I understand that you are the resident expert on Newtons 3rd Arkansas/10th Arkansas Cavalry. I am working on an article for wikipedia regarding the Arkansas Militia during the civil war. I am currently focused on the units that were raised following the fall of Little Rock. Basically Governor Flanagin activated the militia from most of the souther counties, and formed new mounted volunteer companies from these militia regiments. These new volunteer companies were formed into State Troop Organizations, eventually combined into what becomes Newton's 10th Arkansas Cavalry. I have found a roster for Company C of this organization which you are credited with having provided to the Edward Gerbes site. I wanted to know if you have the Company designations for the other units and if you can shed some light on their activites before they were formed into Newton's regiment. I know some of these companies were involved in Pettus Battalion of State Troops and as such were present at Marks Mill, where Pettus was killed. I also know that all of the state troops raised from the militia by Governor Flanagin were under the command and control of Col Wm. H. Trader, but I don't really understand the connection between Trader, and Pettus. Hoping you can shed some light on this area.

Here is what I have so far:

Governor Harris Flanagin (who had defeated Governor Rector in his re-election bid of 1862) immediately began organizing a new force of state troops in the fall of 1863. After the fall of Little Rock, recruiting was far more difficult than it had been in the first year. The constant transfer of Arkansas troops into the easter theater of the war, across the Mississippi River from their homes, was a major objection to the remaining population of men eligible for military service. With Federal forces now occupying the state captiol the Confederate state government now had no way of enforcing concription laws in the counties behind the Union lines, except during raids by Generals Price and Shelby in 1864. The remaining Confederate regiments were plauged by dissertions. In an attempt to overcome these difficulties in raising new units, Governor Flanagin negotiated an arrangement with the Commander of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi to allow him to raise regiments of State Troops that would not be transferred into Confederate Service.[328] Governor Flanagin appointed Gordon N. Peay to serve as his Adjutant General. Peay would serve in this capacity until the end of the war.[329]

On September 16, 1863, in the aftermath of the fall of the state captiol, Governor Fagan issued General order No. 6 from Arkadelphia, which called in to service the milita regiments of the counties of Clark, Hempstead, Sevier, Pike, Polk, Montgomery, La Fayette, Ouachita, Union, and Columbia in order to resist the Federal army. The Governor's order directed the regiments to march to Arkadelphia at the earliest possible day. Companies were to be mounted and commanders were to compel persons evading the call to come to the rendezvous. The intent was to form companies of Twelve-month mounted volunteers. Only six physicians, one druggist, millers to supply the wauts of the country, clerks, sheriffs, postmasters, and persons in the employ of the Confederate States were exmpted from the order.[330] In describing this call in a letter to General Holme dated October 18, 1863 from Washington, Arkansas, the new Confederate state captiol, Flanagin stated that he issued the order calling out the militia, as an experiment, expecting to get volunteers. The order succeeded so well as to get companies organized in the counties where the call for the militia was enforced which resulted in seven companies being collected under the call.[331] Flanagin also stated that "the troops raised by the State are more than double all the troops raised by volunteering, or by the conscript law, within the past few months".[332]

On October 26, 1863 Governor Flanagin directed Adjutant General Peay to:

"visit Lewisville, in La Fayette County, and see Captain Ford, who has been raising a company of mounted riflemen under the State. I have been informed that this company has been sworn into the service of the Confederate States. If so, the only thing to be done is to communicate this fact to General Fagan. If the State troops which can be raised in La Fayette County are already raised you are authorized to disband the militia. If convenient, I would like for you to go to Union County. Captain Holloway has been raising a company of mounted riflemen in that county. If his company is organized, you can disband the militia of that county. If the colonel is inefficient, and Captain Holloway has not got his company formed, let him swear his men in and get the militia together, and compel those who are liable to the conscript law to go into the State or C. S. service".[333]

These new volunteer companies were placed under the command of Col. William H. Trader who was detailed to Governor Flanagin by General E. Kirby Smith. Col. Trader remained in command of the state troops until he resigned in June 1864.

In August 1864 when the term of enlistment for these state troop companies was about expire, Adjutant General Peay issued an order which directed that companies be allowed to vote on the subject of being transfered into Confederate service. However, the chance to vote on being transfered was meerly a matter of forme because Peay's order also had directions for those who refused transfer to Confederate service:

"Men whose terms of service have expired, and who are not willing to be transferred, will be reported to and turned over to the proper enrolling officer of the Confederate States for conscription. Men whose terms of service have not expired and who are opposed to the transfer will be required to serve until the expiration of their term of enlistment, and such as do not then re enlist will be turned over to the proper enrolling officers of the Confederate States for conscription.[334]

On September 5, 1864, the companies of troops in the service of the State were formed into one regiment of cavalry to be designated and known as the Third Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry, with Col. Robert C. Newton is hereby assigned to the command of the regiment until an election can be held for field officers according to law. The companies of this regiment included.[335]}}:

Capt. R. C. Reed,
Capt. Robert S. Burke,
Company C- Capt. C. K. Holman[336],
Capt. Joseph W. Miller,
Capt, Samuel Ogdeu,
Capt. T. G. Henley,
Capt. G. A. Hale,
Capt. W. C. Corcoran,
Capt. A. A. McDonald, and
Capt. John Connally.
This unit was was mustered into the Confederate Service on the 4th day of October, 1864 as the the 10th Arkanas Cavalry Regiment. The unit operated in the Arkansas River Valley, interdicting the supply route between Little Rock and Fort Smith during the Winter of 1864 to 1865.[337]