Arkansas in the American Civil War

Arkansas
Flag of the Confederate States (May 18, 1861)[a] Seal (1861 design) Map of the Confederate States
Capital	1861–1863  Little Rock 1863–1865  Washington
Largest city	Little Rock
Admitted to the Confederacy	May 18, 1861 (9th)
Population	435,450 total  • 324,335 (74.48%) free  • 111,115 (25.52%) slave
Forces supplied	73,901 Confederate soldiers, 9,236 Union soldiers,[1] and 5,526 U.S. Colored Troops[2] total
Major garrisons/armories	Fort Smith Little Rock Arsenal
Governor	1861–1862  Henry M. Rector 1862  Thomas Fletcher (acting) 1862–1865  Harris Flanagin
Senators	1862–1865  Robert W. Johnson 1862–1864  Charles B. Mitchel 1864–1865  Augustus H. Garland
Representatives	List
Restored to the Union	June 22, 1868

Part of a series on the
History of Arkansas
Timeline By year Pre-territorial Territorial period Civil War Era Reconstruction Era 1874 1900–present
By topic African American 1919 1957–1958 Culture Military By county
Category Portal
v t e

Confederate States in the American Civil War
Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia
Dual governments
Kentucky Missouri Virginia West Virginia
Territory
Arizona Territory
Allied tribes in Indian Territory
Cherokee Chickasaw Choctaw Creek Seminole
v t e

During the American Civil War, Arkansas was a Confederate state, though it had initially voted to remain in the Union. Following the capture of Fort Sumter in April 1861, Abraham Lincoln called for troops from every Union state to put down the rebellion, and Arkansas along with several other southern states seceded. For the rest of the civil war, Arkansas played a major role in controlling the Mississippi River, a major waterway.

Arkansas raised 48 infantry regiments, 20 artillery batteries, and over 20 cavalry regiments for the Confederacy, mostly serving in the Western Theater, though the Third Arkansas served with distinction in the Army of Northern Virginia. Major-General Patrick Cleburne was the state's most notable military leader. The state also supplied four infantry regiments, four cavalry regiments and one artillery battery of white troops for the Union and six infantry regiments and one artillery battery of "U.S. Colored Troops."

Numerous skirmishes as well as several significant battles were fought in Arkansas, including the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern in March 1862, a decisive one for the Trans-Mississippi Theater which ensured Union control of northern Arkansas. The state capitol at Little Rock was captured in 1863. By the end of the war, programs such as the draft, high taxes, and martial law had led to a decline in enthusiasm for the Confederate cause. Arkansas was officially readmitted to the Union in 1868.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).