Arkansas Civil War Regiments, Rosters and Muster Rolls

3 thoughts on “Arkansas Civil War Regiments, Rosters and Muster Rolls”

1. Looking for information on Jonathan Anderson Wilson. His headstone says Bryant’s Arkansas BN CSA. I’m understand he lost a leg during the civil war. Would like to know what battles he participated in and possibly the Colors his BN or Regiment carried. He is my 5th Great Uncle.

   Reply

   • I, too, am looking for a Wilson, a “Captian Wilson”, who was allegedly killed at Carrollton, Arkansas in Aug of 1864. I am finding that many of the “killed” were false reports. I have no first name and only a rank. Wilson was CSA and probably a Militia or Home Guard. I will add Jonathan Anderson Wilson to my search list. Will advise if I have information, would request that you so humor me.
     Regards,
     John Cantwell
     jcantwell@hotmail.com

     Reply

2. I’m trying to find information about my great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Potter. According to census records and family stories, he was born 8 Feb 1844 and grew up on a farm in Pulaski County, AR. A family story is that he said he was talked by his stepmother into joining the Confederate military in place of her son, who was about five years older. He served first in the Confederate infantry, and was captured by Union troops. He was released (the story goes) because he agreed to join the Union army, and he served in the Union army for the remainder of the war. He suffered a leg injury gathering wood while in prison camp, which ulcerated and finally killed him at the age of 48.

   The problem is, the records I find for him don’t match the story. I haven’t been able to find him on any lists of prisoners of war.

   Here’s what I did find:
   U.S.\u002C Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records\u002C 1861-1865
   Name Thomas J Potter
   Enlistment Date 1862
   Military Unit Twelfth Infantry (Eighth Infantry, Young’s Regiment)

   U.S. Civil War Soldiers\u002C 1861-1865
   Name Thomas J. Potter
   Side Confederate
   Regiment State/Origin Texas
   Regiment 12th Regiment, Texas Infantry (Young’s) Company D
   Rank In Private
   Rank Out Private
   Film Number M227 roll 29
   Other Records 12th Regiment, Texas Infantry (Young’s)

   “The 12th Texas Infantry Regiment was led by Colonel Overton C. Young and thus also known as Young’s Regiment. The regiment was assigned to Brigadier General Thomas Neville Waul’s [First] Brigade of Major John George Walker’s Texas [Greyhound] Division, Trans-Mississippi Department. The regiment saw action in March-May 1864 in Louisiana [the Red River Campaign] and Arkansas [the Camden Expedition]. Some men are known to have fought at the battle at Corinth, Mississippi.” [Wikipedia]

   But by the time of the Red River Campaign, Thomas was already in the Union army.

   U.S. Civil War Soldiers\u002C 1861-1865
   Name Thomas J. or Thomas Potter
   Side Union
   Regiment State/Origin Arkansas
   Regiment 4th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry
   Company A
   Rank In Private
   Rank Out Private
   Film Number M383 roll 3
   Other Records 4th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry

   U.S. Civil War Soldiers\u002C 1861-1865
   Name Thomas J. Potter
   Side Union
   Regiment State/Origin Arkansas
   Regiment 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry
   Company I
   Rank In Private
   Rank Out Private
   Film Number M383 roll 3
   Other Records 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry

   U.S.\u002C Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles\u002C 1861-1865
   Name Thomas J Potter
   Residence Little Rock, Arkansas
   Age at enlistment 19
   Enlistment Date 31 Mar 1864
   Rank at enlistment Private
   Enlistment Place Little Rock, Arkansas
   State Served Arkansas
   Survived the War? Yes
   Service Record Enlisted in Company A, Arkansas 4th Infantry Regiment on 31 Mar 1864. Mustered out on 28 Oct 1864.
   Transferred to Company I, Arkansas 2nd Infantry Regiment on 28 Oct 1864.
   Birth Date abt 1845
   Sources Index to Compiled Military Service Records Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force 1861-1865 2nd Arkansas Union Infantry – Arkansas Research 4th Arkansas Union Infantry – Arkansas Research

   1890 Veterans Schedules
   Veteran’s name Thomas J Potter
   Home in 1890 (Township, County, State) Precinct 5, Milam, Texas
   Year enlisted 1864
   Year discharged 1865
   Rank Private

   U.S.\u002C Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files\u002C 1861-1934
   Name Thomas J Potter
   Gender Male
   Place Filed Texas, USA
   Relation to Head Soldier
   Spouse Nancy J Potter
   Household Members
   Thomas J Potter
   Nancy J Potter
   1880 Jun 30: Application # 39706, Certificate # 664034
   1892 July 18: Widow’s app #555158, Certificate #378845

   I haven’t been able to find Thomas on any rosters online for the Eleventh or Twelfth Texas Regiments. I haven’t found him in any of the Civil War prisoner of war records on Ancestry.com.

   I did, however, find an article about the Eleventh Texas Cavalry at https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qke11. According to this article, the Eleventh Cavalry was dismounted in 1862 and sent to Shiloh in April 1862. They were remounted in January, 1863, after Colonel Burks was killed at Murfreesboro in December, 1862.

   The Confederate Conscription Act was passed in May, 1862. That, presumably, would have been when Catherine encouraged Thomas to enlist in place of his stepbrother. Thomas would have been about 18 in 1862. Now, if Thomas joined up while the regiments were dismounted, in 1862, would he have been recorded as in the 12th Infantry instead of the 12th Cavalry? And does the record indicate that he was captured before they were remounted in January 1863, which would have been at Shiloh, Corinth, Pea Ridge, Richmond, or Murfreesboro? The family story is that he was captured at the battle of Little Rock, which just doesn’t work out.

   The answers might help me figure out when he was captured and where he was held prisoner. If it works out that he was captured in Mississippi or Tennessee in 1863, then it would seem that he was enlisting in the Union army of his own free will when he enlisted in March, 1864, back home in Little Rock.

   Thanks for any help you can give!

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.