Arkansas had seceded from the Union in May 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America, raising during the war a total of 48 infantry regiments, more than 30 cavalry regiments and another 25 cavalry battalions, and about 22 artillery batteries for the Confederate Army. Once Union forces had entered the state, however, pro-Union citizens (both black and white) volunteered for the Union Army to serve in 11 infantry regiments, 6 cavalry regiments and 2 artillery batteries.
It almost immediately moved south to Arkansas to counter the Confederate guerrillas who were harassing Union sympathizers. After the Union victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Union forces briefly occupied parts of Northern Arkansas. When they moved their headquarters to Independence County, Arkansas, Union supporters were once again left exposed, causing many to move to Missouri.
The regiment first saw combat in the Battle of Prairie Grove, fought on December 7, 1862. They performed very poorly. A Confederate surge sent two regiments of Missouri Union cavalry fleeing through the 1st Arkansas Cavalry. Seeing hundreds of their comrades fleeing, the Arkansas men joined in the rout. Because of its embarrassing performance, the regiment was assigned to duty in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Confederate forces under Brigadier GeneralWilliam Lewis Cabell attacked the city on April 18, 1863. Both armies were composed entirely of Arkansas regiments. In three hours of fighting, the Confederates failed to break the Union lines and finally retreated. This victory boosted the 1st Arkansas's morale.[2] For the remainder of the war they would serve on duty against guerrillas or as escort for wagon supply trains.
The First Arkansas Union Cavalry played a unique role in Civil War history. The troops, especially the enlisted men, were not Yankees but Southern Unionists. They were primarily from Northwest Arkansas, and were assigned to occupy their home town and county for two and a half years. It was a very bitter war among neighbors fighting each other as Confederate guerrillas and as Union cavalrymen. After the war the First Arkansas commander, Colonel Marcus LaRue Harrison, stayed on in Fayetteville and became its post-war mayor for a time.[3]
Mustered out of serviceEdit
The regiment was mustered out of the army in August 1865. During their service, their casualties had been comparatively light. Out of its 1,765 men, 110 had been killed, and another 235 died from disease or accidents.[4]
^"Trans-Mississippi Virtual Museum". from the original on 2021-01-09.
^Mahan, Russell, The Battle of Fayetteville; Historical Enterprises, Santa Clara, Utah, 2019.
^Mahan, Russell, The First Arkansas Union Cavalry, 1862-1865 Historical Enterprises, Santa Clara, Utagh, 2019.
^"Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
SourcesEdit
This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.
Dyer, Frederick H. (1959). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. New York and London. Thomas Yoseloff, Publisher. LCCN 59-12963.
Bishop, Albert W. (1867). Report of the Adjutant General of Arkansas, for the Period of the Late Rebellion, and to November 1, 1866., (Washington : Govt. print. off., 1867).
External linksEdit
The Civil War Archive
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History
Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
August 25, 2023
arkansas, cavalry, regiment, union, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, arkansas, cavalry, regiment, uni. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 1st Arkansas Cavalry Regiment Union news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message The 1st Arkansas Cavalry Regiment 1862 1865 was a cavalry regiment from the state of Arkansas that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War 1st Arkansas Cavalry Union ActiveJuly 1862 August 1865DisbandedAugust 1865CountryUnited StatesAllegianceUnionBranchCavalryGarrison HQFayetteville ArkansasEngagementsAmerican Civil War Battle of Prairie Grove Action at FayettevilleCommandersNotablecommandersCol Marcus LaRue Harrison Capt Jacob Abraham Ryker Guidon flag used by the First Arkansas 1 Joshua Dodd Company C 1st Arkansas Cavalry Contents 1 Organization 2 Service 3 Mustered out of service 4 See also 5 Notes 6 Sources 7 Bibliography 8 External linksOrganization EditArkansas had seceded from the Union in May 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America raising during the war a total of 48 infantry regiments more than 30 cavalry regiments and another 25 cavalry battalions and about 22 artillery batteries for the Confederate Army Once Union forces had entered the state however pro Union citizens both black and white volunteered for the Union Army to serve in 11 infantry regiments 6 cavalry regiments and 2 artillery batteries The 1st Arkansas Cavalry was formed in Springfield Missouri in July 1862 Service EditIt almost immediately moved south to Arkansas to counter the Confederate guerrillas who were harassing Union sympathizers After the Union victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge Union forces briefly occupied parts of Northern Arkansas When they moved their headquarters to Independence County Arkansas Union supporters were once again left exposed causing many to move to Missouri The regiment first saw combat in the Battle of Prairie Grove fought on December 7 1862 They performed very poorly A Confederate surge sent two regiments of Missouri Union cavalry fleeing through the 1st Arkansas Cavalry Seeing hundreds of their comrades fleeing the Arkansas men joined in the rout Because of its embarrassing performance the regiment was assigned to duty in Fayetteville Arkansas Confederate forces under Brigadier General William Lewis Cabell attacked the city on April 18 1863 Both armies were composed entirely of Arkansas regiments In three hours of fighting the Confederates failed to break the Union lines and finally retreated This victory boosted the 1st Arkansas s morale 2 For the remainder of the war they would serve on duty against guerrillas or as escort for wagon supply trains The First Arkansas Union Cavalry played a unique role in Civil War history The troops especially the enlisted men were not Yankees but Southern Unionists They were primarily from Northwest Arkansas and were assigned to occupy their home town and county for two and a half years It was a very bitter war among neighbors fighting each other as Confederate guerrillas and as Union cavalrymen After the war the First Arkansas commander Colonel Marcus LaRue Harrison stayed on in Fayetteville and became its post war mayor for a time 3 Mustered out of service EditThe regiment was mustered out of the army in August 1865 During their service their casualties had been comparatively light Out of its 1 765 men 110 had been killed and another 235 died from disease or accidents 4 See also Edit American Civil War portalList of Arkansas Civil War Union units List of United States Colored Troops Civil War Units Arkansas in the American Civil WarNotes Edit Trans Mississippi Virtual Museum Archived from the original on 2021 01 09 Mahan Russell The Battle of Fayetteville Historical Enterprises Santa Clara Utah 2019 Mahan Russell The First Arkansas Union Cavalry 1862 1865 Historical Enterprises Santa Clara Utagh 2019 Encyclopedia of Arkansas Encyclopedia of Arkansas Retrieved 2021 06 12 Sources Edit This article contains text from a text now in the public domain Dyer Frederick H 1908 A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Des Moines IA Dyer Publishing Co This article incorporates public domain material from Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System National Park Service Bibliography EditDyer Frederick H 1959 A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion New York and London Thomas Yoseloff Publisher LCCN 59 12963 Bishop Albert W 1867 Report of the Adjutant General of Arkansas for the Period of the Late Rebellion and to November 1 1866 Washington Govt print off 1867 External links EditThe Civil War Archive Encyclopedia of Arkansas History Edward G Gerdes Civil War Home Page The War of the Rebellion a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies The Arkansas History Commission State Archives Civil War in Arkansas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1st Arkansas Cavalry Regiment Union amp oldid 1114794228, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
