4th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (African Descent) (Union)

United States     U.S. Military      Arkansas      Arkansas Military      Arkansas in the Civil War      4th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (African Descent) (Union)

Brief History
Organized at Devall's Bluff, Little Rock and Helena, Ark., December 2, 1863. Attached to District of Eastern Arkansas, 7th Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to March, 1864, and on duty at Helena.

Designation of Regiment changed to 57th U.S. Colored Troops March 11, 1864.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 4th Regiment Infantry (African Descent), (Accessed 3 July 2012).

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.

Men from Western Arkansas and Independence and Sebastian counties enlisted in this regiment.*

*Adjutant General. Official Army Register, Report of the Adjutant General, 1864.

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.