I've been discussing the service record of one of my ancestors, Isaac P. Howell, a private in McNair's 4th Arkansas Infantry, Co. I (Polk Rifles) with Bryan Howerton by email. Isaac Howell's record reveals little of his service with the "4th", showing only his original "muster-in" date. Later, this same Isaac P. Howell is listed as a member of Adair's 2nd Cherokee Mounted Volunteers (Rifles). He was married to a mixed-blood Cherokee woman, Rebecca Woods, which apparently allowed him to live in the Indian Territory and be a part of this unit as an "intermarried white".

But my ancestor's service is not the discussion which I want to start here. After looking at Gammage's "The Camp, The Bivouac, and the Battlefield" which includes a muster roll of the unit Mr. Gammage recalled from memory, I noted a large number of men listed with the simple remark "Left in Arkansas" and in one case "Left Sick in Arkansas".

Out of the 104 men included in Washington Gammage's muster roll of Company "I", my ancestor's company, 25 are listed as "Left in Arkansas" and one as "Left Sick in Arkansas". In a brief review of the other company's muster rolls the percentages with this remark seem similar.

This means that 25% of the men of the 4th Arkansas Infantry did NOT travel East of the Mississippi with the rest of the regiment.

This information poses some questions for my fellow Arkansas CW Historians. Please feel free to contribute some of your own.

1.) Is this percentage of men "Left in Arkansas" common for the other Arkansas and/or Trans-Mississippi units which transferred across the Mississippi in May of '62?

2.)How much choice, if any, did the Arkansas soldiers have of remaining West of the Mississippi?

3.) If they did choose to stay behind, did they have to show proof of affiliation with another Confederate unit, such as, my ancestor's enlistment in the 2nd Cherokee Mtd. Vol.?

Any comments and information regarding the transfer of the troops to the East would be appreciated?

Jim Martin

For Reference, here is the muster roll from Gammage's book of the 4th Arkansas Infantry, Company "I":

Name Company Rank Remarks
ALLEN, N. O. I Discharged Apr '62
ANDERSON, G. W. I Missing at Chickamauga
ASHFORD, G. A. I Left in Arkansas
ASHFORD, J. W. I
BARNE, T. G. I Discharged Nov. '62
BEARD, D. M. I
BLACKBURN, W. J. I Captured
BREWSTOR, H. R. I Died of his wounds
BROCK, John A. I 2nd Sgt. Killed at Elk horn
BROCK, Lawrence I
BROCK, Thomas I
BRUMLEY, A. J. I Discharged Nov. '62
BRUMLEY, Joseph I Destiny not known
CAGLE, Joseph I Left in Arkansas
CAPEHART, James I Died in June '62
CARPER, J. K. I Discharged Nov '62
CAWTHRON, G. M. I Discharged Nov '62
CECIL, John I Left at Corinth
CECIL, Josiah I Left in Arkansas
CECIL, W. H. I 2nd Cpl. Killed at Elk horn
CHEEK, R. C. I Discharged June '62
COPELAND, J. B. I
COPELAND, J. F. I 4th Sgt, Died Feb 18, '62
COX, Caleb I
COX, Seston? I Died in April '62
DALTON, W. D. I Left in Arkansas
DON?, Thos I
DRY, A. J. I Missed at Corinth
EDOM, Marcus I Killed at Murfreesboro
FLYNN, F. M. I
FYNN, James I
GARLAND, Sampson I
GRAHAM, W. C. I Discharged Oct '62
HADAWAY, D. J. I Discharged April '62
HADAWAY, Josiah I Left in Arkansas
HASE, A. Y. I Left in Arkansas
HASE, W. R. I Died June '62
HITT, John I Discharged April '62
HOLMES, T. M. I
HOWELL, J. T. (Isaac P.) I Left in Arkansas
JACKSON, George I Discharged Nov '62
JACKSON, Simpson I
JACOBS, J. E. I
JACOBS, Wm I
JOPLING, P. A. I Discharged March '62
JOSLING, J. Lewis I Died Sept 1st '63
JOSLING, Robert I
KEATON, Jeff I 1st Sgt.
KEETON, John I Left sick in Mississippi
KENEL, E. T. I Discharged in Arkansas
KNIGHT, J. R. I 3rd Sgt. Left in Arkansas
LABOR, Wm. I
LAURY, John M. I Killed at Elk horn
LEARNING, G. W. I
LONG, James L. I
LONGACRE, D. I
MASON, G. W. I
MASON, John I Discharged Nov '62
McBROOM, Lewis I Left in Arkansas
McCLAIN, W. J. I Left in Arkansas
McCLURE, Isaac I Left Sick in Arkansas
McDOUGALD, Enoch I
McGREW, Jas. I Discharged April '62
MOORE, John (Indian) I Died Feb. '62
NEILEY, M. B. I
NICHOLS, Berges I Left in Arkansas
NICHOLS, Carter I
NICHOLS, Isaac I
NICHOLS, Jas F. I
NICHOLS, Lafayette I Left in Arkansas
NORRIS, Ashberry I Died in Mississippi
OLIVER, W. P. I 3rd Cpl. Left in Arkansas
PESULY, Alford I Died in Arkansas
POLLOCK, John I Died in Arkansas
POPE, Lafayette I 2nd Lt.
QUINTON, G. W. I 1st Cpl. Died May '62
QUINTON, Thos I Died in Arkansas May '62
REIKEE, Henry I Left in Arkansas
RIDER, J. M. I Killed by Accident May '62
RUSSELL, Sam'l I Left in Arkansas
RUSSELL, Wm I
SCOTT, J. F. I Left in Arkansas
SHEPPERD, Ed I Left in Arkansas
STINNETT, B. H. I Left in Arkansas
STOOKEY?, G. W. I Discharged April '62
THOMPSON, Enoch I Lost
TILLEY, E. S. I Left in Mississippi
TOMLINSON, H. C. I Discharged July '62
TOMLINSON, L. M. I Discharged July '62
TOUREY, E. L. I Left in Arkansas
TOUREY, John I Left in Arkansas
TOUREY, John H. I Discharged Nov. '62
TOWRY, Silas I Left in Arkansas
TURNER, W. H. I Discharged
VIOLES, John I Left in Arkansas
WALKER, G. W. I
WALLACE, J. P. I Left in Arkansas
WARD, J. W. R. I Discharged in Arkansas
WILLIAMSON, Joseph B. I
WINTON, G. M. I Left in Arkansas
WINTON, I. J. I Discharged Nov. '62
WINTON, R. B. I Left in Arkansas
WOOD, W. H. I Died in Arkansas