I regret to say that I can't cite chapter and verse at the moment, but during Fall 1862 when Blunt's Kansas Division (First Division, Army of the Frontier) was operating in extreme NW Arkansas--right on the border with the Indian Territory--hundreds and hundreds of Arkansas conscripts/deserters from Hindman's Trans-Mississippi Army showed up, often with shiny new Enfields in hand. If the Arkansans wanted to leave with their families, Blunt placed them in the empty wagon trains that left for Fort Scott every two weeks or so. If the Arkansans wanted to fight, he allowed them to join either the First Arkansas Cavalry or enroll in the Tenth, Eleventh, or Thirteenth Kansas Infantry. Unfortunately, I don't have a total number of "received" deserters during this period. Nor do I have any indication of how many deserters chose which option, but it is clear that a substantial number of Arkansans took advantage of the opportunity to switch sides.

On a related note, when Arkansas refugee slaves entered Union lines (yes, contrary to myth, Benton, Washington, Crawford, and Sebastian counties in extreme NW Arkansas had LARGE slave populations), Blunt also sent them north with his returning wagons with the understanding that the men would enroll in the First and Second Kansas Colored Infantry. Those two regiments were the core of the Fort Scott garrison.

Before someone jumps on me, let me add that I know the First Arkansas Cavalry was stationed at Elkhorn Tavern for much of this time, but one or two companies were always on detached duty with Blunt's command serving as guides, scouts, and what might be called "local liaison specialists." Roughly translated, that means they decided whose house and barn needed burning.