain James Wilson | May 31, 1861 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | Captain William K. Patterson | June 5, 1861 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "McCown's Artillery", Also known as "Jackson Light Artillery" | Captain George W. McGowan | June 15, 1861 | Jackson |
| 34th Militia Regiment | "Star Rangers" | Captain John H. Dowell | June 19, 1861 | Jackson |
| 35th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Rifle Company" | Captain M.E. Jefferson | March 11, 1861 | Monroe |
| 35th Militia Regiment | "Monroe Cavalry" | Captain James R. Jackson | April 29, 1861 | Monroe |
| 35th Militia Regiment | "Monroe Blues" | Captain Gaston K. Baldwin | May 16, 1861 | Monroe |
| 35th Militia Regiment | "Harris Guards" | Captain James T. Harris | May 27, 1861 | Monroe |
| 35th Militia Regiment | Volunteer Infantry Company | Captain J. R. Jackson | December 30, 1861 | Monroe |
| 40th Militia Regiment | "Lafeyette Guards" | Captain Sam H. Dill | June 3, 1861 | Lafeyette County |
| 43rd Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Infantry" | Captain James M. Ackin | September 2, 1860 | Izard |
| 43rd Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Company Infantry" | Captain William S. Linsway | September 2, 1860 | Izard |
| 47th Militia Regiment | "Mountain Minute Men" | Captain Robert S. Clayton | December 25, 1861 | Hot Springs |
| 47th Militia Regiment | "Hot Springs Guards" | Captain E. H. Stewart | May 2, 1861 | Hot Springs |
| 47th Militia Regiment | "Hot Springs Rangers" | Captain Joseph Jester | June 19, 1861 | Hot Springs |
| 48th Militia Regiment | "Osceola Stars" | Captain J. B. Murray | March 10, 1861 | Mississippi |
| 50th Militia Regiment | "Rector Guards", Des Arc | Captain George W. Glenn | February 12, 1861 | Prairie |
| 51st Militia Regiment | "Fort Smith Rifles" | Captain J.H. Sparks | January 12, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 51st Militia Regiment | Horse Company "Mountain Rangers" | Captain | August 30, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 51st Militia Regiment | "Independent Artillery" Also known as "Fort Smith Battery" | Captain John G. Reid | September 27, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 51st Militia Regiment | "Sebastian County Volunteers" | Captain | August 7, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 51st Militia Regiment | "Bell Ponte Guards" | Captain W. R. Hartzig | July 10, 1860 | Sebastian |
| 59th Militia Regiment | "Independence Guards" | Captain Justus F. Tracy | February 15, 1861 | Independence |
| 59th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Infantry Company" | Captain Thomas J. Morgan | June 8, 1861 | Independence |
| 60th Militia Regiment | "Lawrence Cavalry" | Captain John Miller | January 16, 1861 | Lawrence |
| 60th Militia Regiment | "Lawrence Rangers" also known as "Lawrence Rifles" | Captain Zachariah P. McAlexander | May 8, 1861 | Lawrence |
| 60th Militia Regiment | "Shaver Guards" also known as "Dick Johnson Guards" | Captain Carney C. Straughan | June 17, 1861 | Lawrence |
| 64th Militia Regiment | "Volunteer Light Infantry Company" | Captain Henry M. Couch | July 1, 1861 | White |
| 65th Militia Regiment | "West Point Rangers" also known as "West Point Rifles" | Captain Joseph F. Hathaway, Later Captain A. T. Jones | May 29, 1861 | White |
The secession crisis
Lincoln's victory in the presidential election of 1860United States presidential election, 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 was a quadrennial election, held on November 6, 1860, for the office of President of the United States and the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout the 1850s on questions surrounding the...
triggered South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
's declaration of secession from the Union. By February 1861, six more Southern states made similar declarations. On February 7, the seven states adopted a provisional constitution for the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and established their temporary capital at Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Alabama. A pre-war February Peace Conference of 1861
Peace conference of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...
met in Washington in a failed attempt at resolving the crisis.
As the secession movement grew, people in Arkansas became greatly concerned. In January 1861 the General Assembly called an election for the people to vote on whether Arkansas should hold a convention to consider secession. At the same time the voters were to elect delegates to the convention in case the vote should be favorable. On February 18, 1861, Arkansans voted to call a secession convention, but elected mostly unionist
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
delegates.
Seizure of the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
sent 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...
a telegram volunteering 500 men to assist in its seizure. Edmund Burgevin, adjutant general of the Arkansas State Militia, carried the message to the Governor. Burgevin complained of the impropriety of a direct offer of volunteers to the governor of a State which had not seceded, and might not secede. Governor Rector's response was:
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 Totten. The Yell Rifles, commanded by Captain Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was an Irish American soldier, best known for his service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, where he rose to the rank of major general....
, and the Phillips County Guards (both of Phillips County), were the first companies to reach Little Rock and report to Governor Rector. Governor Rector denied having called the militia forces, and sent the newly arriving companies into camps near the present state capitol building. In addition to the two Phillips County Companies, the Jefferson Guards of Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, the Southwestern Guards, and the LaGrange Cavalry responded to the call to seize the Arsenal. Eventually more than a thousand men would assemble, representing Phillips, Jefferson
Jefferson County, Arkansas
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 77,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County's county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff...
, Prairie, White
White County, Arkansas
White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 77,076. The county seat is Searcy. White County is Arkansas's 31st county, formed on October 23, 1835, from portions of Independence, Jackson, and Pulaski counties and named for Hugh Lawson White, a...
, Saline, Hot Spring, Montgomery
Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 9,487. The county seat is Mount Ida. Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Arkansas
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 8,149. The county seat is Clarendon, while its largest city is Brinkley...
, and St Francis counties. Many citizens of Little Rock opposed the occupation of the Arsenal, fearing a loss of life and property. The Little Rock City Council reacted with alarm at this sudden invasion of the capitol by the newly-formed volunteer companies and called out its own militia unit, the Capitol Guards, and ordered them to patrol the streets and stand guard over the volunteer companies. Although generally opposed to secession, the Little Rock City Council fear that a battle might ensure within the city itself and passed an ordinance requesting the Governor assume control of the assembling volunteer forces and to seize the Arsenal "to prevent the effusion of blood".
Governor Rector, now armed with the city council's request, took control of the military situation. The 13th Militia Regiment of Pulaski County was activated and Brigadier General Holt, the local militia brigade commander, was placed in command. 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. Captain James Totten, Arsenal commander, agreed to evacuate the Arsenal in return for safe passage out of the state. Governor Rector agreed and the Militia took control of the Arsenal on February 8, 1861. Totten and his men were escorted from the city by the Capitol Guards. Grateful citizens of Little Rock presented him a sword, which some later came to regret; Totten would eventually meet Arkansas troops on the field of battle. Later, artillery batteries were set up at Helena on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and Pine Bluff on the Arkansas
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
to prevent reinforcement of Federal military posts.
The Yell Rifles returned to Helena and then moved to Mound City, where they mustered into state service as Company A, 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops
15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry
The 15th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was originally formed from existing militia units and designated as the 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops. After being transferred from state service to Confederate service the...
. Patrick Cleburne was elected to command the new regiment. The Phillips Guards under the command of Captain George Otey, remained in Little Rock to provide a garrison for the newly-seized Arsenal.
The first Convention on Secession
On March 4, 1861, Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was sworn in as President. In his inaugural address
Lincoln's first inaugural address
Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln, on Monday, March 4, 1861, as part of his taking of the oath of office for his first term as the sixteenth President of the United States...
, he argued that the Constitution was a "more perfect union"
Preamble to the United States Constitution
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles...
than the earlier Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
, that it was a binding contract, and called any secession "legally void". He stated he had no intent to invade the Southern states, nor did he intend to end slavery where it existed, but that he would use force to maintain possession of federal property. His speech closed with a plea for restoration of the bonds of union.
The next day, the Arkansas Secession Convention convened in the State House in Little Rock. David Walker, who opposed secession, was elected president. The convention continued in session for two and a half weeks. Feeling ran high and many fiery speeches were made, but it soon became evident that a majority of the members did not think that the situation at that time called for secession. The convention voted down a resolution condemning Lincoln's inaugural address, and defeated a conditional ordinance of secession. The opinion seemed to prevail that Arkansas should secede only if the Federal government made war on the Confederate States. Still hoping for a compromise settlement that would avoid war, the delegates agreed to go home until after the people had voted on the secession question at a special election to be held in August.
Arkansas leaves the Union
Fort MonroeFort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
in Virginia, Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
in Charleston, South Carolina, and Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947...
, Fort Jefferson, and Fort Taylor
Fort Zachary Taylor
The Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site, better known simply as Fort Taylor, , is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida....
, in Florida, were the remaining Union-held forts in the Confederacy, and Lincoln was determined to hold them all. Under orders from Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, troops controlled by the Confederate government under 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...
bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, forcing its capitulation. Northerners rallied behind Lincoln's call for all the states to send troops to recapture the forts and to preserve the Union, citing presidential powers given by the Militia Acts of 1792. President Lincoln called upon the "militia of the several states" to provide 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion. For months before that, several Northern governors had discreetly readied their state militias; they began to move forces the next day.
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 spite of the fact that Arkansas had yet to officially secede, a militia battalion was quickly organized under the command of Solon F. Borland
Solon Borland
Solon Borland was a newspaperman, soldier, diplomat, Democratic United States Senator from the State of Arkansas and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
; the force included the Pulaski Lancers, the Capitol Guards, and the Pulaski Light Artillery (all associated with the 13th Militia Regiment, Pulaski County). Captain Daniel Ringo's Peyton Rifles was dispatched to seize the Federal Arsenal at Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
on April 23, 1861.
The Adjutant General, Edmond Burgevin, provided the state's response to the War Department's demand for troops:
Faced with President Lincoln's demand for troops, the Secession Convention reconvened in Little Rock and, on May 6, 1861, passed the ordinance of secession by a vote of 69 to 1. Future Governor Isaac Murphy
Isaac Murphy
For the African-American Hall of Fame jockey see: Isaac Burns MurphyIsaac Murphy was the first Reconstruction Governor of Arkansas. He was the first reconstruction governor to come to power under President Abraham Lincoln's conciliatory policy...
was the only "No" vote.
The Pulaski Light Artillery was initially assigned to garrison the captured arsenal at Fort Smith. Brigadier General Napoleon Bonapart Burrows, commander of the 8th Brigade, Arkansas Militia was sent to Fort Smith, where he began negotiations with the Chickasaw Nation
Chickasaw Nation
The Chickasaw Nation is a federally recognized Native American nation, located in Oklahoma. They are one of the members of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Five Civilized Tribes were differentiated from other Indian reservations in that they had semi-autonomous constitutional governments and...
to occupy Federal forts in the Indian Territory.
Organizing state military forces
The Secession Convention continued to meet and began the process of drafting a new state constitution and ordering the state's military affairs. The new constitution sought to limit the power of the Governor by vesting authority for military matters in a three-person board chaired by the Governor. The Military Board was to oversee the organization of a state army; to arm, feed, and clothe the troops; and to call out the forces for such military expeditions as might be necessary to defend the state. The military board was composed of Governor Rector, Christopher C. Danley of Little Rock, and Benjamin C. Totten of Prairie County. Danley was soon replaced by Samuel W. Williams, who was replaced in turn by L. D. Hill of Perry County.The Secession Convention also adopted an ordinance providing for the organization of an "Army of Arkansas". The Army was to consist of two divisions: the 1st Division in the western portion of the state and the 2nd Division in the eastern portion of the state. Each division was to be commanded by a brigadier general. While called "divisions", the formations were actually intended to be of brigade size, with each being composed of four regiments of infantry and two artillery batteries. The ordinance required each regiment to consist of not less than six companies and not more than 10. Each company was to consist of not less than 64 men and not more than 96 men and four officers. The officers were to be elected by the men of the regiment. $2 million was appropriated to fund the Board.
The Convention elected three of its members as commanders of the new army: Major General James Yell of Jefferson County (overall commander) Nicholas Bartlett Pearce
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce
Nicholas Bartlett Pearce was a brigadier general in the Arkansas state militia during the American Civil War...
, a graduate of West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
and resident of Benton County
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
(commander of the First Division), and Thomas H. Bradley of Crittenden County (commander of the Second Division). Historian Leo Huff has referred to these commanders as "three political generals"; however, each had some connection to the militia. Major General Yell had served as the commander of the 2nd Division of the Arkansas Militia, Brigadier General Pearce had served as the Colonel of the Benton County Militia Regiment, and Brigadier General Thomas H. Bradley had previously served as a major general in the Tennessee Militia. General Pearce, who had graduated from West Point, had the most military training of the three generals. But all three of these men did harm to the war effort by opposing the transfer of Arkansas troops to a unified Confederate command. Eventually, all three men were either relieved of their command or transferred to other activities.
The Secession Convention enacted an ordinance on May 30, 1861, that called upon all the counties in the State to appoint a "home guard of minute men" for local defense, until regular military regiments could be raised and deployed. These Home Guard units were made up of old men and boys who were not eligible for normal military service. Like the Militia, the Home Guard units were organized at the county level, with companies being supplied by each township. Originally these units were intended to be separate from the state militia. Most counties presumably complied with the law, but records of only a few of these 1861 home guard organizations can now be found. The Independence County Home Guard was established in accordance with this new ordinance. The Independence County Court, in special session, established and made appointments to the local home guard organization on June 29, 1861. Subsequent appointments were made in July, October, and November 1861. About 220 men were appointed in all the townships of the county. Virtually all of them were property owners, many quite prominent and wealthy, and, as far as can be determined, all were over the conscript age. Some were quite elderly. Despite their age, wealth, and social position, many later served in regular Confederate units in the latter part of the war, especially in Dobbin's and Morgan's cavalry regiments. John Farrell Allen was appointed General Commander of the Independence County Home Guard.
Mobilizing forces
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
and offered the services of his brigade, which he described as "all officered and ready for action except in arms and munitions of war." The Secession Convention had other plans: they intended for the militia to remain separate from the Confederate forces. The existing militia organizations were to be retained as a source of manpower and a last-ditch defense network. This resulted in many local militia company commanders volunteering their existing forces as new volunteer companies rather than organizing separate Confederate companies.
Efforts to mobilize the state's forces were subject to the competing interest of the State Military Board. The board recognized the need to quickly mobilize troops to defend the state, but wished to avoid as much of the cost of the mobilization as possible. Additionally the Military Board feared that troops raised to defend the state would be diverted into the eastern theater of operations by the Confederate government. This concern quickly proved valid. The board made a decision not to mobilize the existing state militia regiments, and instead began organizing new regiments of "State Troops". The regiments are also referred to as Volunteer Regiments in state records from the period. Existing Volunteer Companies, already organized in the militia, were inducted into these new Volunteer Regiments. The militia regiments would maintain a separate identity from the State Troops and Confederate troops until the spring of 1862, when most former militia units conducted final musters and then enlisted in new Confederate units.
The board dispatched Christopher C. Danley of Little Rock to Richmond to open negotiations with the new Confederate government for the transfer of State Troops to the Confederate government. The Board immediately issued a call for 10,000 troops (10 regiments).
Much confusion exists in tracking the formation of military units during the initial months of the war because several different governments (Confederate, state, and county), all with competing interests, were raising troops within the state. The State Military Board was raising units which it hoped to transfer to Confederate service. James F. Fagan, Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas Carmichael Hindman, Jr. was a lawyer, United States Representative from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
, and Albert Rust
Albert Rust
Albert Rust was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas, and a delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress...
received authority directly from the new Confederate government to raise regiments for Confederate service. The War Department assigned the regimental designations of 1st Arkansas Volunteers (Fagan), 2nd Arkansas Volunteers (Hindman), and 3rd Arkansas Volunteers (Rust). The 1st and 3rd Arkansas Regiments organized, armed, and reported themselves ready for active service in May 1861, and received orders to report to Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
. Col. Hindman, however, had problems organizing his companies and obtaining arms, perhaps because the Arkansas State Troops were actively organizing in the same area. Col. Hindman's 2nd Arkansas Volunteers did not complete its organization and recruiting until June, and then had trouble getting orders from the War Department. Hindman's regiment was eventually sworn into state service and was then transferred to Confederate service with the rest of the eastern division of the Army of Arkansas.
The Military Board developed its own plan for numbering the regiments of State Troops, but this plan was apparently ignored by the new brigade commanders, who tended to number regiments sequentially based upon the date they were sworn into state service. The plan was also ignored by Confederate authorities, who often renumbered the regiments of State Troops when they were transferred into Confederate service, based on the date they were sworn into the Confederate Army. The result is a great deal of confusion regarding the designation of any particular Arkansas unit.
The 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops, commanded by Colonel Patrick R. Cleburne, was one of the first regiments created from the initial wave of Volunteer Companies. Of the eight companies which were inducted into state service as a part of this regiment at Mound City on May 14, 1861, seven had been originally organized as volunteer companies under the militia law. The regiment was initially mustered into the Confederate Army as the 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States Army. Later it was determined that another regiment had already received that designation. The unit recognized by the Confederate War Department as the 1st Arkansas Infantry
1st Arkansas Infantry
The 1st Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were three regiments known as "1st Arkansas" during the war...
was commanded by Col. James F. Fagan. Col. Fagan had served as a lieutenant with Company C of the Arkansas Regiment of Mounted Volunteers
Arkansas Militia and the War with Mexico
The history of the Arkansas Militia and the War with Mexico began when the Territory of Arkansas gained admission to the Union as the 25th State on June 15, 1836. Within days the State Governor received a request for troops to relieve federal troops securing the border with Mexico...
during the War with Mexico. Fagan's regiment was not mustered into state service, but left the state for the Eastern Theater; it was mustered in to Confederate service in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
. Col. Cleburne's 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops, was redesignated as the 15th Arkansas Infantry. The confusion did not end there, because a total of three Arkansas Infantry regiments were eventually named the "15th", the first being the aforementioned 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Troops commanded by Col. Cleburne. The new 15th Arkansas moved into camp with the 2nd Division of the Army of Arkansas, under the field command of Major General Yell, in Pocahontas
Pocahontas, Arkansas
Pocahontas is a city in Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, its population of the city is 6,765. The city is the county seat of Randolph County....
.
Volunteer militia companies enlisted in Confederate service
The following volunteer companies who were formed under the authority of the antebellum militia laws were inducted into the new regiments of State Troops or directly in to Confederate Service:| Company | Militia Regiment | Regiment of State Troops | Confederate Army Regiment |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Dewitt Guards" | 1st Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 1st Arkansas Infantry The 1st Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were three regiments known as "1st Arkansas" during the war... Regiment, Company K |
|
| "McCulloch Rangers" | 4th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company I, |
|
| "Van Buren Frontier Guards" | 5th Militia Regiment | 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett... , Company G |
35th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment -External links:* * * *... , Company G, reorganized following 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... |
| "Independent Light Horse Guards" | 5th Militia Regiment | 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett... , Company D |
Disbanded after 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... |
| "Napoleon Grays" | 6th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company E | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company C |
| "Napoleon Rifles" also known as "Napoleon Cavalry" | 6th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company G |
|
| "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | 7th Militia Regiment | 1st Cavalry Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 1st Cavalry 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... , Company G |
Disbanded after Wilson's Creek |
| "Hempstead Riflemen" | 8th Militia Regiment | 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett... , Company B |
17th (Griffith's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 17th (Griffith's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 17th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:The unit, originally known as the 17th Infantry Regiment, was organized at Fort Smith, Arkansas, on 17 November 1861. The men elected Frank A. Rector, who would later commanded the... , Company H, |
| "Hempstead Cavalry" | 8th Militia Regiment | 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles The 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. Raised in 1861, the regiment consisted of nine companies, which were drawn from various counties in Arkansas... , Company H |
|
| "Confederate Guards" | 8th Militia Regiment | 4th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E | |
| "Independent Company Riflemen" Also Known As “Johnson Guards” | 10th Militia Regiment | 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett... , Company H |
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... . |
| "Johnson Mounted Rifles" | 10th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, Company C | |
| "South Johnson Rifles" | 10th Militia Regiment | 16th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company B | |
| "Yell Riflemen" | 12th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company F | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company B |
| "Phillips Guards" | 12th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company H | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company F |
| "Totten Artillery Company" later "Pulaski Light Artillery" | 13th Militia Regiment | Colonel Solon Borland’s Militia Battalion, Disbanded after 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... |
reformed later as Weaver Light Artillery |
| "Capitol Guards" | 13th Militia Regiment | 6th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company A | 6th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 6th Arkansas Infantry 6th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Organized mainly from Volunteer Companies raised in the southern half of Arkansas, the regiment was among the first transferred to Confederate Service, and virtually the entire war serving in Confederate... Regiment, Company A |
| "Pulaski Lancers" | 13th Militia Regiment | Colonel Solon Borland’s Militia Battalion | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company F |
| "Peyton Rifles" | 13th Militia Regiment | Colonel Solon Borland’s Militia Battalion | 25th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company F, |
| "Harrisburg Riflemen" | 14th Militia Regiment | 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (Cross) | 5th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company F |
| "Volunteer Company" | 14th Militia Regiment | 13th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company C | |
| "Rough and Ready" | 14th Militia Regiment | 13th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company F | |
| "Tappan Guards" | 14th Militia Regiment | 13th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A | |
| "Volunteer Company Infantry" | 15th Militia Regiment | 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was originally formed as the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Battalion. After receiving the required 10 companies, the unit was redesignated as the 21st Arkansas Infantry Regiment... , Company E |
|
| "Saline Rifle Rangers" | 18th Militia Regiment | Col. Solon Borland’s 1st Arkansas Mounted Volunteers | 3rd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 3rd Arkansas Cavalry 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... , Company C |
| "Linden Dead Shots" | 19th Militia Regiment | 18th (Marmaduke's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 18th (Marmaduke's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 18th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit is also identified as the 1st Arkansas Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment... , Company C, |
|
| "Richland Rangers" | 19th Militia Regiment | 13th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company B | |
| "Quitman Rifles" | 22nd Militia Regiment | 10th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A, | |
| "Arkansas Guards" | 21st Militia Regiment | 7th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company K | 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War composed of troops from northeast Arkansas.-Organization:... , Company K |
| "Chicot Rangers" | 23rd Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company A |
|
| "Southern Guards" | 24th Militia Regiment | 2nd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops | 2nd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 2nd Arkansas Infantry was an army regiment of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.- Organization:The regiment was first formed in Helena, Arkansas through the efforts of Thomas Carmichael Hindman who had only recently resigned from the United States Congress due to the Arkansas... , Company H |
| "Jefferson Guards" | 24th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company B | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company H |
| "Pine Bluff Artillery" | 24th Militia Regiment | 18th (Marmaduke's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 18th (Marmaduke's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 18th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit is also identified as the 1st Arkansas Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment... , Company G, |
|
| "Bradley Guards" | 24th Militia Regiment | 9th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 9th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:9th Infantry Regiment was organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, July 20, 1861, and was known as the "Parson's Regiment" because it contained forty-two ministers.Its companies were recruited... , Company A, |
|
| "Arkansas Travellers" | 24th Militia Regiment | 9th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 9th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:9th Infantry Regiment was organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, July 20, 1861, and was known as the "Parson's Regiment" because it contained forty-two ministers.Its companies were recruited... , Company G |
|
| "Hardee Guards" | 24th Militia Regiment | 9th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 9th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:9th Infantry Regiment was organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, July 20, 1861, and was known as the "Parson's Regiment" because it contained forty-two ministers.Its companies were recruited... , Company H |
|
| "McCullock Guards" | 24th Militia Regiment | 9th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 9th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:9th Infantry Regiment was organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, July 20, 1861, and was known as the "Parson's Regiment" because it contained forty-two ministers.Its companies were recruited... , Company I |
|
| "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | 25th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Regiment, 30-Day Volunteers, Company G | |
| "Volunteer Company Infantry" | 25th Militia Regiment | 21st Arkansas Infantry Regiment 21st Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 21st Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:21st Infantry Regiment was organized on May 15, 1862 by consolidating four companies of McCarver's 14th and six companies of Lemoyne's 17th Arkansas Regiments, to form the 21st ... , Company F |
|
| "Sweeney Riflemen" | 27th Militia Regiment | 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (Cross) | 5th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company C |
| "Crittenden Rangers" | 30th Militia Regiment | 6th Arkansas Cavalry Battalion 6th Arkansas Cavalry Battalion The 6th Arkansas Cavalry Battalion was a Confederate Army cavalry battalion during the American Civil War.-Organization:The 6th Battalion Arkansas Cavalry was organized in August 1861 at Pocahontas, Arkansas, originally composed of four Arkansas companies and two Louisiana companies, which were... , Company C, and later, 2nd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (Slemons's) |
|
| "Volunteer Company Cavalry" | 31st Militia Regiment | 14th (Powers') Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Powers') The 14th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Two Arkansas units received the designation 14th. The other 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was commanded by Colonel James H... , Company C |
|
| "Gainesville Guards" | 33rd Militia Regiment | 5th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E | |
| "Jackson Guards" | 34th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 1st Arkansas Infantry The 1st Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were three regiments known as "1st Arkansas" during the war... Regiment, Company G |
|
| "Glaize Rifles" | 34th Militia Regiment | 7th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company B | 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War composed of troops from northeast Arkansas.-Organization:... , Company B |
| "Augusta Cavalry" Also Known as "Augusta Rifles" | 34th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company D |
|
| "McCowan's Battery" | 34th Militia Regiment | Jackson Light Artillery (Thrall’s Battery) | |
| "Monroe Blues" | 35th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company K | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E |
| "Harris Guards" | 35th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company A | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A |
| "Lafeyette Guards" | 40th Militia Regiment | 6th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company F | 6th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 6th Arkansas Infantry 6th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Organized mainly from Volunteer Companies raised in the southern half of Arkansas, the regiment was among the first transferred to Confederate Service, and virtually the entire war serving in Confederate... Regiment, Company F |
| "Mountain Minute Men" | 47th Militia Regiment | 19th (Dockery's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 19th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Dockery's) The 19th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were two other Arkansas units which were designated as the 19th Arkansas... , Company E |
|
| "Hot Springs Rangers" | 47th Militia Regiment | 3rd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 3rd Arkansas Cavalry 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... , Company F |
|
| "Rector Guards" | 50th Militia Regiment | 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, Company D | 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company G |
| "Fort Smith Rifles" | 51st Militia Regiment | 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett... Company A |
disbanded following 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... |
| "Bell Point Guards" | 51st Militia Regiment | 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops 5th 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... , Company G |
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... . |
| "Independence Guards" | 59th Militia Regiment | 8th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E | |
| "Volunteer Infantry Company" | 59th Militia Regiment | 8th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E | |
| "Dick Johnson Guards" | 60th Militia Regiment | 7th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops | 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War composed of troops from northeast Arkansas.-Organization:... , Company A |
| "Lawrence Rangers" also known as "Lawrence Rifles" | 60th Militia Regiment | 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:... , Company E |
|
| "West Point Rifles" | 65th Militia Regiment | 8th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company D |
Order of battle, Provisional Army of Arkansas
The new Army of Arkansas was to consist of two divisions: the 1st Division, covering western Arkansas, and the 2nd Division in the eastern half of the state. A major general was to command the Army, while each division was to be under the command of a brigadier general. Each regiment was to consist of six to 10 companies. As was tradition, company officers were elected by the men and regimental officers were elected by the company officers.Brigadier General Thomas Bradely, who initially commanded the eastern or 2nd Division, was quickly relieved of command after a dispute with Col. Cleburne. Major General Yell assumed command of the 2nd (Eastern) Division and had the following units under his command:
- 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, (15th Josey's Volunteer Infantry15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer InfantryThe 15th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was originally formed from existing militia units and designated as the 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops. After being transferred from state service to Confederate service the...
) - 5th Regiment (Cross's Regiment), Arkansas State Troops, (5th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry5th Arkansas InfantryThe 5th Arkansas Infantry, also called the Fighting Fifth was a Confederate Army infantry regiment organized in Arkansas to serve for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.-Organization:...
, Confederate States Army) - 6th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, (6th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry6th Arkansas Infantry6th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Organized mainly from Volunteer Companies raised in the southern half of Arkansas, the regiment was among the first transferred to Confederate Service, and virtually the entire war serving in Confederate...
, Confederate States Army) - 7th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, (7th Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States Army)
- Helena Artillery (Key's Battery)
- Jackson Light Artillery (McCown's Battery)
Brigadier General Pearce assumed command of the 1st (Western) Division and had the following units under his direct command:
- 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops3rd Regiment, Arkansas State TroopsThe 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett...
, (Gratiot's Regiment) - 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops4th 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...
, (Walker's Regiment) - 5th Regiment, Arkansas State Troops5th 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...
, (Dockery's Regiment) - 1st Cavalry Regiment, Arkansas State Troops1st Cavalry 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...
(Carrols Regiment) - Pulaski Light ArtilleryPulaski Light ArtilleryThe Pulaski Light Artillery was a Confederate Army artillery battery from Pulaski County, Arkansas, during the American Civil War...
, (Woodruff's Battery). - Fort Smith Artillery, (Ried's Battery)
On July 14, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General William J. Hardee
William J. Hardee
William Joseph Hardee was a career U.S. Army officer, serving during the Second Seminole War and fighting in the Mexican-American War...
arrived in Little Rock to assume unified Confederate command in the state. The following day the state Military Board signed an "Article of Transfer", which provided that all state forces (excepting the militia), some 10,000 men, would be transferred on a voluntary basis to the command of the Confederate States of America. All weapons, ammunition, and supplies were also to be transferred. Before the transfer could take place, Arkansas State Troops got their first taste of real battle.
State troops and the Battle of Wilson's Creek
Maysville, Arkansas
Maysville is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 130. It is the location of Coats School, which is located on Spavinaw Creek Rd. and Sellers Farm, which is located on Old Hwy. on State Line Both are listed on the National...
. Thus when a Union army began operating around Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
in Southwest Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Pearce's state troops were nearby. Pearce's troops, which are referred to as a brigade of State Troops in the official accounts of the battle, numbered 2,234 troops. Pearce agreed to co-operate with Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch
Benjamin McCulloch
Benjamin McCulloch was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a U.S. marshal, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
and his force of about 8,000 other soldiers from several commands, to form a sizable force and immediately marched toward Springfield. On August 10, 1861, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, the forceful commander of Union troops in Missouri, attacked the Confederates. The ensuing day-long battle was fought on a number of fronts. Captain William E. Woodruff, Jr., commander of the Pulaski Light Artillery, engaged in a fierce artillery duel with Captain James Totten, who had only a few months earlier surrendered the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock. Captain Totten found himself with an opportunity to gain revenge, and his cannons roared throughout the day.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek came to an abrupt and inglorious halt when the Union commander was killed. Leaderless and outnumbered five-to-one, the bluecoats fled the battlefield. The Arkansas troops played a major role in winning the battle, but paid a heavy price for victory. Two Arkansas units suffered particularly heavy casualties. Colonel Thomas J. Churchill's 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles
1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles
1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Of the Arkansas Confederate units formed during the war, only the 3rd Arkansas saw more combat action than the 1st Mounted Rifles.-Formation:...
counted 42 killed and 155 wounded out of 600 men. Colonel John Gratiot's 3rd Arkansas Infantry, State Troops
3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops
The 3rd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops was an Arkansas State infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. The regiment was designated as the 2nd Infantry, Arkansas State Troops, by the State Military Board, but it was named the 3rd Arkansas by Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett...
suffered 109 casualties, including 25 killed, out of a force of 500 men.
Pearce's Troops vote to disband
Shortly after the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Pearce's troops were polled as to whether they wanted to be transferred to Confederate command as had been arranged prior to the battle. Brig. Gen. Pearce actively campaigned against joining the Confederate States Army. Sources differ as to how many of these Arkansas state troops agreed to the transfer. It appears that few were willing to continue in either service. Colonel Gratiot's command voted en masse against the transfer, and they were marched back to southwest Arkansas, where they were mustered out of state service on September 19, 1861. By the end of September 1861, all organized state troops had either been transferred to Confederate command or mustered out of state service.Arkansas Confederates transferred east of the river
Between July 2 and August 1, 1861, eight regiments were organized by the Military Board. By November 1861 Governor Rector reported that 21 regiments had been raised, a total of 16,000 men, and an additional 6,000 men were soon to be in the ranks.The Secession Convention and Military Board fears of Arkansas troops being transferred east of the Mississippi quickly became a reality. Brigadier General William J. Hardee
William J. Hardee
William Joseph Hardee was a career U.S. Army officer, serving during the Second Seminole War and fighting in the Mexican-American War...
led his new brigade of Arkansas Troops on a short uneventful raid into Missouri, and then transferred the command east of the Mississippi to join what would become the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Arkansas soon found itself virtually defenseless. By insisting that all state troops have the right to approve their transfer to Confederate service, state authorities had effectively killed the chance of raising a large unified force in the state. Governor Rector's newspaper charged: "The Confederate government has abandoned Arkansas to her fate."
Col. Borland calls for militia to defend Northeast Arkansas: November 1861
In May 1861, Pocahontas and the nearby strategically important Pitman’s Ferry, in Randolph County, became an important Confederate military depot. Following the transfer of the State Troop regiments to Brig. Gen Hardee, virtually all the regiments stationed in northeast Arkansas were transferred in late September east of the Mississippi River to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Col. Solon Borland was left in command of a small force at Pitman’s Ferry. Col. Borland's force was the only defense left in Northeast Arkansas. The forces included: Borland's own cavalry regiment of seven companies, Col. McCown’s five companies of infantry, Maj. Desha's four companies of raw troops, Capt. Robert's artillery unit of 60 men but no guns and about 150 recruits brought by Maj. McCray – altogether about 1286 men. But of these, owing to sickness and casua1ties Col Borland said he could count on no more than 600 for fighting service, and all were "raw, inexperienced, poorly disciplined and indifferently armed."A second round of recruiting for new regiments was just getting underway when Col. Borland began receiving reports of enemy movements in Missouri. The initial reports seemed to indicate a possible movement on Pitman’s Ferry. The Union army was massing troops in southeast Missouri mainly for the purpose of a thrust down the Mississippi River. But this posed a very real threat to all areas of northeast Arkansas. Col Borland indicated that he had reliable information that "that there are 300 infantry and 150 cavalry at Rives’ Station, on Black River, 35 miles north of Pitman’s Ferry Also that there is a strong infantry force-7,000-at Greenville, 15 miles north of Rives’ Station." Borland was maintaining a regular correspondence with Brig Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, of the Missouri State Guard, who commanded the First Military District of Missouri at Bloomfield, Missouri.
Reports of these Union troop movements were sent to area militia units. The Jacksonport Herald of October 26, 1861 published a communication received by Christopher W. Board, Commander of the 34th Militia Regiment of Jackson County.
Col. Borland moved his command from Pitman’s Ferry to Pocahontas and was sufficiently alarmed over the reports to issue a call for reinforcements from the militia. On November 5, 1861, Col. Borland issued an appeal for volunteers in the surrounding counties to hastily organize companies for the defense of Pitman’s Ferry until new regular Confederate regiments could be organized and dispatched.
When news of Borland's situation reached Little Rock, the state Military Board responded to Borland's call for aid by calling out the 8th Militia Brigade under the command of Brig. Gen. Phillips:
Brig. Gen. Theodore H. Phillips offered his services to Col. Borland, who welcomed his aid in the emergency. Phillips undertook the organization of the new 30 day volunteer companies into a brigade. He placed a requisition for camp equipment as follows:
Brig. Gen Phillips added his explanation for the requisition: "In response to Col. Borland's call for militia service for 30 days. We have responded and entered service. [with] Capt. Ruffner." The receipt was dated Pocahontas November 23. 1861, and was signed by "T. H. Phillips, Brig. Gen. 8th Brigade of Arkansas Militia."
Col. Borland's call received an almost immediate response, but he continued to harbor serious misgivings about his situation. On November 10, he wrote to Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk, C.S.A., commanding the 1st Division Western Department, at Columbus, Kentucky, and told of his call for reinforcements from the militia. He said the response was “somewhat tumultuous." On November 9, 1000 men had arrived unorganized and so ill-supplied with arms that be deemed it best to direct them to return home. They followed this direction and assured Borland that within a weeks time he would have at least 3000 men at his command. He told them that companies thus organized and prepared would be received into service for 30 days from the time they reported again to him. Borland added a postscript to this letter, saying that he had just received a report from his scouts that a Federal force of 7450 was between Reeve's Station and Greenville in Missouri. He told Gen. Polk that the force he had was wholly insufficient for either attack or defense. It should be three times as large or be abandoned altogether; and finally he asked to be relieved of his command. "It is a Brigadier’s command, and should have his responsibility, which I am daily growing more and more distrustful of my competency to sustain. Public interests here would be better provided for by other and abler hands.”
News of Borland’s call for volunteers and the resulting convergence upon Pocahontas was of course reported to other parts of the state. The Arkansas True Democrat of November 14 printed a dispatch from Des Arc dated November 9, 11:00 pm:
Some two dozen of these emergency companies were organized in Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence and Randolph counties, including the areas now encompassed in present-day Clay, Cleburne, Sharp and Woodruff counties. They converged on Pocahontas and Pitman’s Ferry, beginning about November 9, and were mustered into Confederate service for a period of thirty days. Few records of these hastily-organized and short-lived companies have survived. It appears that three thirty-day regiments were organized from these companies.
1st Arkansas Regiment, 30 Day Volunteers, CSA
The 1st Arkansas Regiment, 30-Day Volunteers (infantry), seems to have been formally organized on November 23, 1861—at least that is the date of the appointments of the field and staff officers—under command of Colonel James Haywood McCaleb. Col. McCaleb was the commander of the 25th Militia Regiment, form Lawrence County. It appears that several of the companies that composed the new "30 Day Volunteer" regiment originated as part of the 25th Militia Regiment:- Company A – Capt. A. G. Kelsey—Randolph and Lawrence counties.
- Company B – Capt. John W. Peter—Sharp, Independence and Izard counties.
- Company C – Capt. M. Shelby Kennard—Independence county.
- Company D – Capt. Thomas S. Simington—Randolph county.
- Company E – Capt. Joshua Wann—Lawrence (present day Sharp) county.
- Company F – Capt. Israel Milligan—Lawrence (present day Sharp) and Izard counties.
- Company G – Capt. Daniel Yeager—Lawrence (present day Sharp) county.
- Company H – Capt. James Campbell Anderson—Greene (and present day Clay) counties.
- Company I – Capt. Beverly B. Owens—Independence county.
- Company K – Capt. L. W. Robertson—Lawrence (and present day Sharp) counties.
2nd Arkansas Regiment, 30 Day Volunteers, CSA
The 2nd Regiment Arkansas Regiment, 30-Day Volunteers (infantry), may not have completed its organization—only the records of one battalion of this regiment have survived. Only the records of the four companies of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment are extant. Four companies from northeast Arkansas constituted the 1st Battalion. The companies enlisted for 30-days of emergency service on November 18, and were discharged on December 18, 1861.:- Company A – Capt. John H. Miers’ company from Jackson County.
- Company B – Capt. W. T. High’s company (“High’s Repellers”) from Prairie (and present-day Lonoke) counties. This company appears to have originated as Company G, 50th Militia Regiment of Prairie County.
- Company C – Capt. James R. Morris’ company from Independence and present-day Cleburne counties, and
- Company D – Capt. Thomas G. Shinpock’s company from present-day Woodruff County.
The men of Companies A, B and C returned to their respective homes after being discharged. The men of Company D stayed on to enlist in Confederate service for one year and became Company K of McCarver’s 14th Arkansas Infantry. No colonel or lieutenant-colonel was ever assigned to the 2nd Regiment. The only field-grade officer mentioned in the record is a Major Allen, commanding the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment.
3rd Arkansas Regiment, 30 Day Volunteers, CSA
A 3rd Arkansas Regiment, 30-Day Volunteers (cavalry), almost surely never completely organized—only the rosters of two mounted companies, under Captains Reves and Hooker, have survived.- Capt. Reves’ Mounted Company, 30-Day Volunteers, CSA – from Randolph County. Notation on muster roll—“This company was raised in Randolph county, Arkansas, in response to Colonel Borland’s call of November 5, 1861, mustered into the Confederate service on December 26, 1861, for 30 days, and discharged on January 26, 1862, at Pocahontas, Arkansas.”.
- Capt. Richard Hooker's Company, Arkansas Mounted Volunteers, 30 days 1861, CSA – Jackson County. This company was mustered into Confederate service November 29, and discharged December 28, 1861. Muster rolls for this period bear the remark: "the men were armed with shotguns and borrowed sabers." Hooker's Company began as a cavalry unit. They had evidently spent time training in camp at Jacksonport before going to Pocahontas. In a report of purchases of army equipment at Jacksonport for the military board, R. R. Kellogg wrote on December 20, 1861: “Enclosed please find an Invoice of Goods by the Committee for Jackson County at this place – together with the receipts of all that we have distributed. The tents loaned to Hooker's Company have been returned and are now subject to your order.” Although Hooker's Company was originally organized for 30 day service, it was reorganized on February 26, 1862, by Capt. Hooker at Jacksonport and more men were added. It figured prominently in actions around Jackson County in the spring and summer of 1862. Hooker's Company was mustered into it Confederate service as companies C and D of the 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment32nd Arkansas Infantry RegimentThe 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, also called 4th Trans-Mississippi Regiment, was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War...
.
Unattached companies
Four additional companies were raised, possibly to fill out the rest of the 2nd Regiment or possibly for the 3rd Regiment of 30 day Volunteers, but they were never formally assigned to a regiment.- Capt. Clayton’s Company, 30-Day Volunteers, CSA—From Lawrence (Now Sharp) county. Notation on muster roll—“This company was raised at Ash Flat, Arkansas, in response to Colonel Borland’s call of November 5, 1861, mustered into the Confederate service on November 9, 1861, for 30 days, and discharged on December 9, 1861, at Pitman’s Ferry, Arkansas.”
- Capt. Ballard’s Company, 30-Day Volunteers, CSA – from Randolph county, Notation on muster roll—“This company was raised in Randolph county, Arkansas, in response to Colonel Borland’s call of November 5, 1861, mustered into the Confederate service on November 17, 1861, for 30 days, and discharged on December 17, 1861, at Pitman’s Ferry, Arkansas.”
- Capt. Baker’s Company, 30-Day Volunteers, CSA – from St Francis county. Notation on muster roll—“This company was raised at Cotton Plant, Arkansas, in response to Colonel Borland’s call of November 5, 1861, mustered into the Confederate service on November 14, 1861, for 30 days, and discharged on December 14, 1861, at Pocahontas, Arkansas.”
- Capt. Ruffner commanded a company of volunteers from the southern part of Lawrence County and evidently camped with Gen. Phillips. They remained at Pocahontas until the emergency was over and Col. Borland felt their service was no longer needed.
The period of enlistment for these emergency companies expired from mid-December to early January, about the time that the new regular regiments arrived, and they were discharged and sent home. Most of the volunteers subsequently enlisted in various regiments organized in the third round of troop mobilization in March and April 1862.
Operations against the Peace Society
The 45th Regiment Arkansas Militia was the regiment of Searcy and present-day Stone counties. It is the only militia regiment known to have been called up during the war for a specific mission. Confederate and State authorities became increasingly concerned about a shadowy organization in north-central Arkansas known as the Peace Society. The Peace Societies were largely union sympathizers who felt that the large slaveholding planters of southern Arkansas and the deep South had caused the war; they felt that they should be required to bear the burden of the conflict. Governor Rector ordered the 45th Arkansas Militia Regiment (Searcy County) to round up suspected Peace Society members in Searcy and Van Buren counties.The regiment mustered on November 26, 1861, at Burrowville (now Marshall
Marshall, Arkansas
Marshall is a city in Searcy County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Searcy County. Marshall was incorporated in 1884.-Geography:Marshall is located at ....
), and spent the next few weeks identifying and apprehending suspected Peace Society members throughout the mountains of north-central Arkansas. Finally, in mid-December, the regiment "escorted" their prisoners to Little Rock, where most of them were forced into Confederate service. Companies I and K of Marmaduke's 18th Arkansas
18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 18th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. This unit is also known as 18th Arkansas Infantry. There was another regiment designated as the 18th Arkansas...
(later 3rd Confederate) regiment were composed primarily of men rounded up by the 45th Militia. Their mission completed, the regiment returned to Searcy County and mustered out on December 20, 1861. The next spring, most of them enlisted in the 27th
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...
and 32nd Arkansas
32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment
The 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, also called 4th Trans-Mississippi Regiment, was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War...
Infantry Regiments.
Inspection of militia units December 1861
The Military Board's efforts to mobilize necessary forces to defend the state, while maintaining the Militia as a separate organization, appear to have still been successful in the fall and winter of 1861. In early December, 1861, the Commanding Generals of the Arkansas Militia Brigades made inspection tours of their districts. The Adjutant General, General Edmund Burevin, reviewed the Militia Division of Major General Thomas D. Merrick, who had mobilized as the Colonel of the 10th Arkansas. Major General James Yell reviewed the 2nd Militia Division. Brigadier General Holt, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, reported that the militia units in the eight counties that comprised the 2nd Brigade were well organized, and that domestic arms were more plentiful than he had expected. Regimental Drill was conducted on December 5, 1861, at St. Johns College in Little Rock, and on December 7 in Saline County.General Van Dorn raises a new army
The Confederate Government in Richmond reacted to Arkansas' complaints in January 1862 by dispatching Major General Earl Van DornEarl 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 the State. He immediately made a requisition upon the State Military Board for ten additional regiments of infantry and four companies of artillery. These new Volunteer Regiments raised by the State Military Board in the fall of 1861 and winter of 1862 were formed into General Van Dorn's new Confederate Army of the West. In a proclamation, "To The People Of Arkansas, dated January 31, 1862, Governor Rector commented that:
State militia units hold final muster
Many of the Arkansas State Militia Regiments conducted their final muster in the early spring of 1862. Most of these musters occurred in the last week of February or the first week of March 1862. Governor Rector issued an address on May 5, 1862 calling for the formation of 30 new infantry companies and 20 new cavalry companies. 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 final muster, many former militiamen joined one of the newly formed Volunteer 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. In many cases, names on the final militia muster rolls match subsequent enlistments in new Volunteer Regiments being raised in the Spring and Summer of 1862:. A good example of this process is Company A of the 6th (Monroe’s) Arkansas Cavalry Regiment which was enlisted at Hickory Plains, Prairie County, Arkansas, on May 9, 1862, by Captain Patrick Henry Wheat. Of the 97 members of this company who enlisted at Hickory Plains, 49 were present for the muster of the 50th Militia Regiment on March 7, 1862.| Regiment | County | Final Muster Date | Confederate Unit of Enlistment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Crawford County | February 21 to March 17, 1862 | unknown |
| 7th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Franklin County | February and March 1862 | Co. I, 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.... , CSA also several enlisted in Union units |
| 10th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Johnson County | February 20 to March 19, 1862 | Company H, 26th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 26th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 26th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:26th Infantry Regiment [also called 3rd Trans-Mississippi Regiment] was organized as Morgan’s Battalion on June 14, 1862, it was increased to a full regiment and reorganized as the 26th... , Company D, 4th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 4th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment -External links:* * * *... , Company I, 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.... , and Company B, 7th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 7th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment -External links:* * * *... |
| 15th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Pope County | March 10–11, 1862 | Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion -External links:* * * *... , Companies C, D, and E, 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment -External links:* * * *... |
| 21st Regiment Arkansas Militia | White County | March 7–9, 1862 | Companies A, B and E of the 36th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 36th 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... , CSA |
| 45th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Searcy County | December 20, 1861 | Company F, 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... and Company F, 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, also called 4th Trans-Mississippi Regiment, was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War... s, CSA |
| 50th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Prairie County | March 7, 1862 | Company A, 6th (Monroe’s) Arkansas Cavalry, and 2nd Arkansas 30-Day Volunteers |
| 51st Regiment Arkansas Militia | Sebastian County | March 4–14, 1862 | Unknown |
| 58th Regiment Arkansas Militia | Franklin County | February 22 to March 21, 1862 | 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment -External links:* * * *... , CSA (Many also enlisted in Union Regiments) |
| 62nd Regiment Arkansas Militia | Johnson County | February 22, 1862 to March 1, 1862 | a small number enlisted in either the 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.... or the 4th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 4th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment -External links:* * * *... many joined Union Regiments raised in the area. |
Arkansas once again abandoned
Major General Van Dorn utilized these new Volunteer Regiments during his ill-fated March 7–8, 1862 attack on the Federal Army of the Southwest near Elk Horn Tavern in what would become known as 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...
. Following his defeat at this battle, Van Dorn moved his army east of the Mississippi to assist with operations near 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 :...
. This resulted in Arkansas once again being left virtually defenseless in the face of a continued threat of invasion.
General Hindman organizes a new army
Furious with the authorities in Richmond, Governor Rector threatened to withdraw Arkansas from the Confederacy. When Arkansas' Confederate congressional delegation joined Rector in demanding defense for Arkansas, President Jefferson DavisJefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
in the summer of 1862 created the Trans-Mississippi
Trans-Mississippi
The Trans-Mississippi was the geographic area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century, containing the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, and the Indian Territory . The term was especially used by the Confederate States of America as the designation for the theater of...
District, made up of Arkansas, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Texas. Major General E. Kirby Smith was placed in command, with headquarters at Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Major General Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas Carmichael Hindman, Jr. was a lawyer, United States Representative from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
, a resident of Helena and a forceful commander, was named to command the forces in Arkansas. Facing the immediate threat of Federal occupation, General Hindman insisted that the State Military Board transfer all remaining state troops to Confederate service. Rector, having won the battle with Richmond and facing staggering costs in maintaining a state army, was in no position to refuse. On June 2, 1862, Rector issued a proclamation noting that it was "essential that but one military organization shall exist within the Trans-Mississippi Department" and transferred all state forces to Confederate command. It is possible that this led to the aforementioned large number or enlistments from former militiamen into Volunteer Regiments in the summer of 1862.
Hindman wasted no time in trying to correct the complicated situation in Arkansas. The general at once began to raise a new army. Relying upon a recently adopted Confederate conscription law, he drafted large numbers of men. With Federal troops only 35 miles (56.3 km) from Little Rock, Hindman was forced to take drastic measures. While on his way to Little Rock he had "impressed" $1 million from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
banks. At Helena he raided the stores, confiscating supplies ranging from medicine to ammunition, all of which he loaded on impressed steamboats. Of doubtful legality, these actions continued once Hindman reached Arkansas. Professor Michael Dougan has written that Hindman took "stores of all kinds" from citizens, even going so far as to raid the State Library to obtain paper for making cartridges. Finally, he burned thousands of bales of cotton to prevent their falling into enemy hands.
Home guard
Besides attempting to organize a strong force of regular Confederate troops, General Hindman used the conscription laws to create home guard units. The Confederate conscription statues required that boys of 17 years and men between 45 and 50 serve in home guard units, similar to the traditional militia. On June 17, 1862 Hindman issued General Order Number Seventeen, providing that "for the more effectual annoyance of the enemy...all citizens of this district, who are not subject to conscription, are called upon to organize themselves into independent companies." In the thoroughness that typified Hindman, he suggested the types of operations which the home guards should carry out: "Their duty will be to cut off Federal pickets, scouts, foraging parties, and trains, and to kill pilots and others on gun-boats and transports, attacking them day and night, and using the greatest vigor in their movements." Although the home guard units were similar to the militia, the Federals accused Hindman of legalizing bushwhacking. Many of the men who joined the home guards merely used the organization as an excuse to pillage isolated farms and villages. Northwest Arkansas, in particular, suffered at the hands of these guerilla bands.The home guards proved to be popular with Confederate sympathizers in Arkansas, primarily because these units could not be sent out of the state without the consent of state authorities. While some of these groups did engage in informal guerrilla activities, others were well-organized and competently commanded. The Home Guard units continued to operate until the closing days of the war.
The fall of Little Rock
General Hindman proved a more effective organizer than a battlefield leader. His new army met defeat first at 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:...
(December 7, 1962) and later at the Battle of Helena
Battle of Helena
The Battle of Helena was a land battle of the American Civil War fought on July 4, 1863, at Helena, Arkansas. Overshadowed by the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Battle of Helena secured eastern Arkansas for the Union.- Union forces :...
in July 1863. The state capitol, Little Rock, fell to advancing Union Forces on September 10, 1863. Arkansas Confederate forces continued to resist until the end of the war, and managed to inflict a few embarrassing Union defeats, notably at Battle of Jenkins' Ferry
Battle of Jenkins' Ferry
The Battle of Jenkins' Ferry was fought April 30, 1864, in Grant County, Arkansas during the American Civil War. It was the climactic battle of the Camden Expedition, which was a part of the Union Army’s failed Red River Campaign. Each side sustained a large number of casualties, especially...
and Battle of Marks' Mills
Battle of Marks' Mills
The Battle of Marks' Mills occurred on April 25, 1864, in Cleveland County, Arkansas as part of the Camden Expedition of the American Civil War. Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan overwhelmed a small Union detachment commanded by Lt. Col. Francis M...
during the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
of 1864. Many of the units which participated in these final battles of the conflict in Arkansas were raised as State Troops from the militia of southern Arkansas.
Militia Operations after the fall of Little Rock
Governor Harris FlanaginHarris Flanagin
Harris Flanagin was the seventh Governor of the State of Arkansas.-Biography:Harris Flanagin was born in Roadstown, New Jersey. Flanagin was educated in Quaker schools in New Jersey. At age 18 he became a professor of mathematics. Flanagin moved west and opened his own private school in Paoli,...
(who had defeated Governor Rector in his re-election bid of 1862) began organizing a new force of state troops in the fall of 1863. Governor Flanagin appointed Gordon N. Peay to serve as his Adjutant General. Peay would serve in this capacity until the end of the war. Flanagin issued a proclamation on August 10, 1863, just a month before the capitol fell, announcing that he had been authorized to raise new regiments of state troops and that by special agreement these new units could not be transferred out of the state by Confederate authorities. After the fall of Little Rock, recruiting was far more difficult than it had been in the first years of the war. The constant transfer of Arkansas troops into the eastern theater of the war, across the Mississippi River from their homes, was a major objection by the remaining population of men eligible for military service. With Federal forces now occupying the state capitol, the Confederate state government had no way of enforcing conscription laws in the counties behind the Union lines, except during raids by Generals Price and Shelby in 1864. The remaining Confederate regiments were plagued by desertions.
On September 16, 1863, in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the state capitol, Governor Flanagin issued General Order No. 6 from Arkadelphia, which called in to service the militia regiments of the counties of Clark, Hempstead, Sevier, Pike, Polk, Montgomery, La Fayette, Ouachita, Union, and Columbia in order to resist the Federal army. The Governor's order directed the regiments to march to Arkadelphia at the earliest possible day. Companies were to be mounted and commanders were to compel persons evading the call to come to the rendezvous. The intent was to form companies of twelve-month mounted volunteers. Only six physicians, one druggist, millers to supply the wants of the country, clerks, sheriffs, postmasters, and persons in the employ of the Confederate States were exempted from the order. In describing this call in a letter to General Holmes dated October 18, 1863 from Washington, Arkansas, the new Confederate state capitol, Flanagin stated that he issued the order calling out the militia, as an experiment, expecting to get volunteers. The order succeeded so well as to get companies organized in the counties where the call for the militia was enforced which resulted in seven companies being collected under the call. Flanagin also stated that "the troops raised by the State are more than double all the troops raised by volunteering, or by the conscript law, within the past few months".
On October 26, 1863 Governor Flanagin directed Adjutant General Peay to:
These new units of Arkansas State Troops were placed under the overall command of Col. William H. Trader who was detailed to Governor Flanagin by General E. Kirby Smith. Col. Trader remained in command of the state troops until he resigned in June 1864.
Pettus Battalion, Arkansas State Troops
On January 14, 1864, Governor Flanagin, through General Peay, issued General Orders, No. 8. which directed the following named companies of Arkansas mounted volunteers, which had been called into the service of the State under the proclamation of the August 10, A.D. 1863, compose and be designated as the 1st Battalion, Arkansas State Troops:- Company A, of Hempstead County, Captain E. K. Williamson, commanding.
- Company B, of Clark County, Captain Reuben C. Reed, commanding.
- Company C, of Sevier County, Captain Allen T. Pettus, commanding.
- Company D, of Polk County, Captain G. A. Hale, commanding.
- Company E, of Hot Spring County, Captain John W. Dyer, commanding.
Allen T. Pettus was elected Lieutenant Colonel of this battalion. The unit participated in the battle of Marks Mill on April 25, 1864 as a part of Brigadier General William L. Cabell’s Division. Lt. Col. Pettus was killed during the battle and Capt. P.K. Williamson of Company A commanded the battalion until the unit was increased to a regiment and transferred to Confederate service.
Newton's 10th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment
In August 1864 when the term of enlistment for these state troops was about to expire, Adjutant General Peay issued an order which directed that companies be allowed to vote on the subject of being transferred into Confederate service. However, the chance to vote on being transferred was merely a matter of form because Peay's order also had directions for those who refused transfer to Confederate service:On September 5, 1864, the State Troop companies, including Pettus Battalion, were formed into one regiment of cavalry to be designated as the 3rd Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry, with Col. Robert C. Newton assigned to the command of the regiment until an election could be held for field officers. The companies of this regiment included.:
- Company A—Capt. Reuben C. Reed, composed of men from Clark County
- Company B—Capt. Robert S. Burke, composed of men from Montgomery County
- Company C—Capt. Cyrus K. Holman (replaced Allen T. Pettus), composed of men from Sever County
- Company D—Capt. James B. Williamson, composed of men from Polk County
- Company E—Capt. Samuel Ogden (replaced P.K. Williamson), composed of men from Hempstead County
- Company F—Capt. Theophilus G. Henley, composed of men from Hempstead County
- Company G—Capt. George A. Hale, composed of men from Polk County
- Company H—Capt. William C. Corcoran, composed of men from Scott County
- Company I—Capt. Allen A. McDonald (replaced John W. Dyer), composed of men from Hot Spring County
- Company K—Capt. John Connally,
This unit was mustered into the Confederate Service on the October 31, 1864 as the 10th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment. Col. Newton was elected Regimental Commander. The unit operated in the Arkansas River Valley, interdicting the supply route between Little Rock and Fort Smith during the winter of 1864 to 1865.
A new unionist militia
In September 1863 Little Rock was captured by Union forces, and the Confederate state government fled to Washington, who at that time was in Southwest Arkansas. From that point, effective Confederate control was limited to the southwest corner of the state. Home guard units and guerrilla bands continued to mount frequent raids. The Union government acted quickly to establish a loyal government in Little Rock.That new loyal government was led by Isaac Murphy
Isaac Murphy
For the African-American Hall of Fame jockey see: Isaac Burns MurphyIsaac Murphy was the first Reconstruction Governor of Arkansas. He was the first reconstruction governor to come to power under President Abraham Lincoln's conciliatory policy...
. Murphy had gained fame, and no small degree of hatred, by his firm refusal to vote for secession during the state secession convention. In early 1864 a convention was held in Little Rock to draft a unionist state constitution. On March 14 the document was approved by the available voters; Isaac Murphy was shortly thereafter elected governor.
Among Murphy's first acts was to call for the formation of a loyal state militia, as bushwhackers were running rampant in the state. On May 31, 1864, the legislature adopted Act Number Nineteen, which provided for the creation of "a loyal State militia." This legislation stipulated that "none but loyal and trustworthy men shall be permitted to bear arms in said organization." So that the legal militia could be easily separated from the guerrilla forces, the act required each militiaman to "wear, as a mark of distinction, and for the purpose of being recognized at a distance, a band of red cloth [three] inches in width, to be worn on their hats, or in the most manner...." Governor Murphy was authorized by the legislature to solicit 10,000 stands of arms from the Federal authorities to supply the militia force. Albert W. Bishop, a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Arkansas (Union) Cavalry, became Murphy's adjutant general.
Using United States Army officers to oversee recruitment, the new militia slowly took shape. Recruitment was most effective in strong unionist areas, especially northwest Arkansas, and in areas where a large Federal garrison could provide assistance. By the end of September 1864 militia drills were being held at Little Rock and Fort Smith as well as other points. In Little Rock, authorities ordered businesses to close during the three-hour weekly drills to encourage full attendance.
The rural areas of Northwest Arkansas, which experienced continual depredations by guerrilla forces, witnessed the formation of paramilitary organizations akin to, but different from, the Militia. Portions of the area had been stripped of productive farms, given the roaming bands of bushwhackers and Federal troops who frequently impressed food and supplies. Thus, a large percentage of the population faced starvation. As early as 1863, well before the formation of the Murphy government in Little Rock, Colonel M. LaRue Harrison, a Unionist commander and the man after whom the city of Harrison would be named, formed what came to be known as "Farm Colonies". These colonies would serve both a military and agricultural purpose. The colonies organized Militia companies composed entirely of farmers, which would be expected to cultivate the land and protect it.
Connection to the Arkansas National Guard
Current Arkansas Army National GuardArkansas Army National Guard
The Arkansas Army National Guard is a component of the Arkansas National Guard and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
units do not trace their lineage and honors to any of the units that participated in the Civil War. This is due in part to the lack of organization and poor record-keeping at the state level both before and after the war, and in part due to confusion over identification of units. In contrast to other southern states whose current National Guard units are awarded the campaign participate credits for their unit's participation in the various campaigns and engagements while in Confederate service, no current Arkansas National Guard unit has Campaign Participation Credit for the period of the Civil War.
See also
- 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...
- List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
- List of Arkansas Union Civil War units
External links
- AR National Guard
- AR Air National Guard
- AR Army National Guard
- The Arkansas National Guard Museum
- Bibliography of Arkansas Army National Guard History compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History