The Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board

Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"

Jim,
I did not mean to give offense. If offense was taken I apologize. As you say commanders did, and should, see the difference in troops. Good troops were "used up" because their CO relied on them immensely.I do however believe that the term "elite" is a bit much to apply to any Civil War unit. "Veterans" would be a more appropriately applicable term. I believe that during that period, some units self styled themselves, "elite", but only because they were recruited from the upper crust of society. Not because of any special training or experience. Having money and social status has never guarenteed that a man would make a good soldier. The majority of the volunteers that made up the Union and Confederate forces were basically identical, raw young men who, if they lived, would eventually have the smarts to function reliably if called upon. Those who were not reliable or capable fell by the wayside. As the old saying goes, there are only two kinds of men on the battlefield, the quick and the dead. The men of the 3rd Arkansas as well as the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas as time went by, did become veterans. So much so that their Texan comrades referred to them as the "3rd Texas". The reason many Civil War troops were unreliable or failed to function properly was simply a lack of dicipline and appropriate training. Programs that were in place to assure the proper instruction of raw recruits were at best minimal. I guess that I have an aversion to hearing troops referred to as elite.During WW 2 the USMC, having affirmed that its "elite" Raider units could do nothing any better than the regular Marine rifleman,disbanded such units as unnecessary. No less a personage than the great Chesty Puller was a supporter of the disbandment. An opinion that I share. Today we have units which are considered as "elite", but these units receive months or even years of extensive training before being placed in harm's way.The CW soldier was lucky if he was allowed to fire his weapon even once before going into battle. Thoise who did finally "see the elephant" and survived became more experienced with each fight, eventually becoming veterans. If a commander considered his veteran troops elite and reliable then I suppose you are quite correct. As to the Texas Brigade being among the best, I agree 100%. These were veteran troops who could always be depended on. The thing that has always surprised me is that, with the reckless manner in which John Bell Hood used troops, those guys survived to become veterans.

Len

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3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"
Re: 3rd Arkansas Infantry "Elite"