Arkansas in the Civil War

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Introduction
In 1861, Arkansas was still rural with a small population. It seceded from the Union on 6 May 1861. Soldiers from Arkansas served in both the Confederate and Union armies, however most served in the Confederate forces in about 48 infantry regiments as well as cavalry, artillery and other units.

For additional information about the history of Arkansas in the Civil War, see the Wikipedia article, Arkansas in the American Civil War.

Arkansas Military Units
Most units were numbered, however, many were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and other units.

The information in the lists of Arkansas Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. That web site also can be searched by the name of a soldier. Arkansas Units by Number or by Name  'Confed. Units 1st-6th 7th-23rd 24th-63rd A-E F-M N-Z Arkansas Units by Type of Unit  Confed. Units' Infantry Cavalry Artillery Militia State Troops Other

Arkansas Units by Regiments, Battalions, and Companies <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 30px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; color: black; padding-top: 5px"> <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(208,208,208); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; color: black; padding-top: 5px">'Confed. Units' <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(208,208,208); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; padding-top: 5px">Regiments <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(208,208,208); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; padding-top: 5px">Battalions <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(208,208,208); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 65px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; padding-top: 5px">Companies <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(208,208,208); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; padding-top: 5px">Unkown Sizes

Arkansas Union Units by Number <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 30px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; color: black; padding-top: 5px"> <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(204,255,255); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; color: black; padding-top: 5px">Union Units <div style="text-align: center; padding-bottom: 5px; background-color: rgb(204,255,255); margin: 4px; padding-left: 5px; width: 60px; padding-right: 5px; float: left; height: 40px; padding-top: 5px">Union Units

Records and Resources
Indexes and the compiled military service records are available at the Family History Library and the National Archives.

Compiled Service Records - The Compiled Service Records for Arkansa soldiers ($) (Footnote.com) are now available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, residence, and death date. The service records are also available at no charge at National Archives research rooms.

Arkansas Pension Records - Arkansas pension records for Confederate veterans are located at the Arkansas History Commission. A searchable index to Confederate pension records is posted by the Arkansas History Commission. The Family History Library holds microfilm copies of Arkansas Confederate pension records, 1901-1929, on 121 films. The pensions are alphabetically arranged. (Family History Library Films beginning with ) Copies of individual pension records may be ordered from the Arkansas History Commission. Pension records for Union veterans are available only at the National Archives. The Family History Library has an index of Union pensioners.

1911 Special Census - In 1911 a special census was taken of Confederate veterans. Returns are available for 40 of the 75 counties. Abstracts of the questionnaires have been published in Bobbie J. McLane and Capitola H. Gazner,Arkansas 1911 Census of Confederate Veterans, Three Volumes. (N.p.: Arkansas Ancestors, 1977-1981. (Family History Library book ; fiche .) An index has been published by the same authors (Family History Library  index.) All of these censuses are at the Arkansas Historical Commission, and most are on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Civil War Pension Index Cards - An of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. The majority of the records are of Civil War veterans, but the collection also includes records for veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Indian Wars, and World War I. For more information see Union Service and Pension Records.

Southern Claims Commission. If a Union sympathizer in Arkansas claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of the residents of all kinds in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described. To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in Arkansas counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.

USCT Headstones and Cemetery project in Arkansas by Tonia Holleman and Angela Walton-Raji [mailto:toniah904@aol.com toniah904@aol.com]