1st Arkansas 30 Day Volunteer Regiment The 1st Arkansas Infantry ( 30 Day Volunteers ) ( 1861 ) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War . The unit was composed mainly of militia units called to service by Colonel Solon F . Borland in response to an anticipated invasion of Northeast Arkansas in the fall of 1861 . Organization . The 1st Arkansas Regiment , 30 - Day Volunteers ( infantry ) , was formally organized on November 23 , 1861 , which is the date of the appointments of the field and staff officers — under command of Colonel James Haywood McCaleb . Col . McCaleb was the commander of the 25th Militia Regiment , from Lawrence County , Arkansas . It appears that several of the companies that composed the new " 30 Day Volunteer " regiment originated as part of the 25th Militia Regiment : Background . In May 1861 , Pocahontas and the nearby strategically important Pitman ' s Ferry , in Randolph County , became an important Confederate military depot . Following the transfer of the State Troop regiments to Brig . Gen Hardee , virtually all the regiments stationed in northeast Arkansas were transferred in late September east of the Mississippi River to Bowling Green , Kentucky . Col . Solon Borland was left in command of a small force at Pitman ’ s Ferry . Col . Borland ' s force was the only defense left in Northeast Arkansas . The forces included : Borland ' s own cavalry regiment of seven companies , Col . McCown ’ s five companies of infantry , Maj . Desha ' s four companies of raw troops , Capt . Robert ' s artillery unit of 60 men but no guns and about 150 recruits brought by Maj . McCray – altogether about 1 , 286 men . But of these , owing to sickness and casualties Col Borland said he could count on no more than 600 for fighting service , and all were " raw , inexperienced , poorly disciplined and indifferently armed . " A second round of recruiting for new regiments was just getting underway when Col . Borland began receiving reports of enemy movements in Missouri . The initial reports seemed to indicate a possible movement on Pitman ’ s Ferry . The Union army was massing troops in southeast Missouri mainly for the purpose of a thrust down the Mississippi River . But this posed a very real threat to all areas of northeast Arkansas . Col Borland indicated that he had reliable information that " that there are 300 infantry and 150 cavalry at Rives ’ Station , on Black River , north of Pitman ’ s Ferry Also that there is a strong infantry force - 7 , 000 - at Greenville , north of Rives ' Station . " Borland was maintaining a regular correspondence with Brig Gen . M . Jeff Thompson , of the Missouri State Guard , who commanded the First Military District of Missouri at Bloomfield , Missouri . Reports of these Union troop movements were sent to area militia units . The Jacksonport Herald of October 26 , 1861 published a communication received by Christopher W . Board , Commander of the 34th Militia Regiment of Jackson County . Col . Borland moved his command from Pitman ’ s Ferry to Pocahontas and was sufficiently alarmed over the reports to issue a call for reinforcements from the militia . On November 5 , 1861 , Col . Borland issued an appeal for volunteers in the surrounding counties to hastily organize companies for the defense of Pitman ’ s Ferry until new regular Confederate regiments could be organized and dispatched . When news of Borland ' s situation reached Little Rock , the state Military Board responded to Borland ' s call for aid by calling out the 8th Militia Brigade under the command of Brig . Gen . Phillips : Brig . Gen . Theodore H . Phillips offered his services to Col . Borland , who welcomed his aid in the emergency . Phillips undertook the organization of the new 30 day volunteer companies into a brigade . He placed a requisition for camp equipment as follows : " Brig . Gen Phillips added his explanation for the requisition : " In response to Col . Borland ' s call for militia service for 30 days . We have responded and entered service . [ with ] Capt . Ruffner . " The receipt was dated Pocahontas November 23 . 1861 , and was signed by " T . H . Phillips , Brig . Gen . 8th Brigade of Arkansas Militia . " Col . Borland ' s call received an almost immediate response , but he continued to harbor serious misgivings about his situation . On November 10 , he wrote to Maj . Gen . Leonidas Polk , C . S . A . , commanding the 1st Division Western Department , at Columbus , Kentucky , and told of his call for reinforcements from the militia . He said the response was " somewhat tumultuous . " On November 9 , 1 , 000 men had arrived unorganized and so ill - supplied with arms that be deemed it best to direct them to return home . They followed this direction and assured Borland that within a week ' s time he would have at least 3 , 000 men at his command . He told them that companies thus organized and prepared would be received into service for 30 days from the time they reported again to him . Borland added a postscript to this letter , saying that he had just received a report from his scouts that a Federal force of 7 , 450 was between Reeve ' s Station and Greenville in Missouri . He told Gen . Polk that the force he had was wholly insufficient for either attack or defense . It should be three times as large or be abandoned altogether ; and finally he asked to be relieved of his command . " It is a Brigadier ’ s command , and should have his responsibility , which I am daily growing more and more distrustful of my competency to sustain . Public interests here would be better provided for by other and abler hands . " News of Borland ’ s call for volunteers and the resulting convergence upon Pocahontas was of course reported to other parts of the state . The Arkansas True Democrat of November 14 printed a dispatch from Des Arc dated November 9 , 11 : 00pm : Some two dozen of these emergency companies were organized in Greene , Independence , Izard , Jackson , Lawrence and Randolph counties , including the areas now encompassed in present - day Clay , Cleburne , Sharp and Woodruff counties . They converged on Pocahontas and Pitman ’ s Ferry , beginning about November 9 , and were mustered into Confederate service for a period of thirty days . Few records of these hastily organized and short - lived companies have survived .