The 21st Arkansas Infantry (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Organization

21st Infantry Regiment was organized on May 15, 1862 by consolidating four companies of McCarver's 14th and six companies of Lemoyne's 17th Arkansas Regiments

17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Lemoyne's)

The 17th Arkansas Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.-Organization:The Seventeenth Arkansas regiment was organized in August, 1861, at Fairfield, Yell county, under orders of the State military board. The field and staff officers were:*Colonel. George...

, (or 17th and 18th Arkansas Battalions) to form the 21st (McCarver's) Arkansas Regiment. This increased the confusion because the 21st Arkansas had already been assigned to the regiment of Dandridge McRae. To avoid confusion between two 21st Arkansas Regiments, McRae's regiment was later redesignated as the 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment

15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment

The 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment 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 Arkansas Infantry Regiment...

 (making a total of three 15th Arkansas Regiments). Confusion solved!

The unit was composed of the following companies:

• Company A, Commanded by Captain E.O. Wolfe
• Company B, Commanded by Captain John M. Wasson
• Company C, Commanded by Captain Harper S. Taylor,
• Company D, Commanded by Captain George W. Berryman
• Company E, Commanded by Captain Mathew L. Bone
• Company F, Commanded by Captain T. J. Shinpox
• Company G, Commanded by Captain Jacob g. Becton
• Company H, Commanded by Captain John W. Mills
• Company I, Commanded by Captain Calvin C. Nailor
• Company K, Commanded by Captain Green F. Bond

Colonels Jordan E. Cravens

Jordan E. Cravens

Jordan Edgar Cravens was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas, cousin of William Ben Cravens.-Biography:Born in Fredericktown, Missouri, Cravens moved with his father to Arkansas the following year....

 and William G. Matheny, and Majors W. M. Dowdle and Harrison Moore were in command.

Battles

As the 21st Arkansas Regiment, under Colonel Jordan E. Cravens

Jordan E. Cravens

Jordan Edgar Cravens was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas, cousin of William Ben Cravens.-Biography:Born in Fredericktown, Missouri, Cravens moved with his father to Arkansas the following year....

, this regiment fought in the following engagements:

• Battle of Corinth
  Battle of Corinth
  The Battle of Corinth may refer to a Roman battle, or to one of two American Civil War Battles:* The Battle of Corinth * The Siege of Corinth, Mississippi , also known as the First Battle of Corinth, during the American Civil War* The Second Battle of Corinth...
  
  
• Battle of Grand Gulf
  Battle of Grand Gulf
  The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. In the Vicksburg Campaign of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Union naval forces under Rear Adm. David D. Porter led seven ironclads in an attack on the Confederate fortifications and batteries at Grand Gulf, downriver...
  
  
• Battle of Port Gibson
  Battle of Port Gibson
  The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
  
  
• Battle of Champion's Hill
• Battle of Big Black River Bridge
  Battle of Big Black River Bridge
  The Battle of Big Black River Bridge, or Big Black, fought May 17, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lt. Gen. John C...
  
  
• Siege of Vicksburg

The regiment reported 27 killed, 41 wounded, and 58 missing following the battles of Battles of Corinth and Hatchie Bridge. It was then assigned to General M. E. Green's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The 21st sustained 37 casualties at Port Gibson and was captured at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863.

The 21st Arkansas was consolidated with the 15th Northwest Arkansas, 16th Arkansas, and Powers' 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiments to form the 1st Consolidated Arkansas Infantry (Trans-Mississippi), and was stationed at Marshall, Texas

Marshall, Texas

Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...

, when the war ended. The consolidated regiment was assigned along with the 2nd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment

2nd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment

The 2nd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment is separate from and has no connection to the 2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment which served in the Confederate Army of Tennessee and separate from the 2nd Regiment, Arkansas...

 and the 3rd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment

3rd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment

The 3rd Arkansas Consolidated Infantry was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment is separate from and has no connection to the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment which served in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and separate from the 3rd Regiment,...

 and to the 2nd (McNair’s) Arkansas Brigade, 1st (Churchill’s) Arkansas Division, 2nd Corps, Trans-Mississippi Department, from September 1864 to May 1865.

Surrender

The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment was surrendered with the Department of the Trans-Mississippi by Major General Kirby Smith on May 26, 1865.

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 in the American Civil War
  The state of Arkansas was a part of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, and provided a source of troops, supplies, and military and political leaders for the fledgling country. Arkansas had become the 25th state of the United States, on June 15, 1836, entering as a...
  
  
• Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
  Arkansas Militia in the Civil War
  The units of the Arkansas Militia in the Civil War included militia organizations to which the current Arkansas National Guard has a connection: the militia, Home Guard, and State Troop regiments raised by the State of Arkansas. Like most of the United States, Arkansas had an organized militia...