17th Arkansas Infantry


The Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry was organized at Fort Smith, Arkansas, during the fall of 1861. Members of nine of the regiment's companies were recruited in the northwestern part of the State. Those in the remaining company had been recruited in Hempstead County. The regiment was mustered into Federal service at Fort Smith prior to mid-November, 1861.

When mustered into service the regiment bore the designation of the First (Hunter's) Arkansas Infantry. Not long after being accepted into service, however, the unit's official designation was changed to that captioned above.

Like almost all Civil War units the Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry was frequently known by an alternate designation derived from the name of its commanding officer. Names of this type used by or for the regiment are shown below.

  • Frank Rector's Infantry
  • John L. Logan's Infantry
  • John Griffith's Infantry
  • Ben W. Johnson's Infantry
  • Benjamin P. Jett's Infantry
  • C. Watkins' Infantry
  • Josephus Dotson's Infantry
  • Hal M. Brown's Infantry
  • Waiter H. Matheson's Infantry

The Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry began its career on duty west of the Mississippi River, but, like most Arkansas units formed in 1861, it was moved to the eastern side of that river in the spring of 1862. A detachment of the regiment was captured when Port Hudson, Louisiana, was captured in July, 1863. At about the same time the rest of the regiment was mounted and it served as a mounted infantry unit for the remainder of its career.


Listed below are the specific higher command assignments of the regiment.




Jan. 1, 1862
Second Brigade, District of Western Arkansas, Western Department
Jan. 31 1862
Second Brigade, McCulloch's Division, Western Department
March 17, 1862
First Brigade, First Division, Army of the West
April 29, 1862
Second Brigade, Price's Division, Army of the West
Oct. 1, 1862
Second Brigade, First Division, Price's Corps (Army of the West), Army of West-Tennessee
Jan. 7, 1863
[Consolidated with the First Arkansas Infantry Battalion and the Fourteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Twenty-Third Arkansas Infantry regiments] Beall's Brigade, Port Hudson, Louisiana, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
Jan. 31, 1863
[No longer consolidated] Beall's Brigade, District of Louisiana, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
March 31, 1863
Beall's Brigade, Third Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
April 1, 1863
[Consolidated with the Eleventh Arkansas Infantry] Same command
Aug. 15, 1863
[Same consolidation] Logan's Command, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
June 1, 1864
[Same consolidation] Mabry's Brigade, Adams' Division, Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana
Aug. 31, 1864
[No longer consolidated] Mabry's Brigade, District North of the Homochitto, Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana
Jan. 31, 1865
[Consolidated with the Eleventh Arkansas Infantry] Griffith's Cavalry Brigade, Adams' Division, District of Mississippi, Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana
Feb. 13, 1865
[Same consolidation] Ross' Brigade, Jackson's Division, Cavalry, District of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana


On August 3, 1863, a detachment of the regiment was involved in an incident which, as far as can be determined, has never been fully examined to discover all the facts. On that date the detachment was involved in a skirmish at the village of Jackson, Louisiana. A squad of Federal Colored troops had been captured in the brief fight and were left under the guard of the detachment. A short time later the captured soldiers were found hanged. Colonel Griffith's report of the incident stated that the Colored troops had attempted a mass escape but he offered no explanation of why the men were hanged rather than shot in the attempted escape.

The Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry participated in more than forty five various engagements during its career. These are identified below.


  • Battle, Pea Ridge , Bentonville , Leetown , and March 6 - 8, 1862 Elkhorn Tavern , Ark.
  • Operations against the Advance on and Siege of Corinth, April 29 - May 30, Miss. 1862
  • Retreat to Booneville, Miss. May 30 - June 12, 1862
  • Engagement, Iuka, Miss, Sept. 19, 1862 Battle, Corinth, Miss. Oct. 3 - 4, 1862
  • Operations on the Mississippi Central R. R. from Bolivar, Oct. 31, 1862 Tenn. to Coffeeville, Miss. (Grant's Jan. 10, 1863 Central Mississippi Campaign)
  • Siege, Port Hudson, La. [detachment] May 24 - July 9, 1863
  • Assault, Port Hudson, La. Detachment May 27, 1863
  • Assault, Port Hudson, La. Detachment] June 14, 1863
  • Surrender, Port Hudson, La. [detachment] July 9, 1863
  • Skirmish, Jackson, La. Aug. 3, 1863
  • Skirmishes, Canton Road near Brownsville, Miss. Oct. 15 - 16, 1863
  • Skirmish, Treadwell Plantation near Clinton Oct. 16, 1863 and Vernon Cross Roads , Miss.
  • Action, Bogue Chitto Creek, Miss. Oct. 17, 1863
  • Skirmish, Clinton, Miss. Oct. 17, 1863
  • Skirmish, Livingston Road near Clinton, Miss. Oct. 18,1863
  • Skirmish, Brownsville, Miss.Oct. 18, 1863
  • Operations about Natchez, Miss.Dec. 1 - 10, 1863
  • Skirmish near Natchez, Miss. Dec. 7, 1863
  • Operations near Natchez, Miss. Jan. 27, 1864
  • Operations against the Expedition from Vicksburg to Meridian, Miss.Feb.3 - March 2 (Sherman's Meridian Campaign 1864)
  • Skirmishes, Meridian, Miss. Feb. 9 - 13, 1864
  • Skirmish, Canton, Miss. Feb. 23, 1864
  • Skirmish near Canton, Miss. Feb. 26, 1864
  • Skirmish Canton, Miss.. Feb. 27, 1864
  • Skirmish near Canton, Miss. Feb. 27 - 28, 1864
  • Action, Pearl River, Miss. [detachment] Feb. 28, 1864
  • Skirmish, Canton, Miss. Feb. 28, 1864
  • Skirmishes near Mechanicsburg, Miss. April 20, 1864
  • Affair near Yazoo City, Miss. April 22, 1864
  • Capture, Yazoo City, Miss. April 23, 1864
  • Skirmish, Port Gibson, Miss. July 14, 1864
  • Skirmish near Memphis, Tenn. Oct. 20, 1864
  • Skirmish near Memphis, Tenn. Oct. 25, 1864
  • Operations against the Expedition from Vicksburg to Yazoo City, Miss. Nov. 23 - Dec. 4
  • Skirmish, Big Black River Bridge , Mississippi Central R. R., Miss. Nov. 27, 1864
  • Action, Concord Church, Miss. Dec. 1, 1864
  • Skirmish, Twelve Miles from Yazoo City, Miss. Dec. 1, 1864
  • Skirmish, Yazoo City, Miss. Dec. 2, 1864
  • Operations against the Expedition from Memphis, Tenn. [Dec. 21, 1864] to destroy the Mobile & Ohio R. R. Jan. 5, 1865
  • Action, Egypt Station, Miss. Dec. 28, 1864
  • Skirmish, Franklin, Miss. Jan. 2, 1865
  • Skirmish, Lexington, Miss. Jan. 3, 1865
  • Skirmish near Mechanicsburg, Miss. Jan. 4, 1865
  • Skirmish, The Ponds, Miss. Jan. 4, 1865
  • Surrender, Citronelle, Ala. May 4, 1865

    Along with the Eleventh Arkansas Infantry the Seventeenth Arkansas Infantry was ordered to report to General Forrest's command in April, 1865. Unable to comply with this order because of Federal units between the units and Forrest's-force, the regiment proceeded to the Mississippi River near Clinton, Louisiana, in the hopes of being able to cross the river. Finding the river too well patrolled to permit a crossing, the two units moved to Alabama and were in central Alabama when the forces in the Department were surrendered in early May, 1865.


    This History written by, ©John F. Walter
    Contact John for other Regimental Histories at ICWRJOHN@aol.com

    This and other Regimental Histories can be seen at:

    The Institute for Civil War Research Still in development

    History of the 11th/17th Consolidated Infantry

    Consolidated Roster of Soldiers in 17th, 11th & 17th Arkansas Infantry


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    Last revised 01/25/99



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