As you may recall, I have been researching the units released from prison after being captured at Ft Donelson and Island 10. This includes the 11th, 12th and 15th Arkansas infantry regiments; particularly for the time period of September-December 1862.
Of course we know they were all delivered to Vicksburg in September, and that regimental reorganizations then took place on into October in camps around Jackson.
General Tilghman was charged with this reorganization, and, in September he quickly formed what amounted to temporary brigades from the paroled units. Prison had reduced their ranks considerably, causing Tilghman to make continuing efforts at consolidating these regiments.
On October 7th, most of these regiments, including the three Arkansas regiments, were proclaimed exchanged, thereby freeing them for active field service. They were then rushed to Holly Springs as reinforcements for Van Dorn's defeated army retreating from the disaster at Corinth back to Holly Springs.
I have recently learned that by October 14, some, or all, of these Arkansas units had been consolidated with the 7th Kentucky regiment under Col Lyon of that regiment; even though Tilghman told Van Dorn that "As far as practicable the Consolidated Commands have been formed from troops from the same state." He was forced to make similar exceptions with other consolidated regiments by mixing units from different states.
On October 17, after the previous day’s assignment to Lovell’s new Corps, Tilghman "organized a division of three brigades." Lyon's consolidated regiment became a part of Colonel Baldwin's 1st brigade of that division.
On October 22nd, the three Arkansas units were apparently selected to form part of General Villepigue’s Reserve Force that was soon after sent to Port Hudson.
Part of my objective is to find out just when some or all of the exchanged Arkansas units were consolidated, and with what other units, and assigned to what brigade. This question applies to the initial temporary brigading of late September, and again to the three brigades that were formed as a division on October 17th.
Finally, I am also collecting information about the new brigading of the Reserve Force units and the garrison at Port Hudson after Villepigue’s untimely death in early October. And, of course, information about the multiple [and confusing] revisions to the regimental consolidations once they became an integral part of the Port Hudson command.