There is no other legend quite like the Confederate fighting man. He reached the end of his haunted road long ago. He fought for a star-crossed cause and in the end he was beaten, but as he carried his slashed red battle flag into the dusky twilight of the Lost Cause he marched straight into a legend that will live as long as the American people care to remember anything about the American past.
         –Bruce Canton

Researcher Note:
Janet and I had 14 ancestors who fought in the Civil War, all for the Confederacy. They were from Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. These pages contain the results of my research of these ancestors and include unit histories, exerpts from the Official Records, and other information I have been able to collect. Enjoy…

The Tenth Arkansas Infantry Regiment was organized at Springfield in Conway County in July 1861. This is where many volunteers from Van Buren County (southern Van Buren County later became Cleburne) were mustered into the Confederate Army. Company “A,” known as “Quitman Rifles,” was headed by Captain A. R. Witt. Other officers were First Lt. W. W. Martin, Second Lt. C. M. Cargile, Third Lt. Israel Davis, and First Sergeant W. R. Corbin. The company had eight non-commissioned officers and 94 men in all.

Company “G” was called “Red River Riflemen.” Officers were Captain John B. Miller, First Lt. James E. Lockard, Second Lt. Henry J. Gatton, Third Lt. Edwin Ellis, and First Sergeant Daniel Johnson. This company with ten non-commissioned officers had 91 men.

Other companies in the regiment were the “Randy Rifles,” the “Choctaw Riflemen” from Conway County, “Pemberton’s Company,” “Muddy Bayou Heroes,” “Perry County Mountaineers…… Conway Tigers,” and “Springfield Sharpshooters.” Field and staff officers for the Tenth were Colonel T. D. Merrick, Lt. Col. S. S. Ford, Major Obed Patty, and Adjutant Robert C. Bertrand.’

Tenth Arkansas Infantry

The Tenth Arkansas Regiment was assigned to General Bowen’s Brigade, consisting of the Ninth and Tenth Arkansas, Fifth Missouri and Tenth Mississippi regiments before they were moved to Kentucky. They remained at Bowling Green until the evacuation of that place when they were placed to guard the rear on the retreat. They were then placed in Hardee’s Corps and marched to Corinth. Here the Ninth Arkansas was put in Breckenridge’s Reserve Corps and marched to Shiloh. In this battle they lost about 160 men.

After the Battle of Shiloh the regiment, as part of Beauregard’s CSA Army, withdrew back to Corinth, where they reorganized. Formal charges related to the disorganized condition of his regiment were brought against Col. Merrick. He resigned and on May 27, 1862 Captain A. R. Witt of Company “A,” “The Quitman Rifles,” was promoted to colonel and became commander of the regiment. Here their brigade was broken up.

They were moved first back of Vicksburg, where they stayed some time on the Yazoo River, at Camp Price. Then they were moved to Vicksburg, where they stayed a short while. They were placed in a brigade commanded by General Jeff Thompson and moved to Louisiana, 30 or 40 miles above New Orleans, where they spent the winter of 1862-63 guarding the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railway.

By the early spring of 1863, Beauregard’s Army, with the Tenth Arkansas was sent again to Baton Rouge where they were to prepare defenses against the approaching General N. P. Banks. This they did by felling large numbers of trees to block the roadways leading to Baton Rouge, digging trenches and mounting siege guns around the city.

By the first of March, 1863, the Tenth Arkansas Infantry was at Port Hudson, Louisiana above New Orleans and during March 7-27 as part of a CSA force under General Franklin Gardner, they were in operations against Federal forces at Port Hudson. After a series of engagements lasting into July, 1863, the Tenth Arkansas Infantry, was part of a Conderate force surrendered by Gen Gardner to Union General N. P. Banks, a surrender that was apparently helped along by internal dissension within the regiment. Certain officers of the Tenth Arkansas seemingly were able to influence some enlisted men to desert and refuse to alternate duties with their fellow companies. By July 7, just two days before the regiment capitulated, there was practically open mutiny.

On July 9, 1863 the entire regiment surrendered and became prisoners of war. The men were paroled until exchanged, with the officers imprisoned at Johnson’s Island, Ohio, in Lake Erie. The unit was eventually exchanged and returned to Arkansas. Col. A. R. Witt reorganized the unit, including some newly recruited members to form Witt’s Cavalry.

John F. Walter in his Capsule History of Arkansas Military Units gives additional information on the Tenth Arkansas Infantry and Witt’s Arkansas Cavalry.

This unit [the Tenth Arkansas Infantry] served east of the Mississippi River throughout its career. Listed below are the higher command

• Oct. 31, 1861, Sixth Brigade, First Division, Western Department.
• Nov. 30, 1861, Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Western Department.
• Jan. 31, 1862, Bowen’s Brigade, Floyd’s Division, Central Army of Kentucky.
• Feb. 22, 1862, Second Brigade, Third Division, Central Army of Kentucky, Western Department.
• April 6, 1862, Second Brigade, Reserve Corps, Army of the Mississippi.
• March 31, 1863, Buford’s Brigade, Third Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana.
• April 30, 1863, Maxey’s Brigade, Third Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana.

Like almost all Civil War units, the regiment was frequently known by an alternate designation derived from the name of the unit’s commanding officer. Names of this type identified as having been used by or for the Tenth Arkansas Infantry are listed below.

• A. R. Witt’s Infantry
• C. M. Cargile’s Infantry
• E. L. Vaughan’s Infantry
• Thomas D. Merrick’s Infantry
• S. S. Ford’s Infantry
• Obed Patty’s Infantry
• George A. Merrick’s Infantry
• Zebulon Venable’s Infantry
• Robert C. Bertrand’s Infantry

The regiment participated in the following engagements during its career:

• Battle, Pittsburg Landing, Shiloh, Tenn. – April 6-7, 1862
• Engagement, Baton Rouge, La. – Aug. 5, 1862
• Operations against expedition from Pass Manchac and Ponchatuoula, La. – Sept. 13-15, 1862
• Skirmish, Bayou Bonfonca, La. – Nov. 21, 1862
• Operations against Port Hudson, La. – Mar. 7-27, 1863
• Action, Plain’s Store, La. May 21, 1863
• Siege, Port Hudson, La. May 24-July 9, 1863
• Assault, Port Hudson, La. – May 27, 1863
• Assault, Port Hudson, La. – June 14, 1863
• Surrender, Port Hudson, La. – July 9, 1863

At its organization the Tenth Arkansas Infantry numbered 1000 men; yet at the close of the war there were not more than 200 men surviving.

Witt’s 10th Arkansas Cavalry

Witt’s Arkansas Cavalry, commanded by Colonel A. R. Witt, was composed primarily of men who had served with the Tenth Arkansas Infantry, been captured at Port Hudson, Louisiana, and after being exchanged, returned to Arkansas.

On numerous occasions, the unit served behind Federal lines. A Federal report indicated that it often employed female sympathizers to spy on Federal installations and troop movements, reporting the information obtained back to the command. One of these spies was reported to be operating in Little Rock in mid-November, 1864.

The unit served unattached throughout its career, with the exception of Price’s Missouri Expedition in late 1864. During this time it appears to have been attached to Fagan’s forces.

Below are the engagements in which the unit took part.

• Skirmishes, Clear Creek and Tomahawk, Ark. – Jan. 22, 1864
• Skirmish, Rolling Prairie, Ark. – Jan. 23, 1864
• Skirmish, Sylamore Creek, Ark. – Jan. 23, 1864
• Skirmishes near Burrowsville, Ark. – Jan. 23, 1864
• Skirmish, Crooked Creek, Ark. – Feb. 5, 1864
• Skirmish, Bayou Des Arc, Ark. – July 13-16, 1864
• Skirmish, Gum Swamp, Ark. – July 17, 1864
• Skirmish, Austin, Ark. – July 17, 1864
• Operations against Expedition from Little Rock to the Little Red River, Ark. – Aug. 6-16, 1864
• Price’s Missouri Expedition – Aug. 29-Dec. 2, 1864
• Skirmish near Quitman, Ark. (detachment) – Sept. 2, 1864
• Skirmish, Ironton, Mo. – Sept. 26, 1864
• Skirmishes, Arcadia and Ironton, Mo. – Sept. 27, 1864
• Battle, Marmiton (Charlot), Mo. – Oct. 25, 1864
• Engagement, Mine Creek, Little Osage River, Marias des Cygnes, Kan. – Oct. 25, 1864
• Skirmish near Lewisburg, Ark. – Feb. 12, 1865

Unlike most of the units which accompanied Price after the Missouri expedition, Witt’s Cavalry did not retreat all the way to northeastern Texas. The command remained, instead, in Arkansas, probably in order to continue its spying operations. The Third Arkansas (United States) Cavalry met and destroyed Witt’s command at the Lewisburg engagement.

The Tenth Arkansas Infantry Regiment was not the only unit which recruited men of Cleburne County. At least seven companies were raised in White County during 1861 and 1862 and others in Independence County.

Beginning Your Research

The three most valuable pieces of information when researching a Civil War ancestor are the soldier’s name, whether he served for the Union or Confederate army, and the state from which the soldier served. By knowing these facts, other aspects of a soldier’s record of service can often be determined. Usually, the piece of information that poses the most problems to find is the state from which the soldier served. Often, you will find that you have vague idea of the soldier’s state of service, but you are not quite sure. The easiest way to confirm this is to contact the state archives in the state of possible service. They should be able to direct you to the muster rolls for their state if you go to the archives in person, or inform you of the procedure for requesting that information if you write or call. Remember to keep your requests simple, and offer only those details pertinent to your request. Be aware that names were often misspelled, so do not despair if you have a hard time finding your ancestor. Chances are he is listed under a name with a similar spelling.

With those three pieces of information verified, the next step is to retrieve the soldier’s pension records. Pension records offer more information useful to the genealogist, and also provide a more complete picture of a soldier’s military career. Some Confederate states issued pensions until 1959, and those pension can be found filed in the state archives in the state in which the soldier retired. All Union pensions and Confederate pensions issued after 1959 can be found by writing the National Archives and Records Administration. A NATF Form 80 must be requested, filled out, and submitted before records can be researched. In order for the National Archives to process the NATF Form 80, you must include the veteran’s name, Civil War Union or Confederate service, branch of service, and the state from which he served. They will contact you with an invoice for copy fees, which must be paid before the copies are sent. It will take a few weeks for the request to be fully processed.

If pension records do not exist for your ancestor (Union or Confederate), you can write to the National Archives for the military record of the soldier in question. However, you should be aware that these records aren’t as useful, and are subject to the same process as described earlier for requesting pension records.

Getting Started

To assist in getting started it is helpful to know the state and unit in which your ancestor served. There are numerous ways to assist you in finding this out. They include:

• Oral family history: ask parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents
• His tombstone: many list the state and unit numbers
• Check his county of residence when he enlisted, check the units which were formed in that area.

If you know his state of residence when he enlisted:

• For most states, some sort of index exists which lists the soldiers in each unit from that state–often published in northern states by the state’s Adjutant General’s Office . You can also try the Index to the Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers, microfilmed records at the National Archives and available through some research libraries.

If you don’t know his residence when he enlisted:

• Using the 1860 Federal Census records, you may be able to find where he lived in 1860. Most of these records have an index to the head of the households, which could be the soldier or the soldier’s father.
• If he served in the Confederate army, you may find him in the Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, microfilmed records at the National Archives and available through some research libraries.

The links below can provide some assistance in getting started on your search.

Guide to Researching People of the Civil War Era – US Civil War Center

• A great place to start!

US Civil War Center – Genealogy

Military Records and Pension Records for Union Civil War Ancestors

Beginners Guide to Genealogy

My Story

Now that I have provided you with the correct information about how to conduct your search, let me tell you how I really did it! I wasn’t sure of where my great-grandfather had served. Knew he was from Alabama and migrated to Arkansas in 1870. I contacted a professional researcher concentrating in Civil War research. His name is John Gross and he can be contacted via e-mail confederate@worldnet.att.net. I was pleased with his service, but will give you some tips. His prices were $5.00 for a simple search with a unit roster and regimental history of the unit your ancestor served in, $35.00 for a service record, and $40.00 for a pension record. I ordered the service record and pension record.

While I was waiting for the information to arrive (6-8 weeks), I decided to see what I could find on my own. I contacted Arkansas Research and discovered they provided some books listing the Arkansas Confederate Pension applications by county. I ordered the book for Cleburne County and found my great-grandfather listed. I also found my great-great-grandfather Jackson and a bunch of great uncles and other relations.

During a visit to Arkansas, I was able to spend the day at the Arkansas Historical Commission. This is a great place to do research and the staff is extremely helpful. I was able to get service records for my ancestors who had fought in Arkansas units and pension records for those living in Arkansas and eligible for a Confederate Pension. I also discovered that a lot of this same information is available at the LDS Family Research Centers.

Here is the bottom-line. A search via mail will usually cost between $10 and $15 at any of the state historical or archive centers, plus 25-50 cents per copy of material requested. Therefore a pension record will average $15-$25. Ordering a service record from the National Archive is $15 for a search plus 25 cents per copy or about the same price. By using a professional, I spent $10-$15 extra, but since I didn’t know the state or other information at first, it was money well spent for them to do the initial research.

Since doing the searches listed above, I have found two more reasonable places to get copies of Civil War service records.

Lineage’s – provides the ability to place an on-line order and receive your information via mail within 30 days. It costs $5 per search ($4 each for 4 or more) plus $2 shipping and handling for a search of the Civil War Index. They will provide back copies of all names that match. Then you can order the appropriate record for $11 ($9.50 for 4 or more) plus $3 shipping and handling. I have used this service and been pleased with the results.

Family Tree Maker Search Services – provides copies of Confederate Service Records and Pension Applications as well as other search services. I have not used them yet, but plan to try them for my next search request.

I also got a lot of historical data from the Army Official Records of the Civil War. Most of the detailed regimental history is taken from this source. This CD is available from various locations for about $69 plus shipping. A great value for any serious Civil War historian. If your searching for an Arkansas relative, try the next two locations: