Posted By: Mark Wolfe Re: Harrell's and Gunter's Battalions
Date: Tuesday, 2 October 2001, at 11:41 p.m.
According to records at the National Archives, my ancestor Stephen Howard enlisted on March 2, 1863 in Carroll County, in Harrell's (formerly Crawford's) Battalion, also known as the 17th Battalion of Arkansas Cavalry. He does show up on lists of the members of that Battalion. But I have a couple of questions. First, I see from a related website that "the officers and men of this unit enlisted in August 1862 in the infantry under Col. C.W. Adams which was disbanded and the men transferred to the command of Gen. Cabell, of which this is a part". That would explain why everyone in Harrell's Battalion has the same enlistment date. But is there any information on Adams' infantry between Aug 1862 and March 1863? And when application was made for pension in 1915, the application claimed that Stephen Howard had been in Gunter's Battalion and that he had been captured and paroled as a member of that Battalion. But no such record was located by the government at that time, and I can't find anything either. Does anyone have any information on Gunter's Battalion, or any idea what might have happened?
Posted By: Bryan Howerton
Date: Wednesday, 3 October 2001, at 10:42 a.m.
In Response To: Harrell's and Gunter's Battalions (Mark Wolfe)
Adams' Arkansas Regiment (3rd Regiment, Second Brigade, Northwest Division, Trans-Mississippi Army) -- sometimes referred to as the 3rd (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry -- was organized in August 1862 with 10 companies from northwest Arkansas. At the battle of Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862, most of the regiment threw down their arms and deserted the field, many going over to the enemy. This was the only instance during the war of an Arkansas regiment deserting en masse. The regiment was disbanded in disgrace on December 18, 1862. Its members were split up and ordered to report for duty in the 27th (Shaler's) Arkansas Infantry and the 17th (Harrell's) Battalion Arkansas Cavalry. Only about half of the men reported to their new commands. Many enlisted in the Union army, some joined other Confederate regiments, and some simply dropped out of sight.
Those who reported to Harrell's battalion were re-mustered into Confederate service between March 2-17, 1863, at various locations in northern Arkansas -- Bellefonte, Carrollton, Huntsville and Yellville.
Regarding Gunter's battalion -- Thomas Montague Gunter was a lieutenant-colonel in the 34th (Brooks') Arkansas Infantry when he was given command of a battalion of cavalry on December 17, 1863. Gunter's battalion is sometimes referred to as the 3rd Battalion Arkansas Cavalry. No muster rolls of the battalion, or service records of the men, can be found. Gunter's battalion served in Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan's division in the Camden Expedition and Price's Missouri Campaign