38th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)

Brief History
The unit was attached to R. G. Shaver's and Tappan's Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Department, and during the spring of 1864 united with the 27th Regiment. It fought at Prairie Grove and Jenkins' Ferry where the consolidated command lost 4 killed and 22wounded. In January, 1865, the regiment was ordered to Louisiana, but probably disbanded.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

38th Infantry Regiment, assembled in September, 1862, contained men from Yell, Izard, Independence, Lawrence, and Randolph counties.1

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,990 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

1 Allen, Desmond Walls. Thirty-eighth Arkansas Confederate Infantry (Desmond Walls Allen: Conway AR, 1988) p. 1.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Arkansas in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Arkansas in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Tennessee, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Allen, Desmond Walls. Thirty-eighth Arkansas Confederate infantry. (Conway, Arkansas : Arkansas Research, c1988),.