Crawford's Arkansas Infantry Battalion: Difference between revisions

Crawford's Arkansas Infantry Battalion (Confederate)
Arkansas state flag
Active	1862 to 1863
Country	Confederate States of America
Allegiance	CSA
Branch	Infantry

The Crawford's Arkansas Infantry Battalion (1862-1863) was a Confederate Army infantry battalion during the American Civil War.

The unit was organized with two companies in the spring of 1862 and was mustered into Confederate service on June 23, 1862. The unit was composed of volunteer companies from the follwing counties: ^[1]

Company A, Commanded by Captain Joseph J. Ingram, organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on June 23, 1862.^[2]

Company B, Commanded by Captain L. A. Weatherford, organized at Eagle Creek, Arkansas on July 15, 1862.^[3]

William A Crawford was orgioinally the Commander of Company B, 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment. Crawford, was from Benton in Saline County. Crawford was wounded during the battle Shiloh, in April 1862. When the 1st Arkansas was reorganized near Corinth following the battle of Shiloh, Crawford replaced Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colone on May 18, 1862. Crawford apparently led the 1st Arkansas during the Battle of Farmington, but he resigned his position on July 21st, 1862 and by August of 1862 he was back in Arkansas organizing an infantry battalion from recruits and conscripts at Sulphur Springs. On September 28, 1862 his battalion was order to Clarendon Arkansas with the rest of the troops from Sulphur Springs. On Jan 22, 1863 Crawford was ordered to to "report without delay" to Maj Gen Hindman.

It would seem at the time of the attack on Arkansas Post Crawford's Battalion was with the 24th Arkansas Infantry Regiment at St. Charles preparing to place two 8 inch 32 pounder smooth bore columbiad guns from the CSS Ponchartrain in battery there. When the news of the battle at Arkansas Post reached them, most fit men made the forced march from that St. Charles to Arkansas Post and arrive just in time to surrender.

Those left at St. Charles, about 200 men from the 24th and others loaded the columbiads onto a steamboat (believed to be the "Bluewing"), moved them up the White River to DeVal's Bluff and loaded them onto railroad flatcars to be shipped back to Little Rock. However, the Federal Gunboats arrived before the train could leave and the guns were captured. The men had made their excape into the woods except for those who were in the hospital at DeVal's Bluff, who were paroled.

It was those men who made their way back to Sulphur Springs along with those who were in the hospital at DeVal's Bluff from the 19th along with Col. Dawson that were organized into what was to later become Hardy's 19th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. Now as to whether Wm. Carwford himself was a part of all of this or whether his battalion had been combined into the 24th Arkansas formally at that time, I don't know. But Crawford does not seem to be a part of theo rganization of the "holding regiment" at the time it was consolidated in February 1863 otherwise why would Major William Hardy be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel over both Crawford and Portlock to be made second in command under Colonel Dawson until Colonel Dawson resigned in May due to poor health.

Now as you know from my research that as you said about 175 men of Crawfords batt. and the 24th did make a force march from St Charles to Arkansas Post only to be surrendered. A force of about 200 from the same commands was left at St. Charles to move the two 8 inch columbian guns at St. Charles to Deval's Bluff where they were eventually captured by the USS St. Louis.

It is believed that the 200 from St. Charles were the main body of those who eventually became Hardy's 19th/24th Arkansas Regiment. There also seems to be a large number of those men in Hardy's Regiment who somehow made it back to Pine Bluff from Arkansas Post, or who were sick in hospital at Sulphur Springs.

The battalion fought at the :Battle of Arkansas Post, Arkansas January 9–11, 1863.^[4]

The Crawfor's Battalion was part of the 5,000 soldiers commanded by CSA Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill at Fort Hindman. The New Year of 1863 brought a Federal invasion force of some 33,000 men and 3 ironclad gunboats, all under the overall command of Major General John A. McClernand, to Arkansas Post. On Jan. 4, the Federal force attacked Fort Hindman from two directions. At 1:00 pm on Jan. 11, 1863, the Federal ironclads Louisville, DeKalb, and Cincinnati on the Arkansas River commenced shelling the Confederate defenders, silencing Fort Hindman's cannons by around 4:00 pm. During the bombardment, the Arkansas soliders fought off two attempts by the 3rd Missouri and 31st Iowa Infantries to turn the Rebel flank. Federal Brigadier General Alvin P. Hovey then directed two 12-pounder Napoleon cannons to shell the Arkansas positions; after two salvoes, white flags were displayed from the Confederate earthworks near the fort. Confusion ensued since some of the Southern defenders under Colonel James Deshler and adjacent to the 19th Arkansas Infantry kept firing their muskets despite the white flags. Negotiations then ensued between Confederate and Union commanders with Major General William Tecumseh Sherman asking Colonel Deshler "What does this mean? You are a regular officer, and ought to know better!" Deshler angrily replied that he had received no orders to surrender, but was then convinced by Confederate Brigadier General Churchill to have his men stack arms. Union casualties were reported as 134 killed, 989 wounded, and 29 missing; incomplete returns of Confederate losses indicated 60 killed and 80 wounded. However, 4,791 Confederate soldiers - including the 19th Arkansas Infantry- were captured.

The next day, Jan. 12, 1863, lists of the Rebel prisoners were made before they were loaded onto Federal transport boats and departed for St. Louis; they arrived on January 24 amid chunks of ice floating downstream the Mississippi River with snow falling. The enlisted men of the 19th Arkansas Infantry arrived at Alton, Illinois on January 28 before departing in railroad cars to Chicago, where they arrived on Jan. 29, and being confined in unheated barracks at Camp Douglas. The bitter cold took its toll of the unaccustomed Southern soliders. Twelve froze to death one night before they were moved to heated buildings. During Feb. 1863, 387 of 3,884 Confederate prisoners in Camp Douglas died - a loss of 10% in a single month! Exposure, disease, and poor diet killed 189 (30%) of the soldiers in the 19th Arkansas Infantry during their 3 month imprisonment. Camp Douglas records indicate that the prisoners died from smallpox, typhoid, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, meningitis, and diarrhea (dysentery). Most, but not all of the dead POWs were buried in a mass grave in the Chicago Oak Woods Cemetery. Some survived by taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States and were released. Most the surviors of Crawford's Battalion were exchanged and released from Camp Douglas on April. 2, 1863 before arriving at City Point, Virginia via railroad on April 10, 1863.

From City Point, the former prisonres boarded ships for Williamsburg, Virginia on April 11, 1863 and then went by railroad to Petersburg, Virgina where they rested and recovered from their prison ordeal. On May 4, they were assembled and issued new arms and equipment before again taking trains to Richmond, Virgina were the were reunited with their officers (imprisoned elsewhere in Federal prison camps) on May 6, 1863. The soldiers departed Richmond, Virgina by train on May 11, reaching Tullahoma, Tennessee on May 17 where they were reorganized and placed in the division of Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, Hardee's Corps, Army of Tennessee under overall command of Lieutenant General Braxton Bragg. At this time the survivors of Crawford's batalion were consolidated with the survivors of the 19th Arkansas Infantry and the 24th Arkansas Infantry, on May 23, 1863 into the new formed 19th & 24th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

• Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page
• The Encylopedia 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

• 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 text from this source, which is in the public domain: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service

Category:Arkansas Civil War regiments Arkansas Category:Military units and formations in Arkansas Category:Military in Arkansas