8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)

Brief History
"Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.

AKA The Desha County Rangers. See: EDWARD G. GERDES, Arkansas Civil War Regiments, Rosters and Muster Rolls, The Desha Rangers was an independent cavalry troop, organized by Captain William S. Malcomb in rural Desha county, Arkansas, December 13, 1862. The Rangers continued to recruit (and conscript) heavily in Desha and Arkansas counties throughout the first half of 1863. A large number of the Rangers had previously served in the Desha County Militia in late 1861

© 2001 by EDWARD G. GERDES all rights reserved. This information may be used by libraries and genealogical societies, however, commercial use of this information is strictly prohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright notice must appear with the information.

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.

The Rangers recruited (and conscripted) heavily in Desha and Arkansas counties throughout the first half of 1863.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,573 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.