1st Arkansas Infantry

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 1st Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)


caption=Arkansas state flag
dates= 1861 to 1865
country= Confederate States of America
allegiance= CSA
branch= Infantry
equipment=
battles=Battle of Perryville
Battle of Murfreesboro
Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chattanooga
Battle of Franklin

The 1st Arkansas Infantry (1861-1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were two regiments known as "1st Arkansas", with the other being the 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry, which served with the Union Army.

At the beginning of the war, Arkansas organized some 48 infantry regiments. Most, like the 1st Arkansas, would serve most of the war in the "western theater". Only the 3rd Arkansas, the most famous of the regiments fielded by that state, served the entire war in the "eastern theater". The 1st Arkansas regiment was first organized in May of 1861, at the outbreak of the war. Made up of 10 companies from Clark, Union, Ouachita, Jefferson, Jackson, Pulaski, Arkansas and Drew counties, the regiment was sent to Lynchburg, Virginia for training the same month it was accepted into the Confederate ranks.

Under the command of Colonel and later Major General James Fleming Fagan, the 1st Arkansas initially received garrison duty. They were present at the First Battle of Bull Run, but were not engaged. In February of 1862 they were transferred and attached to the Army of Mississippi under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard, and fought at the Battle of Shiloh. It was at Shiloh that they became best known, mainly due to the heavy casualties they sustained. Entering the battle with a force of just over 800, they took 364 casualties, 45 percent of their force. Following that battle, they were reorganized and received replacements, then were assigned to General Pat Cleburne’s division as a part of the Army of Tennessee, with whom they would remain for the rest of the war. They would go on to take part in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Chattanooga, and the Battle of Franklin, as well as several other smaller battles.

The Confederacy had only one medal available, the Confederate Medal of Honor (a.k.a Southern Cross of Honor), to offer to its soldiers for heroism for valor. Twenty seven soldiers of the 1st Arkansas Infantry would receive that award, despite the fact that the Confederacy lacked the funds to manufacture the actual medals. On April 26th, 1865, the regiment was present with the Army of Tennessee when it surrendered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

References

* [http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/1starinf.htm 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment, CSA]
* [http://www.civilwarhome.com/chattanoogaorderofbattle(confed).htm Battle of Chattanooga, Order of Battle]
* [http://www.amtour.net/downloadable/ConfederateMedalWinners.pdf Confederate Medal of Honor]