This is a list of Confederate units from Arkansas, or military units from the state of Arkansas which fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. The list of Union units is shown separately.
Like most states, Arkansas possessed a prewar Militia organization, which consisted of seventy one regiments, organized into eight brigades, and divided into two divisions. In addition to its standard militia regiment or regiments, each county was authorized to create up to four Volunteer Militia Companies. While none of the prewar militia regiments were enrolled into Confederate service, many of the existing Volunteer Militia Companies were enrolled into new volunteer regiments. Other new Volunteer Companies were raised with no connection to the prewar militia. Immediately following secession, the State Military Board began organizing regiments of State Troops. Many of these regiments were eventually transferred into Confederate Service. Some Volunteer Regiments were organized under direct authority of the new Confederate Government and were never organized as State Troops. In April 1862, the Confederate Congress passed a conscription law and new companies and regiments were organized almost entirely of conscripted (drafted) men. Volunteers usually went into already existing units. The secession convention also authorized each county to organize Home Guard units made up of men too young or too old or otherwise exempt from conscription or militia service.
Militia
At the beginning of the war, the Arkansas Militia consisted of 71 Regiments, which were organized into two divisions, each division made up of four brigades. Every county had at least one regiment, and several had more than one.Arkansas Militia in the Civil War The Arkansas Militia Act allowed each regiment to form up to four volunteer companies. While the regular militia regiments were required to drill three times per year and were required to supply their own weapons, the volunteer companies drilled much more often and were supplied with equipment by the state.
Only one Militia Regiment, the 45th Arkansas Militia Regiment of Searcy County, was mobilized for service during the war. In the fall of 1861, Governor Rector called up the 45th Militia Regiment to deal with a potential threat to the Confederate government from the anti-war "peace societies". The militiamen arrested suspects in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, and many of them were forced to enlist in 18th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.
Governor Rector ordered Colonel Solon F. Borland to form a provisional battalion of militia in Pulaski County in April 1862 for the purpose of seizing the federal installation at Fort Smith, Borland's Arkansas Infantry Battalion consisted of three volunteer infantry companies and a volunteer artillery battery from the 13th Arkansas Militia Regiment. Borland's Battalion marched on Fort Smith, only to discover the military post had been abandoned by Federal Troops the day before. One company remained to guard the post, and the rest returned to Pulaski County, where they became part of volunteer regiments.
A decision was made by the state Arkansas Secession Convention not to activate the militia in mass, but form a series of new State Troop regiments for the new Army of Arkansas.Huff, COL Leo E., The Military Board in Confederate Arkansas, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Page 76 Many of these volunteer militia companies were enrolled in the new volunteer regiments which were formed by the Military Board of Arkansas.
State Troops
Provisional Army of Arkansas
The Arkansas Succession Convention decided that rather than activating the existing militia regiments, they would raise new volunteer regiments. The convention was concerned that if the militia was called out and transferred into Confederate Service, they would be subject to being transferred out of the state, leaving the state defenseless. The convention was also concerned with the cost involved in paying for a large standing state force. These new volunteer regiments would be a part of the Provisional Army of Arkansas and would be transitioned into Confederate service as quickly as possible. The Provisional Army of Arkansas was to consist of two divisions, the 1st Division in the western part of the state, and the 2nd Division in the eastern part of the state. The new regiments of State Troops were mustered into service for 90 days. The regiments in the eastern division were transferred into Confederate Service under the command of Brigadier General Hardee. The regiments in the western division participated in the Battle of Wilson's Creek as a brigade under State Brigadier General N.B. Pearce. Following the battle of Wilson's Creek, the western division was marched back to Arkansas and given the opportunity to vote on whether or not they would be transferred into Confederate Service. The units of the western division voted to disband rather than transfer into Confederate service. The Secession Convention appointed a new state military board to organize the new regiments and coordinate their transition into Confederate service.
Left to its own defenses In the Spring of 1862, the state again attempted to gather its own force of State Troops. General Van Dorn had been ordered to take his Army of the West, east of the Mississippi River in order to support Confederate efforts in western Tennessee that would ultimately lead to the Battle of Shiloh and the Corinth Campaign. The State Military Board authorized the establishment of several new regiments for the defense of the State, and ordered the conscription of the requisite number of men from the militia to fill the ranks. The new regiments were organized fairly quickly, and were mustered into service in June, July and August 1862. They were mustered into service as the 1st (Rector), 2nd (Brooks) and 3rd (Peel) Regiments, Northwest Division, District of Arkansas. Colonel Peel was eventually superseded by Charles W. Adams, resulting in what is known as 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops (Adams'), which, was disbanded after breaking under fire during the Battle of Prairie Grove. The 1st and 2nd Regiments, Northwest Division, finally assumed their authorized designations of 35th (Rector) and 34th (Brooks) Arkansas Regiments, respectively.Howerton, Bryan, "The 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment(s)", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted, February 6, 2007, 5:21 pm, Accessed August 3, 2011, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=14621
The last-ditch recruiting effort Following the fall of Little Rock to Union Forces in September 1863, the State of Arkansas was again forced to raise units of State Troops in order to provide for its own defense. Governor Harris Flanagin (who had defeated Governor Rector in his re-election bid of 1862) 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, Governor Fagan issued General Order No. 6 from Arkadelphia, which called into 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. 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 in getting companies organized in the counties where the call for the militia was enforced which resulted in seven companies being collected under the call. 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".
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.
On January 14, 1864, Governor Flanagin, through General Peay, issued General Orders, No. 8. which directed that certain named companies of Arkansas mounted volunteers, which had been called into the service of the State under the proclamation of the August 10, 1863, be designated as the 1st Battalion, Arkansas State Troops, more often referred to as Pettus's Battalion Arkansas State Troops. The unit participated in the battle of Marks Mill on April 25, 1864, as a part of Brigadier General William L. Cabell's Brigade. Lieutenant Colonel Pettus was killed during the battle and Captain P.K. Williamson of Company A commanded the battalion until the unit was increased to a regiment and transferred to Confederate service.Wallis, W.M., "Colonel R.C. Newton's 10th Arkansas Cavalry", Hope, Arkansas, October 17, 1912, Posted on Rootsweb, and Ancestry.com Community, Accessed May 12, 2011, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arcivwar/10arcav.htm
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. On September 5, 1864, the State Troop companies, including Pettus's Battalion, were formed into one regiment of cavalry to be designated as the 3rd Regiment of Arkansas State Cavalry, with Col. Robert C. Newton assigned to the command of the regiment until an election could be held for field officers.THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE ARMIES, SERIES I—VOLUME LIU, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1898, Page 1019, Accessed May 11, 2011, https://books.google.com/books?id=XpM3AQAAIAAJ&dq=Robert+C.+Newton+Gordon+Peay+Arkansas+Official+records&pg=PA1019 This unit was mustered into the Confederate Service on the October 31, 1864Reynolds, John H., "Official Orders of Governor Harris Flanagin", by Publications of the Arkansas Historical Association, Volume 2, Arkansas Historical Association, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1908, Page 421, Accessed May 11, 2011, https://books.google.com/books?id=RTw7AAAAIAAJ&q=newton&pg=PA421 as the 10th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (Newton's), and Col. Newton was elected regimental commander.
List of Arkansas State Troop units Unit Commander Alternate Designation Final Designation 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops Colonel Patrick R. Cleburne 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Volunteer Infantry 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops Colonel John R. Gratiot 2nd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops