Hello. Okay, he was in the White County area which was a hornet's nest
for all sorts of activities at the time.
I know because my ancestor Fielding Price that I was talking about lived in the same area. We thought he was a civilian, but the book Rebel's Hell about the prison in Little Rock had him listed as Lt. Fielding Price, of the CSA 1st Arkansas Cav. which the Union folks considered guerillas.
More than likely your ancestor knew my ancestor as that area was not heavily populated at the time. I would not be surprised if Cavender actually had connections to one of the Confederate groups in the area even if you cannot find any information.
A good place to check would be whomever his kinfolks aligned with.
Most of us think about the Civil War being east of the Mississippi but there was quite a bit of activity in this area.
Also, have you ever tried the White County Historical Society as they have tons of information on so much.
Good luck!
Linda