1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles

1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate States Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was formed as a mounted infantry regiment, but was dismounted in the spring of 1862 and remained dismounted for the remainder of the war. The unit participated in the earliest battles in the western theater at Wilson's Creek and surrendered with the remnants of the Army of Tennessee in North Carolina in April 1865.

1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles
Active1861–1865
DisbandedApril 26, 1865
Country Confederate States
Allegiance Arkansas
Branch Confederate States Army
TypeMounted infantry
SizeRegiment
EngagementsAmerican Civil War
Battle honoursBattle of Murfreesboro
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Thomas J. Churchill
Col. Daniel H. Reynolds

Formation
See also: Arkansas Militia in the Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Arkansas, formed some 48 infantry regiments, and a number of cavalry units. With the exception of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, all of the Arkansas units would sign one year enlistments, thus leading to assignments in what was referred to as the "western theater", due to most of the large scale battles being fought in the east. The 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles would sign one year enlistments, then later would sign a "three year or the duration of the war" extension.

First organized in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 16, 1861, the regiment was initially commanded by Colonel Thomas J. Churchill. The regiment was composed of the following volunteer companies:[1][2]

  • Company A – "Chicot Rangers" – commanded by Captain Daniel H. Reynolds. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 23rd Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Chicot County, on October 3, 1860.[3]
  • Company B – "Des Arc Rangers" – commanded by Captain John S. Pearson. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 50th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Prairie County, on June 3, 1861.[4]
  • Company C – "Johnson Rifles" – commanded by Captain Oliver Basham. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 10th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Johnson County, on January 18, 1860.[5]
  • Company D – "Augusta Guards" – commanded by Captain Charles H. Matlock. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 34th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Jackson County, on December 28, 1860.[5]
  • Company E – "Lawrence County Rifles" – commanded by Captain Zachariah P. McAlexander. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 60th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Jackson County, on May 8, 1861.[6]
  • Company F – "Pulaski Rangers" – commanded by Captain Thomas James Churchill|Thomas J. Churchill. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 13th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Pulaski County, on March 16, 1860.[7]
  • Company G – "Napoleon Rifles" – commanded by Captain John L. Porter. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 6th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Desha County, on March 7, 1861.[8]
  • Company H – "Yell County Rifles" – commanded by Captain Thomas J. Daniel. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 26th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Yell County, on May 6, 1861.[9]
  • Company I – "McCulloch Rangers" – commanded by Captain Robert W. Harper. This company was originally organized as a volunteer militia company in the 4th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia, Conway County, on May 1, 1861.[10]
  • Company K – "Independence County Rifles" – commanded by Captain William E. Gibbs. This company was from Batesville in Independence County.[11]

Battles
Second Lieutenant David Alexander of the "Napoleon Rifles," c. June, 1861.

The regiment was first attached to General Benjamin McCulloch's Brigade. By August, they were on the move toward Springfield, Missouri, where they first saw action in the Battle of Wilson's Creek. It reported 45 killed, 161 wounded, and 2 missing at Wilson's Creek. Following that battle, the regiment was dispatched to Indian Territory to battle the Native American pro-Union Cherokee soldiers. They served in that capacity from September through October 1861.

On March 6, 1862, the regiment was engaged during the Battle of Pea Ridge, as part of Colonel Louis Hébert, Brigade of Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch's Division of Major General Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West. The McNair's Brigade reconsolidated at Van Buren, Arkansas, then marched overland to Des Arc where the regiment was transported by steamboat to Memphis in an attempt to unite the Army of the West with the Confederate Army of Mississippi to attack Grant at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, but arrived too late for the Battle of Shiloh.[12] Just before departing Arkansas, the regiment was dismounted and fought the remainder of the war as infantry. The regiment deeply resented being forced to give up their horses and continuously requested to be allowed to resume their place as a mounted command.

In early May 1862 the Confederate forces underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1862.[13] All twelve-month regiments had to re-muster and enlist for two additional years or the duration of the war; a new election of officers was ordered; and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home.[14] Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas regiments in and around Corinth, Mississippi, following the Battle of Shiloh.[2]

In June 1862, the regiment was in camp near Tupelo, Mississippi, along with other Arkansas regiments. Dozens of Arkansas soldiers died of disease in the camp hospital during this period, and many more were discharged for disability.[15]

Thomas J. Churchill

During the Kentucky Campaign, McNair's brigade was assigned to Churchill's Division, under the overall command of General Kirby Smith.[16] General Smith pushed rapidly into the bluegrass region of Kentucky, and defeated the Union army at the Battle of Richmond. In the desperate battle that occurred there, McNair's brigade turned the enemy's right and contributed to the rout that followed.[16] The 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, (dismounted), reported 23 casualties at the Battle of Richmond.[17]

On November 4, 1862, Colonel McNair was commissioned brigadier-general. His brigade included the following Arkansas units, the 1st and 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (dismounted), 4th and 13th Arkansas Infantry Regiments, 4th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, and Humphreys' battery of artillery.[16] On the same day, Henry Gaston Bunn was elected Colonel of the 4th Arkansas as the replacement for Brigadier General McNair.[18]

During the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on December 21, 1862, McNair's brigade took part in the brilliant charge of McCown's division, which, aided by the Divisions of Withers and Cheatham, drove the Federal right a distance of between three and four miles, bending it back upon the center, until the line was at right angles to its original position.[16] The 4th Arkansas lost another 79 casualties at Murfreesboro.[17] In accordance with Confederate Adjutant and Inspector General's Office Order Number 131,[19] ten soldiers of the regiment were recognized for courage and good conduct on the field for the Battle of Murfreesboro[20] The regiment reported a total of 9 killed, 82 wounded and 4 missing during the Battle of Murfreesboro.[21]

In June, 1863, McNair’s Brigade was reassigned to Walker's (later French's) division of the Army of the Department of Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana, under the overall command of General Joseph E. Johnston who was assigned the mission of organizing a force to attempt to relieve General Pemberton’s besieged army at Vicksburg.[16][22] Johnston had been gathering troops at Jackson, intending to relieve pressure on Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's beleaguered garrison. Johnston cautiously advanced his 30,000 soldiers toward the rear of Grant's army surrounding Vicksburg.[23] In response, Grant ordered Sherman to deal with Johnston's threat. By July 1, 1863, Johnston's force was in position along the Big Black River. Sherman used the newly arrived IX Corps to counter this threat. On July 5, the day after the surrender of Vicksburg was made official; Sherman was free to move against Johnston. Johnston hastily withdrew his force across the Big Black River and Champion's Hill battlefields with Sherman in pursuit. Sherman had with him the IX Corps, XV Corps, XIII Corps, and a detachment of the XVI Corps. On July 10 the Union Army had taken up position around Jackson. The heaviest fighting in the Siege of Jackson[24] came on July 11 during an unsuccessful Union attack, which resulted in heavy casualties.[25] Instead of risking entrapment, Johnston chose to evacuate the state capital and withdrew on July 16. Sherman's forces occupied the city the following day.[23]

Daniel H. Reynolds

In the aftermath of the Vicksburg Campaign most of Johnston’s army was transferred back to the Army of Tennessee. At the Battle of Chickamauga, McNair's was one of the eight brigades which, under Lieutenant General James Longstreet's direction, rushed through the gap in the Federal line and put one wing of the Union army to rout. In the battle McNair was wounded and the brigade as a whole suffered heavy casualties.[26] Of the 254 soldiers who saw action at Chickamauga, forty-two percent were disabled. .[17] Following McNair's injury, Colonel Daniel H. Reynolds of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles assumed command of the Brigade. Reynolds would lead the brigade for the remainder of the war.[27][28]

Following the Battle of Chickamauga, NcNair's Brigade. now under the command of Colonel Reynolds, moved back to central Mississippi to oppose General Sherman's Meridian Campaign.[29] Sherman organized an expedition of 20,000 men to move into central Mississippi to break up Confederate rail communications and other infrastructure near Meridian Mississippi, and solidify Union control of the Mississippi River. The Meridian campaign was a "dress rehearsal" for the style of war against infrastructure that Sherman, as well as some of these very troops, would later practice in Georgia. To counter the threat, Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered troops to the area from other localities, including McNair's Brigade.[30] The Confederate commander in the area, Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk, consolidated a number of commands in and around Morton, Mississippi, but failed to stop Sherman's moves. Meridian was essentially destroy by Sherman and most of Polks forces were transferred to the Army of Tennessee in time to oppose Sherman's Atlanta Campaign.[31][32] Colonel D. H. Reynolds was promoted to brigadier general on March 12, 1864, retroactive to March 5, 1864.[33]

Through the summer and fall of 1864 the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles (dismounted) and the rest of their brigade, participated in the Atlanta Campaign through Georgia as a part of the force attempting to stop Sherman. After the fall of Atlanta, the 4th Arkansas along with the rest of the army, now under the command of General John Bell Hood, moved back to Tennessee, where they fought at the Battle of Franklin and the Battle of Nashville. The unit is entitled to the following Campaign Participation Credits:[34] The unit is entitled to the following Campaign Participation Credits:

After the Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, the Arkansas regiments of Reynolds' Brigade marched via Bainbridge, Alabama, Tuscumbia, Iuka and Corinth to Tupelo, Mississippi, where they went into camp on January 10, 1865. They departed Tupelo on January 30 and marched to West Point, Mississippi. From West Point they traveled by rail to Selma, Alabama. From Selma they traveled by steamboat to Montgomery, then by rail to Columbus, Georgia. From Columbus they marched via Macon and Milledgeville to Mayfield, Georgia. From Mayfield they traveled by rail to Augusta, Georgia. From there they marched to Newberry, South Carolina. On March 19, 1865, they fought their last major engagement at the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina. They then marched to Smithfield, North Carolina, where the entire brigade was consolidated into a single understrength regiment, the 1st Consolidated Mounted Rifles on April 9, 1865.

Consolidation and Surrender

On April 9, 1865, the depleted Arkansas regiments of D. H. Reynolds' Brigade, Walthall's Division, Confederate Army of Tennessee, were consolidated into a single regiment the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles, at Smithfield, North Carolina. The companies of the consolidated regiment were consolidated from the following Arkansas regiments:[36]

The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles surrendered with the Army of Tennessee at Greensboro, North Carolina, April 26, 1865. The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles was paroled on May 1, 1865, at Jamestown, North Carolina.[36]

After the surrender, the men were offered free rail transportation (where available) in the direction of their homes, by what was left of the Southern railway companies. Most of the men traveled by rail, where they could. A large number of men were killed or seriously injured in a railroad accident at Flat Creek Bridge, Tennessee, on May 25, 1865.[37]

Roll of Honor

Ten soldiers were cited on the Confederate Roll of Honor for their actions at the Battle of Murfreesboro.[38]

See also

Notes
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. National Park Service.

References
  1. MILITIA LAW OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS; PUBLISHED BY DIRECTION OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, AND OF THE MILITIA THEREOF, accessed 8 January 2010; see also, Acts Passed at the Fourths Session of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, An act for the better organization of the Militia of this State, page 149, accessed, 8 January 2010; see also, Revised statutes of the State of Arkansas: adopted at the October session of the General Assembly of said State, A.D. 1837, page 543, accessed 10 December 2010.
  2. "The Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board – Archive Company Names". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  3. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 37
  4. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 96
  5. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 149
  6. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 510
  7. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 257
  8. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 73
  9. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 352
  10. Arkansas Military Department Records, List of Commissioned Officers of the Militia 1827–1862, Arkansas History Commission, Microfilm Roll 00000038-8, Page 32
  11. Bender, Robert Patrick (2011-11-01). Worthy of the Cause for Which They Fight: The Civil War Diary of Brigadier General Harris Reynolds, 1861-1865. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-61075-485-9.
  12. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 2, Correspondence, etc., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154614/m1/462/?q=Arkansas Corinth Battery : accessed June 15, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  13. Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1912.
  14. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 10, In Two Parts. Part 2, Correspondence, etc., Book, 1884; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154614/m1/500/?q=Army of Mississippi : accessed June 17, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  15. Howerton, Bryan R., "Re: Arkansas 4th Infantry Regiment on Jun15, 1862", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted, Accessed 18 May 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=20128
  16. Hempstead, Fay (1890). A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. The Library of Congress. St. Louis and New York, N. D. Thompson publishing company.
  17. National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, Confederate Arkansas Troops, 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles. Retrieved 21 November 12.
  18. Ouachita County Biographies in Goodspeed, Roots Web, an Ancestry.com Community, Accessed 18 May 2012, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arouachi/gdspdc.htm
  19. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154629/m1/982/?q=McGregor : accessed June 29, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  20. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887, Page 974; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154629/m1/984/?q=1st Arkansas : accessed 7 February 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  21. United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887, page 681; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154629/citation/?q=1st Arkansas : accessed November 21, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  22. Odom, Danny "Re: Where was 31st Arkansas Infantry at Stones Riv" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 25 June 2012, Accessed 26 June 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=26685
  23. Korn, Jerry, and the Editors of Time-Life Books. War on the Mississippi: Grant's Vicksburg Campaign. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1985. ISBN 0-8094-4744-4, Page 156.
  24. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 24, In Three Parts. Part 2, Reports., Book, 1889; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154603/m1/658/?q=Tappan Brigade Arkansas 1863 : accessed June 29, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  25. Gue, Benjamin F. History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4 Vol. 4. Iowa Biography, 1903, p. 164.
  26. Confederate Military History, vol. XIV, p. 406
    • Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1. p. 450.
  28. Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9. pp. 255-256.
  29. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 32, In Three Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1891; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152618/m1/185/?q=Meridian, Mississippi : accessed June 26, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  30. United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 32, In Three Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1891; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152618/m1/352/?q=Arkansas : accessed July 06, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  31. Mississippi History - Sherman's Meridian Campaign Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
  32. United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 32, In Three Parts. Part 3, Correspondence, Etc., Book, 1891; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152650/m1/869/?q=Churchill Brigade Arkansas Price 1864 : accessed July 06, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  33. Longacre, Edward G. "Reynolds, Daniel Harris" in Historical Times Illustrated History of the Civil War, edited by Patricia L. Faust. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. ISBN 978-0-06-273116-6. p. 625
  34. Gerdes, Edward G.," 4TH (McNair's) ARKANSAS INFANTRY REGIMENT " Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed 11 July 2011, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/4mcnair_f&s.html
  35. Cleburne's Pickett's Mill Battle Report, O.R.– SERIES 1–VOLUME XXXVIII/3, May I-September 8, 1864. – THE ATLANTA (GEORGIA) CAMPAIGN, No. 608.–Report of Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne, C. S. Army, commanding division, of operations May 7–27, republished at Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Accessed 15 February 2012, "Cleburne's Pickett's Mill Battle Report | Georgia State Parks". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  36. Bryan Howerton, "1st Consolidated Mounted Rifles", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted, 5 January 2009, 8:58 am" Accessed 6 August 2011, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=19347
  37. Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: 25 Infantry Company C", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 20 March 2005, Accessed 8 February 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/arch_config.pl?read=9849 Archived 2012-07-08 at archive.today
  38. United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 20, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1887, Page 974; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154629 : accessed February 07, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

Bibliography
  • Bender, Robert Patrick (ed.), Worthy of the Cause for Which They Fight: The Civil War Diary of Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds, 1861-1865. (University of Arkansas Press, 2011), accessed at Google eBooks, https://books.google.com/books?id=H10SkwjYznkC&q=Reynolds+arkansas+brigade ISBN 978-1-55728-971-1.
  • Dacus, Robert H., Reminiscences of Company H, First Arkansas Mounted Rifles. (Dardanelle, AR: Post-Dispatch Print, 1897, reprint edition Dayton, OH: Morningside Bookshop, 1972).
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