In going over the muster roll records of Hardy's Regiment as posted on the Gerde's Website and compiled by our own noted Bryan Howerton, These rolls shows that in co.'s "G", "I", "K", and Tolbert's Co. of Hardy's Regiment there were 428 men listed as having been a part of Dawson's 19th Arkansas Inf. that became a part of Hardy's Regiment including Col. Dawson himself. Reportedly Col Dawson was sick is why he evaded capture at Arkansas Post, but surely not all of the 428 others can be accounted for in this way.
I don't know if there has been any cross comparisons been done between the muster roll of the 19th Arkansas taken Dec. 31st 1862, with the muster roll of Hardy's Regiment in February 1863. To see who may have been "present for duty" 10 days before the Battle and then may have excaped to become a part of Hardy's Regiment
This seems to be far to large a number to have all "excaped" from Arkansas Post, or to have been "absent sick", concidering that the 19th Arkansas was supposed to be manning inside the fort itself or to have been accounted for in the various Hospitals at Pine Bluff, Arkansas Post, St Charles, or Deval's Bluff. In fact Union naval reports only record 30 men captured in the DeVall's Bluff Hospital, which were immediately paroled, and none are mentioned at St Charles.
In Vol 24 of the Naval O.R.'s page 119 there is a list of 37 Confederate navy personel, including Col Dunnington, who surrendered to the navy and eventually were paroled.
I can account for maybe 200 to 300 men of primarily Crawford's Batt. and the 24th Arkansas who did not march to Arkansas Post and excaped capture at St. Charles on the Steamer "Blue Wing". But where did all the rest of these 428 men of the 19th Ark. come from? How did they manage to evade the Union Army and return to Pine Bluff?
The even larger part of Hardy's Regiment was made up of men from Portlock's 24th Ark. Inf. which adds even more to the question at hand. This Brigade of Crawford's Batt, Dawson's and Portlock's regiments supposedly under the Command of Col. Dunnington, because of Dawson and Portlock's inability to command, seems to be split apart and scattered to the winds. It seems that we are missing something here that maybe these regiments had been split up into work battalions at different places prepareing additional supporting works for Fort Hindman.
We do know that a large part of both the 19th and 24th Arkansas were captured and went to Prison in the North and were exchanged at City Point Va. and served until the end of the war with Cleburne's command. But I am trying to determine reasons why there were so many that seemed to "excape" from Arkansas Post for one reason of another to reform as Hardy's Regiment.