22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War ( 1862 – 1865 ) . This was the second regiment to be officially designated as the 22nd Arkansas . The first was mustered in at DeValls Bluff , Arkansas , on April 9 , 1862 , and later reorganized as the 20th Arkansas Infantry Regiment . The unit was sometimes referred to as King ' s Arkansas Infantry or McCord ' s Arkansas Infantry . Organization . The second regiment designated as the 22nd Arkansas Infantry was the unit originally known as the 17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , which was organized at Fort Smith , Arkansas , November 17 , 1861 . Its commanding officers were Colonels Frank Rector , James P . King and Henry J . McCord , Lieutenant Colonel John W . Wallace , and Majors John J . Dillard and Mark T . Tatum . The regiment was originally composed of eight companies mostly from Sebastian County and the surrounding area . The 17th Arkansas Infantry was originally composed of volunteer companies from the following counties : Battles . The regiment ' s first major action was the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862 where , from some accounts , Rector ' s regiment did not acquit itself well . A Missouri ( Confederate ) artillery battery allegedly found the regiment ' s colors lying on the field , and for a time refused to return the flag to Rector , saying that a regiment that would abandon its colors in battle had no right to carry them after the battle . Another account of the 17th Arkansas ' s conduct at the Battle of Pea Ridge was given in 1895 in a letter from former Captain Ben B . Chism to Mrs . Harlow Bishop of Junction City , Texas : Whatever the truth behind the regiment ' s retreat and break up following the Battle of Pea Ridge , by early May 1862 , portions of Companies A , B , C , and G were still in Arkansas with Colonel Rector , and the remaining companies were at Corinth , Mississippi , with the Army of the West . Lieutenant Colonel John Griffith commanded a battalion - sized 17th Arkansas at the battle of Corinth , and this portion of the regiment would go on to form the famous 11th / 17th Consolidated Mounted Infantry . Meanwhile , back in Arkansas , Governor Henry Massey Rector issued an address on May 5 , 1862 calling for the formation of 30 new infantry companies and 20 new cavalry companies . Most of the states ' militia regiments had conducted their final recorded militia muster during the last week of February and the first week of March 1862 . Rector indicated that if there were insufficient volunteers to fill these new companies , a draft would be made upon the militia regiments and brigades . As a further enticement , Rector also indicated that these regiments were for home defense and that they would not be transferred to Confederate Service without their consent . During the spring and summer following this final muster , many former militiamen joined one of the newly formed Volunteer Regiments . It may be that the militiamen decided it was better to enlist and remain together than to wait for forced conscription under new Confederate Conscription laws , which were being strictly enforced during the summer of 1862 . Rector ' s much reduced former regiment , the remaining portions of Companies A , B , C , and G , were reinforced with troops , many of whom were came from the 58th Regiment Arkansas Militia regiment of Franklin County , the 15th Regiment Arkansas Militia of Pope County , and the 10th Militia Regiment of Johnson County . Reorganized as the 1st Regiment . Colonel Rector ' s new reorganized regiment , in accordance with Governor Rector ' s plan of maintaining the organization as a regiment of state troops , was initially organized at Camp Johnson , on July 11 , 1862 , near Fort Smith , Arkansas as the " 1st Regiment , Northwest Division , Trans - Mississippi Department " with 1037 men . They were also called Rector ' s War Regiment , 1st Arkansas Volunteers . The reorganized regiment consisted of the following companies : Redesignated as the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment . Two other new regiments were raised under Governor Rector ' s plan , Brooks ' 2nd Arkansas and Adams ' 3rd Arkansas . These regiments would become Rector ' s 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and Brook ' s 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment . Sometime in early September 1862 the 35th Arkansas and 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment s moved to Elm Springs , northwest of Fayetteville which was a training camp designed for 5 , 000 . Here the regiment continued to drill . At Elm Springs the regiment was ordered to turn over their weapons to the ordnance department . The purpose would have been to convert as many of the weapons as possible to stardard percussion cap weapons . In this unarmed state the regiments drilled . Supplies and clothing dribbled through and the men began to rely less and less on homemade knapsacks and haversacks . In mid September the unit was ordered to Elkhorn . Soon they retraced their path back to Elm Springs . At this time the Federals advanced toward the southwestern part of Missouri . General Holmes summoned General Hindman to Little Rock . Federal cavalry was reported to be marching with all speed to capture the three unarmed regiments . Under orders from General Rains the regiments marched south heading to Judge Walker ’ s farm in southern Washington County . The march was hampered by torrential rains and took two days to cover . Captain Fontaine Richard Earle of Company B , 34th Arkansas said “ it seemed as if the heavens had been overcrowded with water and that the flood - gates had been opened for relief . ” During the retreat there were many desertions . The regiment moved to Spadra Bluff on the Arkansas River near Van Buren , occupying winter quarters that had been built by a Texas cavalry unit the previous winter . The regiment that had formed with more than 1 , 000 men in July , numbered approximately 400 men by the time of the Battle of Prairie Grove . They remained here for almost a month and continued their training . Here weapons were supplied , Enfield rifles . On November 15 , 1862 , General Hindman moved the Arkansas infantry to Massard Prairie , southeast of Fort Smith to drill and organize the divisions . The 35th Arkansas was assigned to Brigadier General James F . Fagan ' s 1st Brigade of Brigadier General Frances A . Shoup ' s 2nd Division , of Major General Thomas Carmichael Hindman ' s 1st Corps of Lieutenant General Theophilus Holmes ' s Army of the Trans - Mississippi . The unit was brigaded with the 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel William H . Brooks , the 29th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , commanded by Colonel Joseph C . Pleasants , the 39th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , commanded by Colonel Alexander T . Hawthorne and Chew ' s Arkansas Infantry Battalion , commanded by Major Robert E . Chew . At the very end of November the cavalry was sent north toward Washington County . Early in December the infantry followed heading north . The 35th Arkansas crossed the Arkansas River on December 2 , 1862 . On December 4 , the column reached Oliver ’ s Store on Lee creek in the Boston Mountains . There battle flags were presented to the regiments of the division . On December 6 , 1862 Fagan ' s brigade arrived at Morrow ’ s and controlled all the approaches to Cane Hill from the south and east . Hindman then learned of the approach of General Herron , who had two divisions just north of Fayetteville . Hindman planned to get behind the Federal division of General Blunt and prevent General Herron ’ s division from combining with Gen . Blunt . Upon reaching the high ground at Prairie Grove on December 7 , Hindman ’ s army formed on ridge overlooking Crawford Prairie and Fagan ' s brigade was advanced to a position fifty yards from the Borden Orchard . The position was very good and there the army waited for Herron to advance . Brook ’ s regiment was posted behind an artillery battery . Around 2 : 00 pm the artillery duel started . Blocher ’ s Battery , which was part of Fagan ' s brigade became a lightning rod for Federal artillery and later infantry . The 20th Wisconsin advanced to take the battery and when their right flank was 50 yards away from their Brook ’ s 34th Arkansas rose and fired into them . The regiment was ordered forward along with Chew ’ s Arkansas Infantry Battalion and Hawthorne ’ s regiment . The 20th Wisconsin was driven back and the battery was retaken . As the Confederate counterattack came off the ridge and onto the prairie they came under heavy fire and retreated to their position in the ravine . As the Confederates were reorganizing another Federal attack was launched . This time the 37th Illinois advanced to the summit . Again the Fagan ' s brigade rose out of the scrub and fired a point blank volley and charged . The two forces locked in hand to hand fighting . Again the Confederates followed the retreating Federals and ran into heavy fire . As the brigade resumed their position on the summit , the tempo of the battle slowed and shifted to another part of the battlefield . They stayed in position until nearly midnight when the order to retreat came . During the march over the Boston Mountains many of the men deserted to their homes . After the retreat from Prairie Grove to Van Buren , Fagan ' s brigade spent the winter of 1863 - 64 in camp near Little Rock , remaining there unitl June when the unit began the movements that would lead to the Battle of Helena . Fagan ' s Brigade was assigned to Major General Sterling Price ' s Division of Lieutenant General Theophilus H . Holmes ' s army during the attack on Union forces at Helena Arkansas on July 4 , 1863 . General Fagan ' s 1 , 300 men were assigned to capture Hindman ' s Hill southwest of the city . Generals Fagan and Price failed to coordinate their attacks due to General Holmes ' vague order to " attack at daylight . " Price interpreted this order to mean an attack at sunrise and Fagan interpreted it to mean an attack at first light . The result was that Fagan was surprised to find his attack on Hindman Hill was opposed by artillery fire from Graveyard Hill , which was General Price ' s objective . General Fagan had expected Price to be engaged already with that battery . Fagan ' s artillery had not been able to reach the battlefield because of felled trees blocking the road . Fagan had no artillery available to silence the Federal guns and had no choice but to order his troops to try to take the hill while under artillery fire . Fagan ' s men reached the summit of the hill and managed to seize the outer fortifications but were pinned down just short of the summit by the two Union batteries . The exposed Confederates were targeted by every remaining gun on the battlefield as well as the heavy guns of the USS " Tyler " . By 10 : 30 Holmes realized that his position had deteriorated and that he could make no further headway . A general retreat was ordered , and the attack on the Union base had failed . The regiment reported 75 casualties during the Battle of Helena , including 16 Killed , 44 wounded and 15 missing . The regiment participated in the defenses of Little Rock on September 10 – 11 . Colonel Alexander T . Hawthorn took command of the brigade in the fall of 1863 . The regiment spent the winter of 1863 - 64 in Camden , Ouachita County . Redesignated as the 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment . The Arkansas State Military Board was responsible for authorizing and designating regiments of volunteers . The board did a reasonably good job of sequencing the unit designations through much of the war ; however the Confederate War Department at Richmond tended to designate new regiments based upon when the muster rolls were received . Another reason for dual designations was administrative . In the case of the 35th Arkansas , it is a little more convoluted . Earlier , Col . George W . King ' s south Arkansas regiment had been designated by the State Military Board as the 22nd Arkansas . Since the rolls for the 20th Arkansas had not yet arrived at Richmond , the War Department assumed that Arkansas had skipped that number , so G . W . King ' s 22nd Arkansas was designated by the Confederate War Department as the 20th Arkansas . By the time the reorganized muster rolls of Col . James P . King ' s 35th Arkansas arrive in Richmond , the War Department noticed that the designation 22nd Arkansas wasn ' t being used ( due to their previous error ) , so J . P . King ' s regiment was redesignated at the 22nd Arkansas . Colonel Henry J McCord assumed command of the 35th Arkansas Infantry on December 2 , 1863 , the redisgnation of the 35th Arkansas to the 22nd Arkansas appears to have been effective at the same time that Colonel McCord assumed command . The brigade was assigned to Churchill ' s Arkansas Division during the Red River Campaign . In the Spring of 1864 , the Churchill ' s Division , with Hawthorn ' s Brigade moved south to oppose the advance of Union General Nathaniel Bank ' s army in north - central Louisiana in March and early April 1864 , helping to defeat him at the Battle of Pleasant Hill , Louisiana on April 10 , 1864 . Hawthorn ' s brigade was initially left behind at Camden when the rest of the army went to join General Taylor . They were eventually called upon as well , and left Camden for Louisiana on April 5 . They reached Shreveport around the 14th or 15 April when they got news about the Confederate victories at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill . On the 16th , they started their march back to Arkansas with the rest of the army . Churchill ' s Division marched back north into Arkansas to deal with the other part of the Federal advance , General Frederick Steele ' s Camden Expedition . The division arrived after a long forced march at Woodlawn , Arkansas on April 26 , where they rested overnight , then joined the pursuit of Steele ' s retreating army , catching it trying to cross the Saline River near Jenkins ' Ferry . At the Battle of Jenkins ' Ferry . Colonel Cocke was killed during the Battle of Jenkins ' Ferry . Battles following Prairie Grove . The 35th / 22nd Arkansas Infantry was involved in the following engagements : The regiment spent the remainder of the war in southern Arkansas and northeast Texas . Flag . A flag attributed to the 22nd Arkansas is currently in the collection of the Old State House Museum Collection in Little Rock Arkansas . The flag is made of wool and cotton flag with a field of five red and white horizontal bars of varying widths . Canton is light blue 11 1 / 2 " on the staff by 11 1 / 2 " on the fly . There are 13 5 - pointed stars that are white with gold edges each 1 1 / 2 . Set in an " X " shape . Unit designation is embroidered in white chain stitch Roman uncial and minuscule figure and letters : 22nd Regt . Battle honors are embroidered in contrasting red or white block letters on the red and white bars : OAK HILLS , ELK HORN , PRAIRIE GROVE , HELENA , JENKINS FERRY . The curators of the Old State House Museum believe that the flag was actually carried by the 22nd Arkansas during the war up until the unit surrender at Shreveport , Louisiana May 25 , 1865 . The flag is believed to have been returned to the State of Arkansas in 1905 by the U . S . War Department . Other historians believe that the flag may be a post war flag created by the veterans of the unit for use during a Reunion . Surrender . This regiment surrendered with the Department of the Trans - Mississippi , General E . Kirby Smith commanding , May 26 , 1865 . When the Trans - Mississippi Department surrendered , all of the Arkansas infantry regiments were encamped in and around Marshall , Texas ( war - ravaged Arkansas no longer able to subsist the army ) . The regiments were ordered to report to Shreveport , Louisiana , to be paroled but none of them did so . Company G of the 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment along with members of the 34th Arkansas Infantry Regiment decided that rather than march to Shreveport , LA , they would to march to Fort Smith , Arkansas and surrendered to General Bussey at that location on June 9 , 1865 . Bibliography . Banasik , Michael E . Embattled Arkansas : The Prairie Grove Campaign of 1862 . Wilmington , NC : Broadfoot Publishing Company , 1996 . Baxter , William . Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove : Scenes and Incidents of the War in Arkansas . Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press , 2000 . Bears , Edwin C . “ The Battle of Helena , July 4 , 1863 . ” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 20 ( Autumn 1961 ) : 256 – 297 . Christ , Mark K . Civil War Arkansas , 1863 : The Battle for a State . Norman : University of Oklahoma Press , 2010 . Christ , Mark K . , ed . Rugged and Sublime : The Civil War in Arkansas . Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press , 1994 . Christ , Mark K . “ ‘ We Were Badly Whipped ’ : A Confederate Account of the Battle of Helena , July 4 , 1863 . ” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 69 ( Spring 2010 ) : 44 – 53 . DeBlack , Thomas A . With Fire and Sword : Arkansas , 1861 – 1874 . Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press , 2003 . Hess . Earl J . ; Shea , William L . ; Piston , William G . ; Hatcher , Richard W . : Wilson ' s Creek , Pea Ridge , and Prairie Grove : A Battlefield Guide , with a Section on Wire Road , Lincoln , Nebraska , U . S . A . Bison Books 2006 , ISBN 978 - 0 - 8032 - 7366 - 5 Montgomery , Don , ed . The Battle of Prairie Grove . Prairie Grove , AR : Prairie Grove Battlefield Historic State Park , 1996 . Sallee , Scott E . “ The Battle of Prairie Grove : War in the Ozarks , April ’ 62 – January ’ 63 . ” Blue & Gray Magazine 21 ( Fall 2004 ) : 6 – 23 , 45 – 50 . Schieffler , George David . “ Too Little , Too Late to Save Vicksburg : The Battle of Helena , Arkansas , July 4 , 1863 . ” MA thesis , University of Arkansas , 2005 Shea , William L . War in the West : Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove . Abilene , TX : McWhiney Foundation Press , 2001 . Shea , William L . Fields of Blood : The Prairie Grove Campaign . Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press , 2009 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8078 - 3315 - 5