That was part of Gov. Rector's threatening to seceed from the Confederacy if Arkansas wsn't going to be defended by the Confederacy after Van Dorn abandoned the State. Somewhere I have, I believe, Hidman's order to Crawford to take command of those troops at Pine Bluff, I believe it is in Hindman's Copybook of Telegraphs. it was just a normal one sentence order. That order was in August 1862 which was the time that Dawson's 19th Arkansas was ordered to reorganize into a regiment of 10 companies of 75 men each. Some of the 19th's companies had 120 men each. The 33rd Arkansas was actually organized with 11 companies.
With those extra men and the conscripts from Southeast Arkansas the Portlock's 24th Arkansas and Crawfords battalion was organized. Actually most of the 24th Arkansas was organized from the men who were sick in the hospital That is the reason that so many of the 24th died at Sulphur Springs. It is also why I have found so many men who died there that never made it onto any muster roll record such as Benton Musgrove.
That is the reason that I said that I don't believe that Crawfords Battalion was ever intended to be only made up of only 2 companies. At least one of the companies (Company "A") of Crawford Battalion was made up of local conscript from Jefferson and Company "B" from Eagle Mill and Warren in Bradley Counties. I contend that Crawford was expecting to command a full regiment, but being the last to organize his access to troops to build his regiment would have been limited.