1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate)

Brief History

 * 1st Regiment Mounted Rifles was organized at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in May, 1861, with 768 officers and men. Its companies were recruited in Little Rock and Fort Smith and the counties of Chicot, Arkansas, Johnson, Woodruff, White, Lawrence, Pulaski, Yell, and Independence. Its force was greatly reduced when it surrendered on April 26, 1865.

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.

All enrollments were 9 Jun 1861 at Ft Smith, AR unless otherwise noted. COMPANY A - "CHICOT RANGERS"from CHICOT COUNTY COMPANY B - "THE DES ARC RANGERS " fromPRAIRIE COUNTY COMPANY C - "JOHNSON RIFLES" from JOHNSON COUNTY COMPANY D - "AUGUSTA GUARDS" from JACKSON &amp; WHITE COUNTIES COMPANY E - "THE LAWRENCE COUNTY RIFLES" from LAWRENCE CO. COMPANY F - "PULASKI RANGERS" from CENTRAL ARKANSAS COMPANY G - "NAPOLEON CAVALRY" from SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS COMPANY H - "THE YELL COUNTY RIFLES" from YELL COUNTY COMPANY I - "THE McCULLOCH RANGERS" from CONWAY COUNTY COMPANY K - "INDEPENDENCE COUNTY RIFLES" from INDEPENDENCE COUNTY Source:

1999 The above information may be used for non-commercial historical and genealogical purposes only and with the consent of the page owner may be copied for the same purposes so long as this notice remains a part of the copied material. EDWARD G. GERDES

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,645 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

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. First Arkansas Confederate Mounted Rifles. (Conway, Arkansas : Arkansas Research, c1988),


 * Gaines, W. Craig. The Confederate Cherokees : John Drew's regiment of mounted rifles. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana : Louisiana State University Press, c1989),