32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment , also called 4th Trans - Mississippi Regiment , ( 1862 – 1865 ) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War . This Regiment was designated at various times as Matlock ' s Battalion Arkansas Cavalry , 4th Regiment ( Gause ' s ) Trans - Mississippi Infantry , and Gause ' s Regiment Arkansas Infantry . Organization . In the summer of 1862 , General Thomas C . Hindman appointed Charles H . Matlock to establish a recruiting headquarters at Camp Cache , near Cache River . General Hindman appointed Charles H . Matlock Lieutenant Colonel on June 11 , 1862 and on 16 June 1862 , Matlock organized Matlock ' s Battalion of Arkansas Cavalry . Lucien C . Gause , formerly of the Jackson Guards , became Matlock ’ s adjutant and Charles L . Young was appointed Major . Captain William L . Jeffers ’ Missouri Cavalry Company was attached to Colonel Matlock ' s Battalion on the 16th of June , having previously operated independently in Southeast Missouri and Northern Arkansas . Matlock ' s Cavalry Battalion was dismounted to serve as infantry on July 18 , 1862 , by orders from General Hindman . Jeffers ’ Missouri Cavalry Company was re - mounted and transferred on July 18 , 1862 , by order of Major General Hindman to Brigadier General Dandridge McBride ' s Brigade . Jeffers ’ Missouri Cavalry Company served in Brig . Gen . McBride ’ s Brigade until August 15 , 1862 . Matlock was promoted to Colonel on August 6 , 1862 and his Battalion of dismounted cavalry was re - organized into the 32nd Regiment Arkansas Infantry . When the regiment was organized , all the regimental officers were from Jackson County : Colonel Matlock resigned November 10 , 1862 on Surgeon ' s Certificate of Disability . He was succeeded by Lucien C . Gause as Colonel of the 32nd . The unit was formed from the following existing companies : The regiment served in McRae ' s , Churchill ' s , L . C . Gause ' s , and Roane ' s Brigade . The field officers were Colonels Lucien C . Gause and C . H . Matlock , Lieutenant Colonels William Hicks and C . L . Young , and Major Arthur F . Stephenson . The unit was field consolidated with the 30th Arkansas Infantry Regiment from December 1863 until sometime in 1864 . Battles . Many of the companies composing the regiment were in service long before the organization of the regiment . In response to Solon Borland ’ s call for volunteers , a company of 30 day volunteers was organized in Jackson County by Captain Richard Hooker . The company was organized at Jacksonport November 5 , 1861 and went to Pocahontas where it was mustered into Confederate service November 29 , 1861 , and discharged on December 28 , 1861 , also at Pocahontas . The men were armed with shotguns and borrowed sabers . The company was known as Captain Hooker ’ s Company , Arkansas 30 - Day 1861 Mounted Volunteers . The company re - organized on February 26 , 1862 at Jacksonport and more men mustered into it . Before becoming part of the 32nd Infantry Regiment it figured prominently in the action around Jackson County in the spring and summer of 1862 . The March 31 , 1862 morning report gave Hooker ’ s Company ’ s strength at 130 officers and men . The original members of Hooker ’ s Company were divided between companies C and D of the new 32d regiment . The beginnings of Company A were being recruited in Northeast Arkansas by Captain William Hicks . On April 23 , 1862 , a scouting party made up of Company A recruits , under Lieutenant James A . Poe advanced to Smithville in Lawrence County , Arkansas in a few miles of the advance of the enemy under Union General Thomas Curtis . The enemy surrounded the place and captured two of the houses which the men were forced to abandon . Then , on May 17 , 1862 , Lieutenant Poe ’ s scouting party attacked a foraging party of the enemy on Little Red River . Again in May a scout from Company A under Captain Hicks attacked the enemy ’ s outposts at Searcy Landing on Little Red River , drove in their pickets and wounded one . On May 19 , 1862 , Captain Hicks ’ Company A was engaged in the skirmish at Whitney ’ s Lane near Searcy , Arkansas , against a foraging party of infantry and cavalry of the enemy . Company A lost one taken prisoner and 5 wounded , none severely . One citizen was also killed . June 28 , 1862 , 6 companies of the Battalion under command of Captain Hicks , attacked the enemy in force and in position on White River near Groves Glaze . The battle commenced near night and was continued until the flash of the enemy ’ s guns could be distinctly seen in the darkness . The enemy ’ s loss was recorded as 90 killed and wounded . Confederates lost 1 killed and 4 wounded . The Union troops withdrew from the field . Jeffers ’ Missouri Cavalry Company was dismounted on the 7th of July which caused desertions . July 8 Company A was in the fight near Cotton Plant on Cache River under General Rust . On the following day , Captain William L . Jeffers resigned . The morning report for August 15 , 1862 shows the station of the regiment at Camp Bragg near Batesville , Arkansas . General Holmes issued Special Orders September 28 , 1862 , assigning Colonel Dandridge McRae to command of a brigade composed of his own 28th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , Pleasant ’ s 29th Arkansas , McNeill ’ s 30th , Matlock ’ s 32nd , Morgan ’ s 26th , A . N . Johnson ’ s regiment and Woodruff ’ s Arkansas Battery . This brigade was ordered to move at once to Elkhorn in northwest Arkansas and report to Brig . Gen . J . S . Rains . The regiment participated in the campaign in Northwest Arkansas under General Hindman and in the Battle of Prairie Grove . Lieutenant Colonel Charles L . Young was killed December 7 , 1862 , in the Battle of Prairie Grove . Captain William Hicks of Company A was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel December 10 , 1862 , to replace Young . May 1 , 1863 , 18 men who had returned from desertion , most from Company F , were detailed to work in the Nitre Works in Searcy County , Arkansas . On May 5 , 1863 , the regiment moved camp from Little Rock to Camp Anderson 4 miles north . On May 20 , the regiment moved camp to Bayou Meto 12 miles east of Little Rock because of a scarcity of water . The regiment took up line of march from Bayou Meto direction northeast June 1 , 1863 , arriving at Jacksonport June 6 , a distance of 90 miles . The regiment left Jacksonport June 21 en route to Helena , Arkansas , a distance of 100 miles , through swamp country . July 4 , 1863 , the regiment , as part of McRea ’ s Brigade , participated in the Battle of Helena , Arkansas . The regiment fought in the Battle of Helena as part of McRea ' s Brigade . On July 2 , Price ' s , including McRea ' s Brigade with the 32nd Arkansas rendezvoused with Brigadier General Fagan ' s forces at Lick Creek , west of Helena , and the next morning Generals Holmes , Price , Walker , Fagan , and Marmaduke met in the Allen Polk farmhouse five miles west of Helena to discuss plans for the attack the following day . Holmes issued his general orders outlining the plan of attack on the Union garrison . Price ' s troops , with his brigades commanded by Brigadier Generals Dandridge McRae and Mosby M . Parsons were to advance by way of the Little Rock Road and attack Battery C atop Graveyard Hill , while Fagan ' s brigade was to attack Battery D atop Hindman Hill . Confusion in Major General Price ' s ranks crippled the Confederate attack . Price did not order his troops to resume their march until at least an hour after both Fagan and Marmaduke had begun their attacks . His two brigade commanders , Parsons and McRae , failed to maintain communications with one another and failed to attack , each expecting the order to come from the other . When Price ' s forces finally regrouped and began their attack , they stormed Graveyard Hill under fire from Batteries B , C , and D . Against Parsons ' and McRae ' s assault , the 33rd Missouri infantry defending Battery C were ordered to spike their guns and retreat , and Graveyard Hill fell to the Confederate advance . Before General Price could have his own artillery moved up from his rear to defend Battery C and fire on Fort Curtis , Prentiss ordered the guns of Batteries A , B , and D , as well as the Tyler ' s artillery turned on the Confederate enclave . In the confusion , General Holmes disregarded the standard chain of command and ordered one of Parson ' s regimental commanders to attack Fort Curtis . The other commanders misunderstood and , thinking a general attack order had been issued , joined in the advance down Graveyard Hill , into the murderous crossfire of the Union batteries , the Tyler ' s artillery , and the reformed Union line . The Confederate assault broke and began to retreat in disorder . General McRae , meanwhile , gathered what men he could of his brigade and led them down the ravine separating Graveyard Hill and Hindman Hill to assist General Fagan ' s assault on Battery D . The Union defenders opened fire as McRae ' s troops started to climb Hindman Hill , and the attack collapsed before it had begun . The diversion did enable Fagan to make a charge and take the last line of rifle pits protecting Battery D , but they were unable to take the battery itself . After action reports inaccurately show 5 officers ( Captain J . R . Morris , and Lieutenants . R . B . Camp , Thos . A . Eppes , R . F . McKinney , and W . T . Tompkins ) and 12 enlisted men killed ; 7 officers and 39 enlisted men wounded ; 1 officer and 25 enlisted men missing or captured . Another source indicates that the 32nd Regiment losses at Prairie Grove and Helena were 17 killed , 46 wounded , and 26 missing . From Helena , the regiment moved back to Camp on Bayou Meto near Little Rock , Arkansas , and arrived there July 23 , 1863 . They marched through swamp country and lost many men by death and desertion . A portion of Company C , Captain Anderson commanding , was detailed as Provost Guard at Jacksonport and rejoined the command at Searcy , Arkansas , on the march to camp on Bayou Meto . August 31 , 1863 , shows the station of the Regiment at Camp Bowen . The regiment participated in the defense of Little Rock and on September 10 , 1863 , the city fell to the Union forces . The 32nd Arkansas Infantry was re - organized December 1 , 1863 . Miscellaneous records , Certificates and Rolls show that the 30th ( McNeill ' s ) and the 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiments were consolidated during December 1863 and remained consolidated until the summer of 1864 . On January 28 , 1864 , the regiment took up the line of march from Camp Bragg , Ouachita County to Camp Sumpter , Hempstead County , Arkansas . Distance 40 miles . Official reports show the regiment assigned to Churchill ’ s Brigade , Price ’ s Division , District of Arkansas , January 31 , 1864 . The regiment remained at Camp Sumpter during February 1864 . When Churchill was elevated to Division Commander , Colonel Gause once again assumed command of the brigade . While Colonel Gause was assigned as Brigade commander , Lieutenant Colonel William Hicks commanded the regiment . Upon the launch of the Federal ’ s Red River Campaign , seizing Alexandria , Louisiana and moving on Natchitoches and Shreveport , General Churchill ' s Arkansas Infantry Division , including Gause ’ s Brigade and the 32nd Arkansas was sent south to Shreveport , Louisiana in early March , 1864 to assist General Kirby Smith ' s army in countering Union General Nathaniel Banks ' advance along the Red River . Churchill ’ s division reached Keatchie , Louisiana in time to support General Richard Taylor ’ s main force who routed Banks ’ army in the Battle of Mansfield ( Sabine Crossroads ) on April 8 , 1864 . The next day , the Confederate forces united to attack the Union rear guard at Pleasant Hill on the afternoon of April 9 . The Confederates had endured a long forced march from south central Arkansas to Mansfield , and another of ten hours to Pleasant Hill that day with only two hours ’ rest . The Union troops held a formidable position , and although the Arkansans and Missourians fought valiantly , they were repulsed and retreated six miles to the nearest water . After the battle of Pleasant Hill , Churchill ' s Division made a hasty return with General Kirby Smith back to Arkansas to assist General Price in dealing with the other half of the Red River campaign , Union General Frederick Steele ' s Camden Expedition moving southwest from Little Rock . The Division and Gause ’ s Brigade arrived just in time to join the pursuit of Steele ' s army as it retreated from Camden , and join in the attack on Steele as he tried to cross the Saline River at Jenkins ' Ferry on April 30 , 1864 . After an all - night march through a rainstorm and ankle - deep mud , Gause ’ s Brigade fell upon the federal rear guard and drove them for more than a mile , until the brigade on their flank began to give way . Reinforced by Tappan ’ s Brigade , and personally led by General Churchill , the Confederate line rallied and made repeated attacks on the Union forces attempting to cross the river . On September 30 , 1864 the regiment was assigned to Brigadire General John S . Roane ’ s 1st ( Arkansas ) Brigade , Acting Major General Thomas J . Churchill ’ s 1st ( Arkansas ) Division , Major General John B . Magruder ’ s Second Army Corps , Army of the Trans - Mississippi and remained in that assignment through December 31 , 1864 . They continued in service in southwestern Arkansas for the remainder of the war . Lieutenant Colonel William Hicks resigned February 1 , 1865 to become State Senator . Surrender . Union commanders in the Department of the Gulf reported on March 20 , 1865 that General Roane ' s brigade was composed of four regiments — Colonel Gause , 250 men ; Colonel Hill , 250 men ; Colonel Brooks , 250 men ; Colonel Davie , 250 men . The regiment disbanded near the White River in March , 1865 , but was included in the surrender of Major General Kirby Smith ’ s Army of the Trans - Mississippi on May 26 , 1865 . Bibliography . Shea , William L . Fields of Blood : The Prairie Grove Campaign . Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press , 2009 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8078 - 3315 - 5 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 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 . Schieffler , George David . “ Too Little , Too Late to Save Vicksburg : The Battle of Helena , Arkansas , July 4 , 1863 . ” MA thesis , University of Arkansas , 2005