The way I see this happening was that when the men captured at Arkansas Post were taken North to prison it was expected that they would be exchanged shortly and rejoin their parent units. It is my contention that those men who did not, for one reason or another, find their way to Arkansas Post were actually orgnized into a "holding regiment", in Febuary '63, until such time as those men in prison were exchanged and reunited with their parent orginaztions.

Since as we know that Grant had those men exchanged at City Point, Virginia instead of at Vicksburg as was normally done, this prevented that reunion from happening. Its at that time that we see Col. Dawson, Portlock and Crawford resign or disappear from the organization and those men west of the Mississippi becoming more often referred to as Hardy's Regiment.

Now, How did men of Companies "A" & "B" of Crawfords battalion find their way into to seperate armies one East and the other West of the Mississippi?

It would seem at the time of the attack on Arkansas Post Crawfords Battalion was with the 24th Arkansas at St. Charles preparing to place two 8 inch 32 pd smooth bore columbiad guns from the CSS Ponchartrain in battery there. When the news of the battle at Arkansas Post reached them it would seem that the most fit men of those at St. Charles made the forced march from that place to Arkansas Post to arrive just in time to surrender.

Those left at St. Charles, about 200 men from the 24th and others loaded the columbiads onto a steamboat (I believe the "Bluewing") moved them up the White River to DeVal's Bluff and loaded them onto railroad flatcars to be shipped back to Little Rock. However, the Federal Gunboats arrived before the train could leave and the guns were captured according to the reports in the naval O.R.'s. The men had made their excape into the woods except for those who were in the hospital at DeVal's Bluff, who were paroled.

It was those men who made their way back to Sulphur Springs along with those who were in the Hospital there from the 19th along with Col. Dawson that were organized into what was to later become Hardy's regiment. Now as to whether Wm. Carwford himself was a part of all of this or whether his battalion had been combined into the 24th Arkansas formally at that time, I don't know. But Crawford does not seem to be a part of theorganization of the "holding regiment" at the time it was consolidated in February 1863 otherwise why would Major Wm. Hardy be promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel over both Crawford and Portlock to be made second in command under Colonel Dawson until Col. Dawson resigns in May due to health.