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From its induction into the Confederate Army, the 3rd Arkansas would go on to become one of the most distinguished and well respected Confederate regiments of the war. However, prior to their first battle actions, the first impressions of them by their fellow Confederates were, by written accounts since, not good to say the least. In several accounts, relayed by [[author]] and [[historian]] Mauriel P. Joslyn, the regiment was first seen as a poorly dressed and poorly equipped lot of ignorant country boys. Similar accounts are recorded in ''They'll Do to Tie To! - The Story of the Third Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.'', by Calvin L. Collier. Once proven in combat, however, those opinions of them would change dramatically.
From its induction into the Confederate Army, the 3rd Arkansas would go on to become one of the most distinguished and well respected Confederate regiments of the war. However, prior to their first battle actions, the first impressions of them by their fellow Confederates were, by written accounts since, not good to say the least. In several accounts, relayed by [[author]] and [[historian]] Mauriel P. Joslyn, the regiment was first seen as a poorly dressed and poorly equipped lot of ignorant country boys. Similar accounts are recorded in ''They'll Do to Tie To! - The Story of the Third Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.'', by Calvin L. Collier. Once proven in combat, however, those opinions of them would change dramatically.


The regiment took part in almost every major eastern battle, decimating their ranks by the wars end, to include the [[Battle of Cheat Mountain]], [[Battle of Seven Pines]], [[Seven Days Battle]], [[Battle of Harpers Ferry]], [[Battle of Antietam]], [[Battle of Fredericksburg]], [[Battle of Gettysburg]], [[Battle of the Wilderness]], and the [[Battle of Chickamauga]]. In almost every battle the 3rd Arkansas fought as a part of the [[Texas Brigade]], which as a brigade would also become well respected, distinguishing itself in numerous combat actions, and which also included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas regiments. The 3rd Arkansas acquired a reputation as tenacious fighters, often finding themselves in the thickest fighting on the battlefield, such as their presence at the "sunken road" during the Battle of Antietam. Their most famous action was while serving as a part of the Texas Brigade during the Battle of Gettysburg, at the [[Devil's Den]], where they took heavy casualties while serving under General [[John Bell Hood]]. The regiment was commended for gallantry in that action, while under the direct command of Brigadier General [[Jerome B. Robertson]]. Mauriel P. Joslyn later described the heroism of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg in ''"For Ninety Nine Years or the War" The Story of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg''. The regiment suffered even heavier casualties later in the Battle of the Wilderness, during which they lost many of their commanding officers in addition to heavy losses in their ranks. In that battle they lost Colonel Van Manning and Lt. Col. Robert Samuel Taylor, both of whom were badly wounded and captured, in addition to Major William K. Wilkins who was killed in action. By the end of the war, the Texas Brigade as a whole, which included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas, and the 3rd Arkansas, had only 617 men remaining out of a total of 5,353.
The regiment took part in almost every major eastern battle, decimating their ranks by the wars end, to include the [[Battle of Cheat Mountain]], [[Battle of Seven Pines]], [[Seven Days Battle]], [[Battle of Harpers Ferry]], [[Battle of Antietam]], [[Battle of Fredericksburg]], [[Battle of Gettysburg]], [[Battle of the Wilderness]], and the [[Battle of Chickamauga]]. In almost every battle the 3rd Arkansas fought as a part of the [[Texas Brigade]], which as a brigade would also become well respected, distinguishing itself in numerous combat actions, and which also included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas regiments. The 3rd Arkansas acquired a reputation as tenacious fighters, often finding themselves in the thickest fighting on the battlefield, such as their presence at the "sunken road" during the Battle of Antietam. Their most famous action was while serving as a part of the Texas Brigade during the Battle of Gettysburg, at the [[Devil's Den]], where they took heavy casualties while serving under General [[John Bell Hood]]. The regiment was commended for gallantry in that action, while under the direct command of Brigadier General [[Jerome B. Robertson]]. Mauriel P. Joslyn later described the heroism of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg in ''"For Ninety Nine Years or the War" The Story of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg''. The regiment suffered even heavier casualties later in the Battle of the Wilderness, during which they lost many of their commanding officers in addition to heavy losses in their ranks. In that battle they lost Colonel Van Manning and Lt. Col. Robert Samuel Taylor, both of whom were badly wounded and captured, in addition to Major William K. Wilkins who was killed in action. By the end of the war, the Texas Brigade as a whole, which included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas, and the 3rd Arkansas, had only 617 men remaining out of a total of 5,353. The 3rd Arkansas Infantry is entitled to the following campaign participation credit:


Operations on Cheat Mountain, West Virginia, September 11-17, 1861.
Skirmish, Elkwater, West Virginia, September 11, 1861.
Skirmish, Point Mountain Turnpike, West Virginia, September 11-12, 1861.
Skirmish, Petersburg, West Virginia, September 12, 1861.
Engagement, Greenbrier River, Cheat Mountain, West Virginia, October 3-4, 1861.
Operations in the Valley District and against Romney, West Virginia, November 26, 1861 to February 21, 1862.
Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Virginia, May 31 to June 1, 1862.
Skirmish, Gill’s Bluff, Virginia (Company F), June 20, 1862.
Seven Days Battles, Virginia, June 25 to July 1, 1862.
Engagement, Turkey Bridge (Malvern Cliff), Virginia, June 30, 1862.
Campaign in Northern Virginia (Second Bull Run Campaign), August 16 to September 2, 1862.
Maryland Campaign, September 3-19, 1862.
Siege, Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, September 13, 1862.
Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Maryland, September 16-17, 1862.
Action, Bolivar Heights, West Virginia, September 19, 1862.
Operations in Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, Virginia, October 26 to November 10, 1862.
Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 12-15, 1862.
Siege, Suffolk, Virginia, April 11 to May 4, 1863.
Skirmish, Somerton Road, Virginia, April 15, 1863.
Skirmish, Somerton Road, Virginia, April 20, 1863.
Action, Edenton Road, Suffolk, Virginia, April 24, 1863.
Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 to August 1, 1863.
Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1-3, 1863.
Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19-21, 1863.
Siege, Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 24 to November 1, 1863.
Campaign, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 4 to December 23, 1863.
Siege, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 17 to December 4, 1863.
Assault, Forts Saunders and Loudoun, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 29, 1863.
Operations about Dandridge, Tennessee, January 16 to January 17, 1864.
Operations about Dandridge, Tennessee, January 26-28, 1864.
Wilderness Campaign, May 4 to June 12, 1864.
Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, May 5-7, 1864.
Battles of Spotsylvania Court House, Laurel Hill, Ny River and Fredericksburg Road, Virginia, May 8-21, 1864.
Assault of the Salient, Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, May 12, 1864.
Operations on the line of the North Anna River, Virginia, May 22-26, 1864.
Operations on the line of the Pamunkey River, Virginia, May 26-28, 1864.
Operations on the line of the Totopotomoy River, Virginia, May 28-31, 1864.
Battles about Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 1-12, 1864.
Assault, Petersburg, Virginia, June 15, 1864.
Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia, June 16, 1864 to April 2, 1865.
Assault, Petersburg, Virginia, June 18, 1864.
Engagements at Deep Bottom (Darbytown), Strawberry Plains and New Market Road, Virginia, June 27-29, 1864.
Engagements at Deep Bottom, New Market Road and Darbytown Road, Virginia, August 13-20, 1864.
Engagement, Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Virginia, October 27-28, 1864.
Appomattox Campaign, March 28 to April 9, 1865.
Assault and capture, Petersburg Lines, Virginia, April 2, 1865.
Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865.


==Surrender==
==Surrender==

Revision as of 03:55, 30 August 2011

3rd Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
Arkansas state flag
Active1861 to 1865
CountryConfederate States of America
AllegianceCSA Dixie
BranchInfantry
EngagementsBattle of Cheat Mountain
Battle of Seven Pines
Seven Days Battle
Battle of Harpers Ferry
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of Chickamauga
Knoxville Campaign
Battle of Spotsylvania
Battle of Cold Harbor
Appomattox Campaign

3rd Arkansas, or 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment (May, 1861-April 12, 1865) was a Confederate Army regiment during the American Civil War, and the most celebrated unit from that state. Formed and initially commanded by Colonel Albert Rust, and later falling under the command of Colonel Van H. Manning, the regiment was part of the Army of Northern Virginia serving under General Robert E. Lee. The regiment served for the duration of the war, from the late months of 1861 through to the Surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865. They were the only Arkansas regiment to serve the entire war in the east, where most of the major battles were fought. They were also the only Arkansas regiment to initially sign up for the duration of the war, with all other regiments from that state signing on for a one year enlistment. Another Arkansas regiment, the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, would later, near the end of the war, sign extended "three year or the duration of the war" enlistments. [1]

Formation

The regiment was formed in May and June 1861, initially by Dr. W. H. Tebbs, who would be appointed a captain, and Van Manning who would later command the regiment. The regiment was raised from several companies originating from recruitment in Ashley, Drew, Union, Dallas and Hot Spring counties, making up eleven companies, and including one company mixed with Arkansans from other counties as well as Kentucky and Tennessee recruits. The regiment was then marched to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where they were offered to the Confederacy by Van Manning. Initially, they were turned down. However, Manning enlisted the help of Arkansas politician Albert Rust, whose brothers James and Robert were members of the regiment. Through persistence the regiment was then accepted as a part of the Confederate Army, to serve for the duration of the war. The regiment was formed from the following volunteer companies:[1]

  • Company A— “The Arkansas Travelers,” organized at Portland, Ashley county.
  • Company B— “The Berlin Beauregards,” organized at Berlin, Ashley county.
  • Company C— “The Confederate Stars,” organized at Monticello, Drew county.
  • Company D— “The Selma Rifles,” organized at Selma, Drew county.
  • Company E— “The Champagnolle Guards,” organized at Champagnolle, Union county.
  • Company F— “The Hot Spring Hornets,” organized at Rockport, Hot Spring county.
  • Company G— “The Three Creeks Rifles,” organized at Three Creeks, Union county.
  • Company H— “The Orphan Company,” a mixed Arkansas/Kentucky company.
  • Company I— “The Tulip Rifles,” organized at Tulip, Dallas county.
  • Company K— “The Ashley Volunteers,” organized at Hamburg, Ashley county.
  • Company L— “The Rust Guards,” organized at Latonia, Ashley county (later consolidated with Co A).


Albert Rust was appointed colonel, and the regiment was sent to Lynchburg, Virginia for military training. While in Virginia, command level officers with formal military training were assigned to the regiment, to include West Point graduate Seth Maxwell Barton who was assigned as lieutenant colonel, and with Virginia Military Institute graduate Thomas Middleton Semmes assigned as regimental adjutant. The regiment was then attached to General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and deployed to the area of what would soon after become West Virginia. By mid-1862, the regiment was under the command of Van Manning following Albert Rust's promotion to Brigadier General, with William H. Tebbs being promoted to lieutenant colonel.[2]

Battle actions

From its induction into the Confederate Army, the 3rd Arkansas would go on to become one of the most distinguished and well respected Confederate regiments of the war. However, prior to their first battle actions, the first impressions of them by their fellow Confederates were, by written accounts since, not good to say the least. In several accounts, relayed by author and historian Mauriel P. Joslyn, the regiment was first seen as a poorly dressed and poorly equipped lot of ignorant country boys. Similar accounts are recorded in They'll Do to Tie To! - The Story of the Third Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A., by Calvin L. Collier. Once proven in combat, however, those opinions of them would change dramatically.

The regiment took part in almost every major eastern battle, decimating their ranks by the wars end, to include the Battle of Cheat Mountain, Battle of Seven Pines, Seven Days Battle, Battle of Harpers Ferry, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of the Wilderness, and the Battle of Chickamauga. In almost every battle the 3rd Arkansas fought as a part of the Texas Brigade, which as a brigade would also become well respected, distinguishing itself in numerous combat actions, and which also included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas regiments. The 3rd Arkansas acquired a reputation as tenacious fighters, often finding themselves in the thickest fighting on the battlefield, such as their presence at the "sunken road" during the Battle of Antietam. Their most famous action was while serving as a part of the Texas Brigade during the Battle of Gettysburg, at the Devil's Den, where they took heavy casualties while serving under General John Bell Hood. The regiment was commended for gallantry in that action, while under the direct command of Brigadier General Jerome B. Robertson. Mauriel P. Joslyn later described the heroism of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg in "For Ninety Nine Years or the War" The Story of the 3rd Arkansas at Gettysburg. The regiment suffered even heavier casualties later in the Battle of the Wilderness, during which they lost many of their commanding officers in addition to heavy losses in their ranks. In that battle they lost Colonel Van Manning and Lt. Col. Robert Samuel Taylor, both of whom were badly wounded and captured, in addition to Major William K. Wilkins who was killed in action. By the end of the war, the Texas Brigade as a whole, which included the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas, and the 3rd Arkansas, had only 617 men remaining out of a total of 5,353. The 3rd Arkansas Infantry is entitled to the following campaign participation credit:


Operations on Cheat Mountain, West Virginia, September 11-17, 1861. Skirmish, Elkwater, West Virginia, September 11, 1861. Skirmish, Point Mountain Turnpike, West Virginia, September 11-12, 1861. Skirmish, Petersburg, West Virginia, September 12, 1861. Engagement, Greenbrier River, Cheat Mountain, West Virginia, October 3-4, 1861. Operations in the Valley District and against Romney, West Virginia, November 26, 1861 to February 21, 1862. Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Virginia, May 31 to June 1, 1862. Skirmish, Gill’s Bluff, Virginia (Company F), June 20, 1862. Seven Days Battles, Virginia, June 25 to July 1, 1862. Engagement, Turkey Bridge (Malvern Cliff), Virginia, June 30, 1862. Campaign in Northern Virginia (Second Bull Run Campaign), August 16 to September 2, 1862. Maryland Campaign, September 3-19, 1862. Siege, Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, September 13, 1862. Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Maryland, September 16-17, 1862. Action, Bolivar Heights, West Virginia, September 19, 1862. Operations in Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, Virginia, October 26 to November 10, 1862. Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 12-15, 1862. Siege, Suffolk, Virginia, April 11 to May 4, 1863. Skirmish, Somerton Road, Virginia, April 15, 1863. Skirmish, Somerton Road, Virginia, April 20, 1863. Action, Edenton Road, Suffolk, Virginia, April 24, 1863. Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 to August 1, 1863. Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1-3, 1863. Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, September 19-21, 1863. Siege, Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 24 to November 1, 1863. Campaign, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 4 to December 23, 1863. Siege, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 17 to December 4, 1863. Assault, Forts Saunders and Loudoun, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 29, 1863. Operations about Dandridge, Tennessee, January 16 to January 17, 1864. Operations about Dandridge, Tennessee, January 26-28, 1864. Wilderness Campaign, May 4 to June 12, 1864. Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, May 5-7, 1864. Battles of Spotsylvania Court House, Laurel Hill, Ny River and Fredericksburg Road, Virginia, May 8-21, 1864. Assault of the Salient, Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, May 12, 1864. Operations on the line of the North Anna River, Virginia, May 22-26, 1864. Operations on the line of the Pamunkey River, Virginia, May 26-28, 1864. Operations on the line of the Totopotomoy River, Virginia, May 28-31, 1864. Battles about Cold Harbor, Virginia, June 1-12, 1864. Assault, Petersburg, Virginia, June 15, 1864. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia, June 16, 1864 to April 2, 1865. Assault, Petersburg, Virginia, June 18, 1864. Engagements at Deep Bottom (Darbytown), Strawberry Plains and New Market Road, Virginia, June 27-29, 1864. Engagements at Deep Bottom, New Market Road and Darbytown Road, Virginia, August 13-20, 1864. Engagement, Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Virginia, October 27-28, 1864. Appomattox Campaign, March 28 to April 9, 1865. Assault and capture, Petersburg Lines, Virginia, April 2, 1865. Surrender, Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865.

Surrender

When General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, only 144 men of the 3rd Arkansas remained out of the 1,353 mustered into it from the start of the war.[3]

References

  1. ^ Howerton, Bryan, "Third Arkansas Infantry Regiment, CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed 29 August 2011, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/3rd-his.html
  2. ^ Howerton, Bryan, "Third Arkansas Infantry Regiment, CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed 29 August 2011, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/3rd-his.html
  3. ^ Howerton, Bryan, "Third Arkansas Infantry Regiment, CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Page, Accessed 29 August 2011, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/3rd-his.html

See also

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