17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment ( Griffith ' s ) The 17th Arkansas Infantry ( 1861 – 1865 ) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War . The unit became split during the transfer of General Earl Van Dorn ' s Army of the West to Corinth , Mississippi in April 1862 . The portion of the unit that was transferred east of the Mississippi River was eventually consolidated and became part of the 11th and 17th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry Regiment . The portion of the unit which remained in Arkansas was reorganized as the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment . Organization . The unit , originally known as the 17th ( Rector ' s ) Infantry Regiment , was organized at Fort Smith , Arkansas , on November 17 , 1861 . The men elected Frank A . Rector , who would later command the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , colonel of the regiment . The other regimental officers were : The regiment consisted of eight companies , which were drawn mostly from Sebastian County and the surrounding area . The unit was 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 most accounts , Rector ' s regiment did not acquit itself well . A Missouri ( Confederate ) artillery battery 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 : When General Van Dorn moved his army east of the Mississippi , following the Battle of Pea Ridge , portions of Companies A , B , C , and G remained in Arkansas . These companies then became part of the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment , commanded by Colonel Frank A . Rector . The remaining companies of the 17th Regiment were at Corinth , Mississippi , with the Army of the West . At Corinth , John Griffith was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel , commanding what was now a battalion - sized 17th Arkansas . Under Lieutenant Colonel Griffith ' s leadership , the unit performed so well at the Battle of Corinth that General Hebert wrote , in his after - action report : " Under my personal supervision no one faltered , no one hesitated to meet the foe , even in hand - to - hand conflict if required . I must , however , put into the positon [ sic ] of brave and true men the small numbers of the Fourteenth and Seventeenth Arkansas Regiments of Infantry , of the Second Brigade , upon whom past circumstances had cast a doubt . Nobly , heroically have they proven themselves true patriots and brave soldiers . " Another account stated : " All the duties in camp , on the march , and in the field the regiment has so promptly performed and are unsurpassed in any service for good breeding , soldierly deportment , description , drill , bravery , and patriotism . The officers are pattern gentlemen , brave soldiers , and noble patriots . " Clearly , the 17th Arkansas had left the cloud of Pea Ridge behind them . In March 1863 , the 17th Arkansas was consolidated with the 11th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and reorganized as the 11th & 17th Arkansas Mounted Infantry . Although the two regiments were from different parts of the State ( the 11th Arkansas was mostly from Saline County and a few other southern counties ) , with different battle histories , the merger clicked . Under first Colonel John L Logan and later Col . John Griffith ' s command , the 11th & 17th Arkansas spent the rest of the war as the Confederate Army ' s ' fire brigade ' in southern Mississippi . As Union columns made repeated incursions into the area over the next couple of years , the South ' s counter - moves invariably involved the 11th & 17th Arkansas . Colonel Griffith seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to determining when and where to strike a larger enemy force to cause the most damage . The 11th & 17th Arkansas was renowned for its scouting and tracking abilities . The regiment served to the end of the war in this capacity . The regiment was involved in the following engagements : Some of the unit members were captured at Port Hudson on July 9 , 1863 . Flags . There are two surviving flags which are traditionally associated with the Griffith ' s 17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment : Flag of the 17th Arkansas Infantry , currently located at the Old State House Museum , Little Rock , Arkansas , is a Van Dorn Patter flag . Only the cotton crescent and five of the original thirteen stars remain of this fragment of the flag of the 17th . The flag saw heavy service as the regiment it designated was at Elk Horn ( Pea Ridge ) and then transferred to Mississippi . After a 48 - day siege at Port Hudson , Louisiana , the 17th Arkansas and other Confederate forces surrendered on 1 July 1863 . Silk with cotton crescent , start and border , 34 1 / 2 " x 29 1 / 2 " . A 1st National Flag Pattern battle flag was presented to a company known as the " Hempstead Rifles " was raised in Hempstead County , Arkansas in May 1861 . Enlisted for only three months , they became Company B , 3rd Regiment , Arkansas State Troops and were engaged in the Battle of Wilson ’ s Creek on August 10 , 1861 . Returning to Arkansas , the company was mustered out of service on September 17 , 1861 , with the majority of the troops enlisting in regular Confederate units . The Hempstead Rifles No . 2 became the core of Company H of the newly formed 17th Regiment Arkansas Infantry . By this time there was little need for company flags since the regimental flags were used as a symbol of combined companies . Although made in recognition of the re - created Hempstead Rifles , this flag is not likely to have been used in the field . Surrender . This regiment surrendered at the close of the war at Citronelle , Alabama , on 4 May1865 .