The Pine Bluff Military Academy is not a commonly knnow thing. Very little was know about it except for just a couple of letters of Mrs Annabelle Wilson and the Benjamin Riggs account.

Part of the Riggs account was published in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly in the early 1900's. That part of the account was about him and two of his friends exploits in capturing a Steamboat, with several Union Soldiers on board as guards and a Union paymaster, at White Bluff in May 1864, and burning the Boat, and riding off with Col. Powell Clayton's personal Horse.

In the early 1990's a man and his wife came to Pine Bluff from Nashville Tn. and wanted to talk to some one who knew something about the Civil War. The S.C.V. camp was contacted by the Chambers of Comerces to have someone come talk to these people. As it turned out they had a handwritten 20 page account of the gentleman Grandfather. Who happened to be Benjamin Riggs. The account in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly had omitted the first 12 pages of Riggs life in Pine Bluff.

The Pine Bluff Military Academy was organized in 1858

This is his account;

"I attended school regularly and I might say all of my education was gotten up until that great war. I was full of partition (partiotism) for my dear South. We had a company at school and were regularly drilled by out teacher Mr. Patten (Archibald Patton) who finally became a Col. And commander. A regiment of Arkansas volunteers, when we was finally provoked (promoted) as a Brigadiers General and fought through for our Country. I am told finally killed. Our company of boys were uniformed in ________ Red flannel Coats and knit pants with black stockings and Red cap. We were very proficient and well drilled and could go frequently all the manners of the __________ west pointers.

After the war had been declared and the school was closed and the volunteers were coming in by companies through the surrounding country for organizations at Pine Bluff, it was our duty to go out in regular uniform under now. Captain Ed Murray, to meet them and escort them to town, Captain Murray was but a boy barely 14 years of age, and a son of Judge Murray. One of our most beloned Jewish citizen."

We have not as yet been able to determine who was the other members of this Company of Zouave, other than Patton, Murrey and Riggs, But it does sort of explains, why a 14 year old boy, John Ed Murrey, went to Kentucky as a drill instructor and became a Colonel of the 5th Arkansa Infantry. According to the published history of the 5th Arkansas Infantry.