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The 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was mustered and organized at Little Rock, Arkansas on June 10, 1861 with the election of Col. Richard Lyon as Colonel, A.T. Hawthorn as Lt. Col., and D.L. Kilgore as Major. C.A. Bridewell was appointed adjutant and John F. Ritchie as adjutant. Company commanders were Co.A, the "Capital Guards" of Little Rock, Cpt. Gordon N. Peay; Co. B, the "Dallas Volunteer Rifles" of Calhoun county, Cpt. P.H. Echols; Co. C, the "Dallas Rifles", Cpt. F.J. Cameron; Co. D, the "Ouachita Voyageurs" of Ouachita county, Cpt. J.W. Kingswell; Co. E, the "Dixie Grays" of Arkansas county, Cpt. Sam G. Smith; Co. F, the "Lafayette Guards"of Lafayette county, Cpt. Sam H. Dill; Co. G, the "Columbia Guards" of Magnolia county, Cpt. J.W. Austin; Co. H, the "City Guards"of Camden, Cpt. S.H. Southerland; Co. I, the "Lisbon Invincibles" of Union county, Cpt. Sam Turner; and Co. K, the "Ouachita Grays" of Ouachita county, Cpt. Hope T. Hodnett. The regiment was initially armed mostly with flintlock M1816/M1822 .69 cal. smoothbore muskets seized from the Little Rock arsenal in February, 1861. Co. A, the right flank company, was armed with a mixture of M1841 "Mississippi rifles" and .69 cal. smoothbores, as there weren't enough of the rifles to go around. Uniforms at this point were mixed, with some of the older militia companies wearing their pre-war uniforms, others mustering in civilian clothing. Later in 1861 the regiment was issued state commutation uniforms from the Little Rock Depot, consisting of a gray jean-wool frock coat and matching jean-wool trowsers. Following their return from the Kentucky campaign in November, 1862, the regiment received its first issue from the Confederate central clothing depots, and was likely outfitted with the Columbus Depot pattern uniforms or the Atlanta pattern for the rest of the war. After organization, the regiment marched on June 19, 1861 overland to Pocahontas, Arkansas. Measles broke out in camp, and a great many died here. In September, 1861, the regiment was transferred to Confederate service in the brigade (consisting of the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Arkansas Infantry regiments) commanded by Brig. Gen. William J. Hardee. Company B, as well as a number of individual soldiers from the other companies, declined to enlist for Confederate service here, and were released to return home, where many later joined (or were conscripted) into other units . After a short raid into Missouri, Hardee's troops (and the 6th Arkansas) established camp at Pittman's Ferry on Current River. In the latter part of September, 1861, the brigade was moved to southeast Missouri, and thence by boat to Columbus, KY, arriving on October 3. From there, it was sent to Cave City, Barren County, KY, where it spent the winter of 1861. While camped at Cave City, the 6th Arkansas smelled its first powder, and a deep companionship with Terry's Texas Rangers and Swett's Mississippi Battery was formed in a skirmish with a Union patrol. Colonel Lyon was killed in an accident on October 10, 1861, while supervising the crossing of the regiment over the Tennessee River, when his horse fell over a precipice with him. Lt. Col. Alexander T. Hawthorn succeeded to Colonel in his place, and Gordon N. Peay of Company A was promoted to replace Hawthorn as lieutenant colonel. On December 17th, the 6th Arkansas supported the 8th Texas Cavalry (Terry's Texas Rangers) and Swett's Mississippi Battery in a skirmish at Woodsonville, KY, when Colonel Terry was killed. The regiment occupied this advanced position until the fall of Fort Donelson, when it moved with the remainder of the army to Corinth, Mississippi under General Albert Sydney Johnston. BG Hardee having been promoted to Major General, Col. T.C. Hindman of the 2nd Arkansas was promoted to brigadier general and the brigade command until he was promoted to major general, and Col. R.G. Shaver was appointed as his successor. Col. Shaver commanded the brigade gallantly at the vicious battle of Shiloh, General Hindman commanding the division. The 6th Arkansas was decisively engaged at Shiloh with the Confederate left wing, engaged against Sherman's Federal troops. The 6th Arkansas was able to re-arm itself with "Springfield rifles" (probably .58 cal. M1855 rifle muskets) from Federal weapons left on the field at Shiloh. When Corinth was evacuated, the brigade retreated to Tupelo, MS where it remained until July, 1862. Then the 6th Arkansas was sent to Chattanooga, TN, with General Bragg as part of General Patrick R. Cleburne's division, and from there on to the Kentucky campaign. It was present when 4,500 Federals surrendered at Munfordville, KY, and was in the line Richmond and at Perryville, when Adjutant Sampson Harris, of Company A, was mortally wounded. Sergeant W.W. Carter of Company A was promoted to lieutenant and succeeded Harris as adjutant. Before the regiment had left Corinth, approximately 200 men of the 12th Arkansas which had escaped from Island No. 10 were organized into two companies and attached to the 6th Arkansas. In December, at Shelbyville, TN, these two companies were returned to their own regiment as the 12th Arkansas had been exchanged by that time. Casualties at the battle of Perryville had already weakened the regiment, as well as decimating the 7th Arkansas, so the 6th and 7th Arkansas regiments were consolidated into one unit on December 15, 1862. The regiment was heavily engaged at the battle of Murfreesboro, TN (Stone's River) on December 31, 1862, through January 2, 1863; and in the spring advanced to Bell Buckle TN, where it remained until June 24, 1863, when it was hastily ordered to the front to Liberty Gap, where it found and reinforced the 5th Arkansas in dealing with a large Union force. It retreated from middle Tennessee to south of the Tennessee River, and went into camp at Chickamauga Station, a few miles south of Chattanooga, and remained there until about the 1st of September, when Bragg began maneuvering for the battle of Chickamauga. The regiment was engaged, actually, or in line of battle, all through the Georgia campaign -- at Chickamauga, the siege of Chattanooga, and stood with Govan's Brigade in the succesful defense of Tunnel Hill, the Atlanta Campaign and the defenses of Atlanta where they, along with the rest of Govan's Brigade, were captured en masse near Jonesboro, GA. They were exchanged three weeks later, and rejoined the Army of Tennessee at Palmetto, GA. and were at the battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville, TN. The few survivors of the 1864 Tennessee campaign were collected and reorganized near Tupelo, Mississippi early in 1865, and then travelled by rail to North Carolina where they participated in the last grand charge of the Army of Tennessee at the battle of Bentonville, NC. The remaining survivors of Govan's old Arkansas Brigade were consolidated into a single regiment, the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment, Consolidated, containing the survivors of the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 15th, Dawson's 19th, and 24th Arkansas and the 3rd Confederate Infantry at the last reorganization of the Army of Tennessee at Smithfield, NC on April 9, 1865, only to be surrendered with General Johnston's army near Durham Station, NC on April 26, 1865. Of the nearly 1000 men mustered with the 6th regiment, only about 150 remained with the colors at the surrender. Field Officers: Col. Richard Lyon, Lt.Col (later Col.) Alexander T. Hawthorn, Maj. F. J. Cameron, Maj. William F. Douglas, Maj. J.B. Gordon, Maj. Dawson L. Kilgore, Lt. Col. Gordon N. Peay, Maj. (later Lt. Col. and Col.) Samuel G. Smith. References:
Campaign Histories: The following bibliography is offered for those wishing to gain a more detailed account of the activities of the 6th Arkansas and the 6th & 7th Arkansas (consolidated) in the various campaigns they took part in. Each is selected in that it gives a detailed account of activities, as well as detailed maps where you can trace the regiment through the campaign or battle:
Leaders
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