The 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (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

27th Infantry Regiment was organized at Yellville, Arkansas

Yellville, Arkansas

Yellville is a city in Marion County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Marion County.-History:...

, in July 1862, composed of a handful of companies of mounted volunteers, which were dismounted and reinforced with several companies of conscripts. James R. Shaler, a Missourian who had previously served in the Missouri State Guard, was appointed colonel of the new regiment. Colonel Shaler soon proved to be unpopular with the men. The regiment was placed in Colonel R. H. Shaver's and General Tappan's Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Department, and in the spring of the 1864 united with the 38th Regiment. The field officers were Colonels Beal Gaither and James R. Shaler, and Lieutenant Colonels A. J. Magenis and James M. Riggs. The unit was composed of companies from the following counties:

• Company A —Marion County
• Company B (old) —Carroll County
• Company B (new) —Fulton County
• Company C (old) —Carroll County
• Company C (new) —Izard County
• Company D —Carroll County
• Company E —Marion County
• Company F —Searcy County (This unit contained many former members of the 45th Arkansas Militia Regiment)
• Company G —Izard County
• Company H —Izard County
• Company I —Izard County
• Company K —Marion County

Battles

The unit fought at Prairie Grove, Bayou Fourche, and Jenkins' Ferry, where the consolidated command reported 4 killed and 22 wounded. They would go on to take part in the following battles:

• Battle of Little Rock, Arkansas, September 10, 1863
• Red River Campaign
  Red River Campaign
  The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
  
  , Arkansas March–May, 1864
• Battle of Pleasant Hill
  Battle of Pleasant Hill
  The Battle of Pleasant Hill was fought on April 9, 1864, during the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War, near Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, between Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks and Confederate forces, led by Maj. Gen...
  
  , Arkansas
• Battle of Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas, April 30, 1864

Surrender

The 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was included in the surrender of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi on May 26, 1865.

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

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...