9 letters and a portion of a tenth letter L.A. Dickson wrote to Robert Neill were published in the 2001 winter issue of the Independence County Chronicle. If you haven't seen these please take a look at them. I think you will find them very informative including why Desha was never able to raise a full regiment, Hardee's reasoning for leaving Arkansas, and at least, part of the reason the 8th was so severly understrength (Measles struck the 8th just prior to departure for Kentucky.)