15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment

The 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was originally formed as the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Battalion. After receiving the required 10 companies, the unit was redesignated as the 21st (McCrae's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment. Upon recognition that there was already a 21st Arkansas, the unit was again redesignated as the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. This was the third Arkansas unit to bear the designation "15th Arkansas". The others are the 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment and the 15th (Gee/Johnson) Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

Organization

This unit can be traced back to four companies of Arkansas State Troops from Benton, Franklin and Yell counties, which marched to Bentonville in July 1861 to be assigned to a regiment of Arkansas State Troops. Instead, they were intercepted by Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch, commanding Confederate forces in northwest Arkansas, organized into a battalion under command of Lieut. Col. Dandridge McRae, and mustered directly into the service of the Confederate States on July 15, 1861. Brig. Gen. McCulloch intended to increase the battalion to a regiment. He already had two Arkansas regiments enrolled in Confederate service, the 1st and 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles, and McRae's outfit was to form the basis for a 3rd Arkansas Regiment so it was christened as the 3rd Battalion Arkansas Infantry. McRae's 3rd Arkansas Battalion remained as a four-company battalion for some time.^[1]

In November 1861, four new companies from Benton, Pope and Washington counties joined the 3rd Arkansas Battalion, making a total of eight, so Brig. Gen. McCulloch asked the Confederate War Department to authorize the battalion to be designated as a regiment, promising that the last two companies would shortly be added. Brig. Gen. McCulloch's designation of McRae's command as the 3rd Arkansas Regiment was rejected, since Col. Albert Rust's command in Virginia had already been given that designation; so the War Department assigned the designation of 21st Arkansas Regiment to McRae's command (which resulted in two 21st Arkansas Regiments. The new 21st Arkansas Regiment was officially established on December 3, 1861, at Camp Benjamin, Arkansas.^[1]

After the battle of Pea Ridge, the 21st Arkansas and the rest of the Confederate Army of the West was ordered to Mississippi, and went into camp at Corinth, where, on May 8, 1862, the regiment was reorganized for the war, and Lieut. Col. James H. Hobbs succeeded Dandridge McRae as colonel. On May 12, 1862, while still at Corinth, the last two companies (Company I and Company K) were added to the regiment, bringing it up the required ten companies. These new companies had originally been Companies. A and B, respectively, of Williamson's Arkansas Infantry Battalion, recently disbanded. On August 22, 1862, Lieut. Col. Squire Boone succeeded Hobbs as colonel.^[1]

Sometime after October 1862, the Confederate War Department again redesignated the 21st Arkansas as the 15th Arkansas. The War Department apparently realized it's mistake, because in February 1863 the regiment was ordered to insert the word "Northwest" in its regimental designation to distinguish it from, primarily, Col. Benjamin W. Johnson's 15th Arkansas, operating in the same theater thus, the 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Regiment.^[1]

The field officers were Colonels Squire Boone, James H. Hobbs, and Dandridge McRae; Lieutenant Colonel William W. Reynolds; and Majors D. A. Stuart and William Thompson.^[2]

Battles

The 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment took an active part in the battles at Wilson's Creek and Elkhorn Tavern, and on March 11, 1862, contained 10 officers and 168 men. Later the unit moved east of the Mississippi River, fought at Corinth and Hatchie Bridge, then was assigned to M. E. Green's and Dockery's Brigade in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. It sustained 82 casualties at Port Gibson and was part of the garrison captured at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.^[2] The Regiment is credited with the following Campaign participation credit^[3]

• Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861
• Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 7–8, 1862
• Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, June 1862
• Battle of Grand Gulf, Mississippi, April 29, 1863
• Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi, May 1, 1863
• Battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi, May 16, 1863
• Battle of Black River Bridge, Mississippi, May 17, 1863
• Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, May – July, 1863

Surrender

This regiment surrendered with the Army of Mississippi at Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 4, 1863.^[2] The soldiers of the unit were paroled on July 8 and 9, 1863, and sent back to Arkansas to await exchange. After being exchanged, the regiment was consolidated with the 14th and 16th Arkansas Regiments to form the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment (Trans-Mississippi). Under this final designation, the regiment served in Arkansas and Louisiana until the end of the war. Most of the men surrendered at Marshall, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana, in May and June 1865.^[4]

See also

• List of Arkansas Civil War Confederate units
• Lists of American Civil War Regiments by State
• Confederate Units by State
• Arkansas in the American Civil War
• Arkansas Militia in the Civil War

References

External links

• Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
• Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
• 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

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service".