Many men who had served in state militias in other states and later moved to Arkansas wore their old militia uniforms or preWar military uniforms that family members had worn in the Mexican War or even as far back as the war of 1812. As a result of this buttons have been found by relic hunters on early war Confederate camps that seem to make no sense. For example Virginia and Georgia buttons have been found at Camp Nelson despite the fact that no units from these states ever served in Arkansas. Taking it a step further U.S.M.A. buttons have been found on a Confederate camp at Camden.
Had the A.M.I. uniforms been returned to the state they would have been issued to one or more units. Relic hunters by now would have found one of their camps and recovered a number of A.M.I. buttons instead of the two known dug specimens.
I may be wrong about this but was always under the impression that the Institute was a privately owned and operated facility much like St. Johns' College in Little Rock was owned and operated by the Freemasons. The state didn't get involved in education until after the War. If the school was privately owned then it stands to reason that the three cannon they had did not belong to the state. A.M.I. had two six pounder Cadet Guns and one twelve pounder howitzer all manufactured by Cyrus Alger & Company.
All three guns are engraved with the words "Arkansas Military Institute".
The cadet guns were the same type of guns made for the Virginia Military Institute and the Georgia Military Instute and while good for use in training artillery tactics were almost too light for military use. They were probably turned over to the state when the War began and the Arsenal was already in Confederate hands. As period newspaper articles attest the military authorities at the time were practically begging for anything that could be used by the army.