19th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Dockery's)

The 19th (Dockery's) Arkansas Infantry (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. There were two other Arkansas units which were designated as the 19th Arkansas. Dawson's 19th Arkansas Infantry was organized, Hardy's Infantry Regiment, which is also occasionally referred to as the 19th Arkansas was organized in 1863 from those parts of Dawson's 19th Infantry Regiment, the 24th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and Crawford's Arkansas Infantry Battalion, which escaped capture at the Battle of Arkansas Post.

Organization

Dockery's 19th Arkansas Regiment was organized on April 2, 1862, at DeValls Bluff, with Col. Hamilton P. Smead in command.^[1] The regimental quartermaster was Capt. Thomas P. Dockery, future brigadier-general. The regiment comprised ten companies from Columbia, Hot Spring, Lafayette, Ouachita and Union counties. The unit was composed of volunteer companies from the following counties:

• Company A, Commanded by Captain Jame G. Johson, organized in Lewisbury, Arkansas on February 25, 1862^[2]
• Company B, Commanded by Captain Dave Dixon, organized in Columbia County, Arkansas on February 26, 1862^[3]
• Company C, Commanded by Captain Wiley H. Buffington, organized in Columbia County, Arkansas on February 27, 1862^[4]
• Company D/E, Commanded by Captain R. S. Clayton, organized in Hot Springs Co, Arkansas on March 1, 1862^[5]
• Company F, Commanded by Captain W. C. Langford, organized at El Dorado, Arkansas on March 1, 1862^[6]
• Company G, Commanded by Captain John A. Meek, organized in Union C, Arkansas on March 1, 1862^[7]
• Company H, Commanded by Captain John Cook, organized at Caney, AR, Arkansas on March 3, 1862^[8]
• Company I, Commanded by Captain B. R. Mathews, organized in Union County, Arkansas on March 3, 1862^[9]
• Company K, Commanded by Captain H. K. Perry, organized in Columbia Co, Arkansas on March 8, 1862^[10]

Soon after being organized, the regiment was ordered to Mississippi, along with the rest of General Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West. After settling in at Camp Churchill Clark, near Corinth, Mississippi, the 19th Arkansas was reorganized for the war and new officers were elected. All of the original field officers were thrown out in the election of May 12, 1862, and in their place the men elected Col. Thomas P. Dockery, Lieut. Col. William H. Dismukes, and Maj. Horatio G. P. Williams. On June 2, 1862, the two Hot Spring County companies were consolidated. Company D (from Rockport) was merged into Company E (from Hot Springs).^[1]

Battles

The unit participated in the Battles of Corinth and Hatchie Bridge, and reported 129 casualties. Later it was attached to General M. E. Green's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana.^[11]

Colonel Dockery was placed in command of Second Brigade, Bowen's Division, and so actual field command of the 19th Arkansas Regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Dismukes, who led the regiment through the terrible battles that preceded the Siege of Vicksburg. The 19th Arkansas fought at Battle of Port Gibson, Battle of Champion's Hill, and the Battle of Big Black River Bridge,^[11] where Lieutenant-Colonel Dismukes was mortally wounded and most of the regiment was captured. Major Horatio Gates Perry Williamson was promoted to lieutenant-colonel after Dismukes' death, and the uncaptured remnant of the 19th Arkansas fell back to Vicksburg, where it was surrendered and paroled when the city fell on July 4, 1863.^[1]

The regiment was exchanged back in Arkansas, and, when Colonel Dockery was appointed brigadier-general, Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson was promoted to colonel, commanding regiment. After being exchanged, the regiment was reorganized and mounted. It was placed in Dockery's and Roane's Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Department, and saw action at the Battle of Marks' Mills.^[11] The 19th Arkansas was consolidated with other decimated Arkansas regiments to form the 3rd Consolidated Arkansas Infantry. The consolidated regiment was assigned along with the 1st and 2nd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiments to the 2nd (McNair’s) Arkansas Brigade, 1st (Churchill’s) Arkansas Division, 2nd Corps, Trans-Mississippi Department, from September 1864 to May 1865.^[12][13]

Surrender

The 3rd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment was stationed at Marshall, Texas, when the war ended.^[1] and was officially surrendered with the Department of the Trans-Mississippi by Major General E. Kirby Smith on May 26, 1865.^[1]

References

External links

• Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
• The 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

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

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