Arkansas 45th Cavalry Regiment
HISTORICAL NOTES:
The 45th Arkansas Infantry (Mounted) (1864–1865) was authorized by the State Military Board as an infantry regiment. The unit was mounted for Price's Missouri Expedition and was officially designated as mounted infantry. Due to its mounted status, the unit is sometimes referred to as the 45th Arkansas Cavalry when a numerical designation is used. The unit is most often referred to as either Baber's Arkansas Cavalry Regiment or Clark's Arkansas Cavalry Regiment, after its two commanders. After the war many former members referred to the regiment as "Shaver's Cavalry" because of the large number of officers and men who had previously served in Colonel R. G. Shaver's 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and 38th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, but Colonel Shaver was never actually associated with the unit.
In May 1864, General Joseph O. Shelby occupied Northeast Arkansas, well behind Union Army lines. In early June 1864, General Shelby commissioned Colonel Thomas Hamilton McCray, among others, to begin raising regiments in Northeast Arkansas. By June 13, Shelby reported to General Sterling Price that McCray's efforts were bearing fruit.
The work of recruiting goes bravely on. Colonel McCray will have a brigade and Dobbin, Coffee, Freeman and Coleman will have regiments.
Colonel McCray's efforts led to the recruitment of at least three regiments, the 45th, 46th and 47th Arkansas Infantry Regiments. These 40-series regiments consisted mostly of conscripts, and absentees from existing units, organized around a small cadre of veterans detailed from infantry regiments, which were expected to be idle during the fall and winter of 1864.
The decreasing availability of fodder for horses in 1864 led the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department to issue an order proscribing the raising of additional mounted regiments in Arkansas. However, when General Sterling Price received authorization to conduct a campaign in Missouri that fall, several of the new regiments were mounted in order to accompany him. As a result, the 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th were officially mounted infantry regiments instead of cavalry regiments. They were rarely referred to in contemporary reports and orders by numerical designation. Price referred to them as McGehee's Cavalry, Crabtree's Cavalry, etc., which eventually resulted in their later being referred to as 44th Cavalry, 46th Cavalry, etc
OFFICERS:
Baber, Milton D. Colonel
Clark, J.W. Lieutenant Colonel, Later Colonel
Jones, G.R. Major, Later Lieutenant Colonel
Washburn, C.J. Originally Captain of Company A, later Major
Wells, John R. Cpt Asst Surgeon.
Black, David C. Captain and Acting Quartermaster.
Sloan. William C. Captain and Acting Commissary
BATTLES:
Price's Missouri Raid,
Battle of Fort Davidson,
Fourth Battle of Boonville,
Battle of Glasgow, Missouri,
Battle of Sedalia,
Second Battle of Lexington,
Battle of Little Blue River,
Second Battle of Independence,
Battle of Byram's Ford,
Battle of Westport,
Battle of Marais des Cygnes,
Battle of Mine Creek,
Battle of Marmiton River,
Second Battle of Newtonia
ROSTERS:
The roster of this regiment contains the names of 713 men.
Company A, was originally commanded by Captain J. Washburn and was organized in Independence County, at or near Sulphur Rock. Its members were principally residents of White River, Big Bottom and Black River Townships of Independence County. It was surrendered at Jacksonport by Lieutenant John Morgan Owen.
Company B, commanded by Captain John M. Cost, was organized at Jacksonport, and its members were principally residents of Independence County, mostly from Christian, Big Bottom, White River and Black River Townships. A few men from Jefferson Township of Jackson County were also enrolled in this company.
Company C, commanded by Captain Joshua Wann, was organized in Lawrence County, at or near Evening Shade (in present Sharp County). Many of the men in this company came from the western part of Lawrence County, that part which became Sharp County in 1868.
Company D, commanded by Captain Allen Nesbitt was raised in northern Jackson County and may have been organized at Elgin or Centerville, in Bird Township. It was composed primarily of men from Bird Township. Captain Nesbitt and several other members of the company had previously served in Colonel Thomas H. McCray's 31st Arkansas Infantry Regiment as members of Company A. (Col. James W. Clark had also served as an officer of this company.) The 31st served east of the Mississippi, and many of its men had returned home on furloughs and were unable to rejoin their units in 1864 or had received disability discharges.
Company E, commanded by Captain Samuel R. Fetzer, was organized in Independence County, its members coming primarily from Black River, Gainsboro, White River and Ruddell Townships.
Company F, commanded by Captain Jacob Wallace, was organized at New Hope Baptist Church, about seven miles west of Powhatan, in Lawrence County. It was composed almost entirely of men from Lawrence County.
Company G, commanded by Captain Edward Butler, was organized at Powhatan, Lawrence County, and was composed almost entirely of Lawrence County men.
Company H, commanded by Captain Wiley C. Jones, was organized in Lawrence County and was composed of men from several areas of that county west of Black River.
Company I, was organized at Augusta, Woodruff County, by Captain J. B. Hills of Jonesboro. It contained many names familiar in the history of Woodruff County, especially from Bayou Cache and Bayou DeView Townships, which were part of Jackson County prior to the creation of Woodruff County in 1862, and Jackson County, especially Richwoods and Breckenridge Townships. About one-fourth of its men were from Craighead County.
Company K, commanded by Captain L. P. Schmick, was composed primarily of men from Randolph County, where it was organized, but also included a few from other counties, particularly Greene County.
Company L, commanded by Captain M. S. Gray, was from different parts of Lawrence County east of Black River.
Company M, commanded by Captain John Hale, was organized in Jackson County and was composed primarily of men from Cache, Richwoods and Village Townships of Jackson County.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
REFERENCES: REF: Wikipedia
Crute - Units of the Confederate States Army
Sifakis - Compendium of the Confederate Armies
In May 1864, General Joseph O. Shelby occupied Northeast Arkansas, well behind Union Army lines. In early June 1864, General Shelby commissioned Colonel Thomas Hamilton McCray, among others, to begin raising regiments in Northeast Arkansas. By June 13, Shelby reported to General Sterling Price that McCray's efforts were bearing fruit.
The work of recruiting goes bravely on. Colonel McCray will have a brigade and Dobbin, Coffee, Freeman and Coleman will have regiments.
Colonel McCray's efforts led to the recruitment of at least three regiments, the 45th, 46th and 47th Arkansas Infantry Regiments. These 40-series regiments consisted mostly of conscripts, and absentees from existing units, organized around a small cadre of veterans detailed from infantry regiments, which were expected to be idle during the fall and winter of 1864.
The decreasing availability of fodder for horses in 1864 led the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department to issue an order proscribing the raising of additional mounted regiments in Arkansas. However, when General Sterling Price received authorization to conduct a campaign in Missouri that fall, several of the new regiments were mounted in order to accompany him. As a result, the 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th were officially mounted infantry regiments instead of cavalry regiments. They were rarely referred to in contemporary reports and orders by numerical designation. Price referred to them as McGehee's Cavalry, Crabtree's Cavalry, etc., which eventually resulted in their later being referred to as 44th Cavalry, 46th Cavalry, etc
Crute - Units of the Confederate States Army
Sifakis - Compendium of the Confederate Armies