Doyle, I have often wondered if the 2nd Arkansas Battalion evolved into an elite skirmisher or sharpshooter battalion. Although the battalion was organized well before the sharpshooter directive, and there is a scarcity of records to prove anything, it could be argued that the battalion's final campaign in the Seven Days' Battles, particularly its actions at Beaver Dam Creek, certainly bore the stamp of such a unit. That theory would explain why such a small (three-company) battalion would have been tasked with spearheading the assault.

Any thoughts?