| 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate) | |
|---|---|
 Arkansas state flag | |
| Active | 1861 to 1865 |
| Country | Confederate States of America |
| Allegiance | CSA .svg){kind=small} |
| Branch | Infantry |
The 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War.
The 2nd Arkansas Mounted Riflemen was organized in the summer of 1861, with James McIntosh, Colonel; Ben T. Embry, Lieutenant-Colonel;—Brown, Major; W. D. DeBerry, Surgeon; W. A. C. Sayle, Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was inducted into Confederate Service on June 15, 1861 at Osage Prairie, outside Bentonville, Arkansas. The unit was composed of volunteer companies from the follwing counties:[1]
General McIntosh was killed at the battle of Elkhorn Tavern, or Pea Ridge. In May 1862 the Confederate Army underwent an army-wide reorganization due to the passage of the Conscription Act by the Confederate Congress in April 1962. All twelve-month regiments had to re-muster and enlist for two years or the duration of the war; a new election of officers was ordered; and men who were exempted from service by age or other reasons under the Conscription Act were allowed to take a discharge and go home. Officers who did not choose to stand for re-election were also offered a discharge. The reorganization was accomplished among all the Arkansas regiments in and around Corinth, Mississippi, following the Battle of Shiloh.[4]
When the regiment was reorganized after the battle of Shiloh, and the following field officers elected:[5] Capt. Harris Flanagin was elected Colonel; Maj. J. A. Williamson, was elected Lieutenant-Colonel; and Capt. James P. Eagle, was elected Major. Upon Colonel Flanagin's being elected Governor of the State of Arkansas in 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Williamson became Colonel and Captain Eagle became the Lieutenant Colonel. Colonel Williamson lost a leg at the battle of Resaca, May, 1864, and J. T. Smith, was appointed Colonel, was killed in battle July 28, James P. Eagle then succeeding him as Colonel of the regiment.[6]
It was not uncommon for African American Slaves to accompany their Confederate masters in the army; there are several documented accounts of African American serving as cooks or performing other menial tasks. The 33rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment event included African American cooks on it's unit muster rolls.[7] However accounts of African American participating in combat on behalf of the south are rare. One such account is included in a letter that 1LT Jonathan Callaway of Company E 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles wrote to a Mr. J. H. Thomas on August 11, 1861 to describe the events of the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Lieutenant Callaway stated "The battle was dreadful one brief but desperate. Martin Cole’s negro killed two dutchmen and got a good gun."[8] Letter of .....Callaway to Mr. J. H. Thomas Aug 11, 1861. Transcribed from original in possession of Don Crain, DeSoto Co, MS.
Colonel McIntosh was educated at the United States military academy. He was impetuous to a degree that scorned all caution. Being ordered by General McCulloch into the Indian Territory against the Creek chief, Hopoeithleyohola, he dispersed the Indian Federal organization. It is said his regiment was deployed in groups of two for five miles, when he at its head began the attack upon the Indian camp. He was speedily promoted to brigadier-general, and Embry became colonel. The regiment took part in the battles of Oak Hills and Elkhorn, and in the Kentucky campaign under E. Kirby Smith. Among its battles were Richmond, Ky., Murfreesboro, Jackson, Miss., Chickamauga, Resaca, Atlanta, Ezra Church, Lovejoy's Station, Jonesboro, Moore's Station, Franklin, Tenn., Nashville, Sugar Creek, and Bentonville, N. C.
They would go on to take part in the following battles:[9]
On April 9, 1865, the depleted Arkansas regiments of D. H. Reynolds' Brigade, Walthall's Division, Confederate Army of Tennessee, were consolidated into a single regiment the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles, at Smithfield, North Carolina. The companies of the consolidated regiment were consolidated from the following Arkansas regiments:[11]
The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles surrendered with the Army of Tennessee at Greensboro, North Carolina, April 26, 1865. The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles was paroled on May 1, 1865, at Jamestown, North Carolina.[11]
