The 3d Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army Cavalry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. At the outbreak of hostilities between the north and south, Arkansas began raising troops to serve in the Confederate Army. The state raised some 48

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiments, along with several cavalry regiments and

artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

. The 3rd Arkansas Cavalry was first organized in

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

on June 10, 1861, by former senator and soldier

Solon Borland Solon Borland (September 21, 1808 – January 1, 1864) was an American physician who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 1848 to 1853. In later life, he served as an officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded a cavalry ...

. Borland, who was at the time serving as a state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

commander for Northern Arkansas, was initially named a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the regiment. However, that post was "elected" by the members of the regiment, and Borland was not reelected in May 1861. On July 27, 1861, the regiment was mustered into the Confederate Army for one years service which they later extended, and sent to

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. History Corinth was founded i ...

, but without Borland. Borland by this time had been replaced by Colonel Samuel G. Earle. The regiment was placed under the command of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...

, and later became a part of the

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the Mississippi River, not ...

. They saw their first real battle action on October 3 and 4, 1862 at the

Second Battle of Corinth The second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, ...

, where Lieutenant Colonel Anson W. Hobson was wounded in both arms, with the regiment as a whole suffering heavy casualties. The very next day, on October 5, 1862, they fought in the Battle of Hatchie's Bridge. They saw considerable combat action in the months that followed. On March 5, 1863, Col. Earle was killed in action near

Thompson's Station, Tennessee Thompson's Station is a town in Williamson County, Tennessee. The population has grown from 2,194 at the 2010 Census to 7,485 in the 2020 Census. Several locations in Thompson's Station listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places inclu ...

. He was replaced by newly promoted Col. Anson W. Hobson. The regiment took part in the Knoxville Campaign, the Atlanta Campaign, and fought at the

Battle of Bentonville The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last battle between the armies of Union Maj ...

. They surrendered with the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

on April 26, 1865.

Organization

The 3d Arkansas Cavalry Regiment was organized June 10, 1861, as the 1st (Borland's) Arkansas Cavalry Battalion. Mustered into state service as the 1st Arkansas Mounted Volunteer Regiment. Mustered into Confederate Service for one year on July 29, 1862. Redesignated as the 3d Arkansas Cavalry on January 15, 1862. Received the attachment of Companies E,F, and H of Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion. Reorganized for two years on May 26, 1862. For a time it was stationed at

Pocahontas, Arkansas Pocahontas is a city in Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to the 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city was 6,608. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. Pocahontas has a number of hist ...

, where at least some of the men were recruited. The field officers were Colonels

, Samuel G. Earle, and Amson W. Hobson; Lieutenant Colonels Benjamin F. Danley, James M. Gee, and M. J. Henderson; and Majors William H. Blackwell, J. F. Earle, and David F. Shall. The unit was formed from the following Volunteer companies: * Company A — Dallas County (Princeton Light Horse). * Company B — Perry County (Perry Rangers). * Company C — Saline County (Saline Rifle Rangers). * Company D — Pulaski County (Danley’s Rangers). * 1st Company E — Pope County (transferred from Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion, May 26, 1862). * 2nd Company E — "Border Rangers" of White County and "Crittenden Rangers" of Crittenden County (transferred from 2nd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment, January 1, 1863). * Company F — Hot Spring County (Hot Springs Cavalry). * Company G — Ouachita County (Ouachita Cavalry). * Company H — Ouachita County (Camden Cavalry). * Company I — Conway County (transferred from Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion, May 26, 1862). * Company K — Yell County (transferred from Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion, May 26, 1862). The regiment was armed with weapons which the state confiscated when the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock was seized by Arkansas State Militia troops in February 1861. Disposition of the weapons found in the Arsenal is somewhat sketchy, but from various records it can be surmised that the 9th and 10th Arkansas, Kelly's 9th Arkansas Battalion, and the 3d Arkansas Cavalry were issued flintlock Hall's Rifles from the Arsenal.Ezell, Tom, "Re: Van Dorn- Army of the Southwest", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 17 December 2001, Accessed 11 June 2012

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Battles

When the 3d Arkansas Cavalry was transferred from Arkansas to Mississippi in 1862, only 395 effectives crossed the Mississippi River. The regiment was dismounted when it fought at the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, then was remounted and assigned to General Armstrong's and T. Harrison's Brigade. The 3d Arkansas Cavalry served under Major-General “Fighting Joe” Wheeler in the Confederate Army of Mississippi for much of the war. The unit was involved in the following engagements: :

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth (also known as the first Battle of Corinth) was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry ...

(also known as the "First Battle of Corinth"), April to June 1862. :

, Mississippi, October 3–4, 1862. :Battle of Holly Springs, December 20, 1862. :

Battle of Thompson's Station The Battle of Thompson's Station was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on March 5, 1863 in Williamson County, Tennessee. In a period of relative inactivity following the Battle of Stones River, a reinforced Union infantry brigade, ...

, March 5, 1863. : Battle of Franklin, April 20, 1863. : Tullahoma Campaign, June 1863. :

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. I ...

, Georgia, September 19–20, 1863. : Siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee, September–November 1863. :

Siege of Knoxville The siege of Knoxville (November 19 – December 4, 1863) saw Lieutenant General James Longstreet's Confederate forces besiege the Union garrison of Knoxville, Tennessee, led by Major General Ambrose Burnside. When Major General William T. Sh ...

, Tennessee, November 1863. : Atlanta Campaign, May to September 1864. : Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 1864. :Battle of Flat Shoals, Georgia, July 28, 1864. : Battle of Strawberry Plains, Georgia, August 24, 1864. :

Battle of Brown's Mill The Battle of Brown's Mill was fought July 30, 1864, in Coweta County, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. Edward M. McCook's Union cavalry, on a daring raid to sever communications and supply lines in south-centra ...

, Georgia, July 30, 1864. :

Savannah Campaign Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...

, Georgia, November–December, 1864. :

Carolinas Campaign The campaign of the Carolinas (January 1 – April 26, 1865), also known as the Carolinas campaign, was the final campaign conducted by the United States Army (Union Army) against the Confederate States Army in the Western Theater. On January ...

, February to April 1865.

Surrender

The 3d Arkansas Cavalry surrendered with the Army of Tennessee at Durham Station, Orange County, North Carolina, April 26, 1865.

References

Bibliography

Collier, Calvin L. The War Child's Children: The Story of the Third Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry; Confederate States Army. (Little Rock, AR: Pioneer Press, 1965).

External links