Actually I have managed to figure out the 8th and all its reorganizations and have come across a wealth of information about Desha's battalion. Desha held on to all his records and they are now stored at Lyon College. I have come across two problems concerning the 8th. One is what happened to the majority of the initial 8th Arkansas enlistees. By the time they get to Shiloh, the 8th is only mustering 250 muskets. The second problem involves the almost continuous action the Army of Tennessee was involved in from the start of the Atlanta campaign until the bloodletting at Franklin. There are few official reports from this time period. A history of the 8th is long overdue. It, like most regiments, had its ups and downs, but for the most part fought extremely well.