The 30th Arkansas Infantry (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. This regiment was also called the 5th Arkansas Cavalry, the 5th Trans-Mississippi Regiment or 39th Regiment after April, 1863. This regiment was converted to mounted infantry for Price's Missouri Expedition in 1864 and was known as Rogan's Arkansas Cavalry.Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: Itinerary of Price's Army", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 8 July 2004, Accessed 5 December 2011, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=7843 United States. War Dept. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 41, In Four Parts. Part 4, Correspondence, Etc., Book, 1893; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145061 : accessed February 14, 2012), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas. There were two regiments officially designated as the 30th Arkansas Infantry. The other 30th Arkansas served east of the Mississippi River and was redesignated as the 25th Arkansas Infantry.
Organization 30th Infantry Regiment was formed on June 18, 1862, with Colonel Archibald J. McNeill as the original commander. The unit was raised as a mounted infantry or cavalry regimentOdom, Danny, "Re: 30th Arkansas", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 8 March 2012, Accessed 8 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=25820 and was originally designated as the 5th Arkansas Cavalry.Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: Col John McNeil" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 13 September 2002, Accessed 6 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=2069
In early June 1862 Major McNeill was ordered by Major General Hindman to Crowley's Ridge to conscript roving and unattached companies. The state was facing an invasion in the aftermath of the defeat of General Earl Van Dorn at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Immediately following the battle, General Van Dorn and his Army of the West had been ordered to the east side of the Mississippi to support what would become the Battle of Shiloh. General Van Dorn had stripped the State of Arkansas of all organized units and supplies. General Hindman was placed in command of the new Department of the Trans-Mississippi and began organizing a new army. General Hindman's guidance to Major McNeill and others attempting to organize new regiments in Northeast Arkansas in the face of an imminent invasion threat was to organize rapidly and put each company in the field as soon as completed and attack the enemy.
By June 13, 1862, Major McNeill reported from Madison to General Hindman:
The companies which Major McNeill found and began to organize into a regiment were originally mounted. By June 18, 1862, Major McNeil reported the companies organized under authority given him to raise a regiment. On August 8, 1862, in Special Orders 60, Army of the South West, General Hindman appointed Major A. J. McNeill as commander of McNeill's Regiment of Arkansas Infantry with date of rank to June 18, 1862, the date that McNeill first reported the formation of his regiment. Companies continued to be added to McNeill's command through the summer, but by July 10, 1862, General Hindman had ordered McNeill's command dismounted and its horses sent home.
Major General Hindman, in a report of his activities in the Trans-Mississippi Department during the period May 31 to November 3, 1862, dated Richmond, Va., June 19, 1863, said, "The scarcity of supplies now caused great distress. Nearly two months must yet elapse before the new crop would ripen. To lessen the consumption of corn, I found it necessary to dismount four regiments of Texans and three of . This produced much dissatisfaction, and there were many desertions in consequence." Colonel McNeill's regiment was one of those which were dismounted. There is little information about the regiment when it was first organized as cavalry.Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: Col John McNeil" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 3 September 2002, Accessed 6 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=2069 The unit was originally a "heavy regiment" composed of fourteen companies from the following counties:
Company A – Commanded by Captain Cobb, Organized in April, 1862 at Oak Bluff, Green (now Clay) County. Company B – Commanded by Captain Cameron N. Biscoe, Organized June, 1862 at Wittsburg, Cross County. Company C – Commanded by Unknown, Organized June 20, 1662, at Madison, St. Francis County. Company D – Commanded by Captain Michael S. Fielder, Organized June 20, 1862, at Pineville, Arkansas and consisted of troops from both Poinsett and Cross Counties. Company E – Commanded by Captain M. J. Clay, Organized June 14, 1962, at Little Rock, Pulaski County, also known as Clay's Cavalry.Howerton, Bryan R. "Clay's Co. Arkansas cavalry " Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 14 April 2005, Accessed 6 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=10043 Company F – Commanded by Captain John L. Kuykendall, Organized at Gainesville, Greene County in November 1861 in response to a request for Militia by Colonel Solon Borland. Company was reorganized in July 1862. Company G – Commanded by F. M. Prewett, Organized on June 17, 1862, at Mt Vernon, Pulaski (now Faulkner) County. Company H – Commanded by Captain Green D. Byers, Organized on July 10, 1862, at Jonesboro, Craighead County. Old Company I – Commanded by Captain James H. McGehee, was transferred to Major Chrisman's Arkansas Cavalry Battalion and subsequently assigned as Company C of Dobbins' 1st Arkansas Cavalry Regiment. New Company I – Commanded by Captain Mitchel A. Adair, Organized on July 2, 1862, at Jonesboro, Craighead County. Company K – Commanded by Captain Unknown, Organized on August 1, 1862, at Jacksonport, Jackson County. Company L – Organized at Oak Bluff, in Green (currently Clay) County by Captain E. M. Allen in April 1862. Allen was discharged from the service on September 8, 1862, due to rheumatism.Gerdes, Edward G. "30th Arkansas Infantry CSA", Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page, Accessed 8 March 2012, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/30th_Ark_inf_Clay.htm Company L was disbanded on the same date and its members were distributed among the companies, most of them going to Company A.Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: Pressley Huckabay" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 22 August 2004, Accessed 6 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=8226 Company M – Commanded by Captain James F. Hunter, was consolidated with Captain Bisco's Company B on September 8, 1862. Company N – Unknown. Company O – Unknown.
The original regimental officers were:
McNeill, Archibald J. Colonel Cobbs, Paul M. Lieutenant Colonel Martin, Joseph C. Major Barton, James V. 1lt – Quartermaster Crump, B.M. Capt – Assistant Commissary Gurley, John R, – Quartermaster Sergeant Rector, William F. 1lt – Adjutant Izard, J. Ordnance Sergeant Headley, Alexander M. Surgeon Dye, Thomas J. Assistant Surgeon
Colonel Archibald J. McNeill resigned on November 12, 1862; was succeeded by Col. Robert A. Hart, who died of wounds received at the Battle of Helena on August 6, 1863; and was succeeded by Col. James W. Rogan.Howerton, Bryan R. "Re: Col John McNeil" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 3 September 2002, Accessed 6 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=2048 The remaining field officers were Lieutenant Colonels G. W. Baldwin and Paul M. Cobbs; and Majors Martin Dawson and Joseph C. Martin.
Service Prairie Grove Campaign The 30th spent the late summer to early fall of 1862 on outpost duty along the White River. The unit was stationed at Fort Hindman near DeVall's Bluff, and at Camp Hope/Camp Nelson, which served as a forward base camp for the units manning the White River line.Odom, Danny "Re: Pvt. Edward M. Ballard- Bells Arkansas" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 11 March 2012, Accessed 11 March 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=25840 They then marched north to Van Buren, where they were assigned (along with the 26th, 28th, and 32nd Arkansas) to form a brigade under Colonel Dandridge McRae in Brigadier General Francis A. Shoup's Division of Major General Thomas C. Hindman's 1st Corps of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi.United States. War Dept.. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 22, In Two Parts. Part 1, Reports., Book, 1888; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154600/m1/906/?q=west's Arkansas battery : accessed January 14, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas. McRae's Brigade fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7–8, 1862. Regimental strength of the 30th Arkansas at Prairie Grove was 304 rifles.
Following the Battle of Prairie Grove, the 30th spent the winter of 1863 in Little Rock, having arrived there in late January 1863, after the retreat from Van Buren.Meeks, Bob. "Re: Gen Order 108, A&IGO series of 1863, Dec 6, 18", Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 16 May 2012, Accessed 17 May 2012, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=26297
Helena Campaign