Here is the order authorizing the 1st Battalion Arkansas State Troops --
Headquarters of the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Militia of Arkansas,
Washington, January 14, 1864.
General Orders, No. 8.
Ordered that the following named companies of Arkansas mounted volunteers, called into the service of the State under the proclamation of the 10th of August, A.D. 1863, compose and be designated as the first battalion, viz:
Company A, Captain E. K. Williamson.
Company B, Captain Reuben C. Reed.
Company C, Captain Allen T. Pettus.
Company D, Captain G. A. Hale.
Company E, Captain John W. Dyer.
And said companies are ordered to proceed on the 18th inst. to organize the battalion by the election of a lieutenant-colonel to command it, and to certify such organization and election to the adjutant-general of the State.
By order of His Excellency, H. Flanagin, Governor and Commander-in-Chief.
GORDON N. PEAY,
Adjutant-General.
Note that Pettus is in command of Company C. He was elected lieutenant-colonel of the battalion on January 21, 1864. He was mortally wounded at Marks’ Mills, Arkansas, on April 25, 1864. The next reference I have shows Col. William H. Trader commanding first battalion of Arkansas mounted volunteers in the service of the State as of June 1, 1864. This is where it gets murky. There are several references to Colonel Trader commanding the militia/state troops between January and June 1864, including the above-referenced companies. But Lieutenant-Colonel Pettus is also mentioned as commanding the battalion. So here's what I THINK is the situation: Trader was in overall command of the militia in state service and Pettus was in command of the 1st Battalion. After the death of Pettus, Trader took over field command of the battalion. At his own request, Colonel Trader was relieved of command and was assigned to Headquarters Trans-Mississippi Department on June 30, 1864. I don't know who succeeded him in command of the battalion.
By October 1864 the battalion had been increased to a regiment, and Col. Robert C. Newton was assigned command. I don't know who the lieutenant-colonel was, but Capt. George A. Hale was appointed major at the same time. Capt. Theophilus G. Henley was appointed lieutenant-colonel on March 4, 1865.
I don't know much more than that. I have some company rosters, a payroll or two, some orders, transcriptions of courts-martial, and a list of officer appointments and promotions. Also have a good handle of which counties the companies were recruited in (except for Company K), and list of original officers of each. All in handwriting on paper, which I hope to keyboard sometime and share with the board.
I hope you can make sense out of all this. I'm not sure I can.