Your assumption that Company I did not consist of cadets from A.M.I. can be easily confirmed by reading the company roster on the Gerdes website. Seven of the members were 19 years old (b. 1842), Seven were 18 (b. 1843), four were 17 (B. 1844) and only two were 16 years old (b. 1845) for a total of twenty - hardly enough to fill a one hundred man company. The rest of the volunteers were Dallas County men.

Arkansas Military Institute did have a half battery consisting of two bronze six pounder cadet guns and one brass twelve pounder field howitzer all manufactured by Cyrus Alger & Company. I have yet to uncover any written documentation as to why and when these guns were transferred east of the river but there is a good possibility that they were sent to the Atlanta Arsenal. The two cadet guns (and probably the 12 pounder) ended up in the Ninth Georgia Light Artillery Battalion which was organized in April of 1862.

The cadet guns were part of a battery or batteries attached to Wheeler's cavalry during Longstreet's Knoxville campaign and were abandoned along with four iron pieces at Loudon, Tennessee, in December of 1863. The Confederates reported that the guns were sunk in the river but that seems not to be the case:

I left Colonel Byrd with his regiment to garrison Kingston, and proceeded to move forward with the remaining forces, having learned that a large cavalry force (rebel) were in my front with their pickets within 4 miles of this on. Expecting the steamer to arrive every moment on the morning of the 4th, I deemed it most prudent to move forward and drive them before me. I had been informed that the steamer was unable to get over the shoals at White Creek, and directed Colonel Byrd to aid an assist with his command in getting her through. I advanced by three routes toward Knoxville, and when about 4 miles from Kingston we drove in the enemy’s pickets and pushed forward, skirmishing as we advanced. I halted on the night of the 4th, and encamped 10 miles from Kingston, with my command occupying the vacated camps of the enemy, who fled before us. They are reported to be 2,000 cavalry. I am certain that there are 1,000, and perhaps 1,~00, but will not exceed 2,000. They took the main Knoxville road, with eight pieces of cannon, and a few took the London road. I arrived at this point yesterday and found six pieces of cannon which were abandoned by them, three of which are spiked. In the rout we captured 26 prisoners, and the balance scattered in wild confusion. They are Wheeler’s’command, under Colonel Hart I am now encamped here, owing to the non-arrival of the steamer, which Colonel Byrd informs me he has ordered back to Chattanooga. In consequence of the orders under which I am acting, I shall wait here at this point for further orders, having dispatched to Major-General Sherman all of the particulars, as also to Major-General Granger, both of whom, with their forces, are perhaps in your vicinity as they passed up the river three days since. am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES G. SPEARS, Brigadier-General, Commanding U. S. Forces. Maj. Gen. AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE.

The guns were identified in the following report:

Report of Capt. William H. Harris, U. S. Ordnance Corps, Senior Ordnance Officer. ORDNANCE OFFICE, Cincinnati, January 1, 1864. SIR :* The ordnance and ordnance stores captured by the Army of the Ohio, in the twenty-one days’ continuous fighting and skirmishing with the enemy, from the 14th of November, are as follows, viz: One 3-inch wrought-iron rifle gun, I. M. W., No. 410, P. 1. Co., 1862, 816 pounds; two 6-pounder brass guns, C. A. & Co., Bos- ton, 1851, marked “Arkansas Military Institute;” one navy carronade, iron, caliber about 4.8 inch, no marks; two. iron smooth-bore guns, caliber about 4 inch, marked T. M. Brennan, maker, Nashville, Tenn., 1861; carriages - for each of the above unserviceable; 500 stand of small-arms.

The cadet gun currently on loan to the MacArthur Military Museum ended up on display at the Petersburg N.M.P. The location of the second one is currently unknown. Hopefully it is in private hands and wasn't melted down for scrap.

The twelve pounder was on display at Grant Park in Atlanta until 1992 when it was stolen.

This is where the story gets a little weird. In March I was listening to a radio show on the computer about relic hunting broadcast from Atlanta. They just happened to read a local newspaper article about how police in Griffin, Georgia, had raided a local residence and recovered thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods INCLUDING A CIVIL WAR CANNON! It took a few days to find news feed on line that showed the gun but it was brass and it had the spread wing eagle over a globe inscribed on it just like the A.M.I. gun. Friends in Marietta sent me a newspaper article stating that this was indeed the stolen A.M.I. cannon.

I called Steven McAteer at the MacArthur Museum and told him about the gun. He has connections in Atlanta so they are now working on trying to bring this gun home to Arkansas.