The 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion (1861–1862) was a Confederate Army

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 ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

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 ...

. The battalion was formed from four companies of McCarver's 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. After the Battale of Shiloh, the battalion was consolidated with the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

Organization

McCarver's 14th Arkansas Regiment was organized on October 22, 1861, 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 ...

, with nine companies (a tenth company was added in December) from Izard, Lawrence, and Randolph counties.Howerton, Bryan, "14th Arkansas Regiment, No. 2", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted February 9, 2007, 8:28 pm, Accessed July 30, 2011, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=14712 The unit was composed of volunteer companies from the following counties: * Company A, The "Izard Volunteers", Commanded by Captain Lindsey S. Williams, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on September 1, 1861. * Company B, Commanded by Captain Thomas N. Smith, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on September 24, 1861. * Company C, Commanded by Captain Enoch O. Wolf. * Company D, Commanded by Captain Christopher C. Elkins, organized in Izard Co, Arkansas on August 27, 1861. * Company E, Commanded by Captain Hugh A. Barnett, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on September 23, 1861. * Company F, Commanded by Captain William G. Matheney, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on September 23, 1861. * Company G, Commanded by Captain Samuel J. Herndon, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on August 31, 1861. * Company H, Commanded by Captain, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on September 23, 1861. * Company I, Commanded by Captain Adison H. Nunn, organized at Pocahontas, Arkansas on October 24, 1861. * Company K, Commanded by Captain Thomas G. Shinpock, organized at Pitman's Ferry, Arkansas on December 18, 1861. This unit had originally served as Company D, 2nd Arkansas 30 Day Volunteer Regiment. The Company was organized at Augusta, Jackson (now Woodruff) County, Arkansas; enlisted for thirty days at Camp Borland, near Pocahontas, Arkansas, on November 24, 1861; and was discharged on December 18, 1861. Endorsement on muster roll—“Muster Roll of Capt. Shinpock’s Co. of Vol. Inf., raised in response to Col. Borland’s call of Nov. 5; mustered into the Confederate service Nov. 24 for 30 days; and discharged Dec. 18, 1861; entitled to pay from date of muster to the time set opposite their respective names, and to transportation and subsistence from Pocahontas to Augusta, Arks, — miles. Camp Borland, Ark., Decr 18, 1861.” In January 1862 Brigadier General William J. Hardee made a decision to detach four of the regiment's best armed and equipped companies (Companies A, B, E & H) and designate them as the 9th Battalion Arkansas Infantry, and place them under the command of Major John H. Kelly. The companies which became the 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion were 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 3rd Arkansas Cavalry were issued flintlock Hall's Rifles from the Arsenal.

Battles

General Hardee took the 9th Arkansas Battalion with him when he transferred his command to Kentucky and organized the Confederate Army of Central Kentucky. After the losses of Fort Henry and

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

in February 1862, Confederate General

Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...

withdrew his forces into western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and Alabama to reorganize. and then retreated through western Tennessee to northern Mississippi. On March 29, 1862, the Army of Central Kentucky was merged into 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 ...

in preparation for the Battle of Shiloh. The 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, under the command of Major Kelly was assigned to Brigadier General S.A.M. Wood's brigade of Hardee's Corps, of the

and participated in the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee on April 6, 1862

Consolidation with the 8th Arkansas

In May 1862 the Confederate Army underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1862. All twelve-month regiments had to re-muster and enlist for two 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. 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. On May 7, 1862, the original members of the

8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (also known as the "Eighth Arkansas") was an infantry formation in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It served throughout the war in the western theater, seeing action in the Kentucky, Tennes ...

were consolidated into five companies and united with the

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

and 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalions.Col. John M. Harrell, "Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States", Military History: Volume 10.2, Arkansas Clement Anselm Evans, Ed., Page 292, Accessed 21 July 2011, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0254%3Achapter%3D11%3Apage%3D292 The reorganized regiment was composed of the following companies: John Herbert Kelly

:* Company A — Originally Companies B & K of the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment from Jackson county. :* Company B — Originally Companies D & I of the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment from Jackson county. :* Company C — Originally Companies E & H of the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment from Independence county. :* Company D — Originally Companies C & F of the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, from Independence and White counties. :* Company E — Originally Companies A & G of the 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment from Independence county. :* Company F — Originally Companies B & C of the 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, which were also (originally Companies B & E, of the (McCarver's) 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment). :* Company G — Originally Companies A & D. of the 9th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, Izard and Jackson county (originally Companies A & H, of the (McCarver's) 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment) :* Company H — Originally Companies B & C, of the 7th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, from Independence county. :* Company I — Originally Companies D & F, of the 7th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, from Jackson county. :* Company K — Originally Companies A & E, of the 7th Arkansas Infantry Battalion. Upon reorganization, John H. Kelly was elected colonel; Wilson, lieutenant colonel, and Capt. G. F. Baucum, major. Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson resigned, and Anderson Watkins was elected major. Upon the promotion of Colonel Kelly to brigadier-general, Baucum became colonel, and Anderson Watkins, lieutenant colonel. The unit participated in the following engagements as a separate command: : Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, April 6–7, 1862. :

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 ...

, April to June 1862.

Final consolidation and Surrender

The 8th Arkansas Infantry Regiment served in the Army of the Tennessee throughout the war, seeing action in the Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia campaigns. The 8th Arkansas was assigned to Major General

Patrick Cleburne Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the 4 ...

's division. As of result of heavy casualties the regiment was eventually consolidated with the 19th Arkansas before finally being merged into the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment, just before the surrender in April 1865.

References

External links