It should be remembered that at this time the Army of the West was undergoing comprehensive reorganizations, and units were assigned and reassigned on virtually a daily basis. It is a daunting task to reconcile command structures on paper vs actual field commands on any given day during April and May of 1862.
While I have collected and organized a mass of information on The Army of the West, many are the gaps remaining that lack compelling documentation. There just aren’t many quick and easy answers from which to assemble brief conclusions.
I am pleased to share what I have discovered, but I’m sure most will find the minutiae boring, and certainly confusing.
Here goes:
4/9 Des Arc, S O #46-Gen Rust is assigned to the command of a brigade which will consist of Ark reg’ts & Bns currently garrisoned at Devall's Bluff and of such others as may hereafter be added to them.
As of the date of this order, McCarver’s so called regiment was landing at Memphis.* It was [or had recently been] part of a command structure referred to as “White River forces.”** However, it could be construed that they were a titular part of Rust’s Command, while not necessarily a part of Rust’s Brigade proper. ***
*”On the 2nd day of April we [McCarver’s regiment] took up the line of march and reached Jacksonport the 5th, where we boarded a steamer and started as a reinforcement to Corinth, Miss., April 6, being the first day of the memorable battle of Shiloh. We sailed down White River, out at its mouth, then up the great Mississippi and landed at Memphis, Tenn., on the 9th…
We marched through Memphis to the Memphis & Charleston depot, but just before the train started we were ordered to take up the march back, boarded a steamer, and away we went up the Mississippi. Just at dark we landed at Fort Pillow, fifty miles above Memphis, on the Tennessee side…
We landed at Ft. Pillow on the 9th, camped in the fort ten days then went to what is called Randolph, five miles below…”
Where I was And What I saw During the Late War By Elihu C. Bechkam, Sergeant Co. “K”, 21st Ark.
**3/31 Morning report of White River forces at Pocahontas-Col McCarver cdg
3 Ark Cav-9 co’s-265 total present 284 agg—incl absent sick or detached=480----1 co in Tenn
14th Inf-8 co’s-398/416=527---1 field officer cdg post
17th Inf-8 co’s-422/446=589
Bn [temporary ?]-6-397/419=484---Capt Turnbull cdg
….Artillery-1-32/34
Total present 1506-agg 1599---incl absent sick or detached 2112
Plus 2 small companies of Missouri troops-probably as many as 100
***3/25 Van Dorn instructions to Gen. Rust, with a copy to Col. J P Morgan-Head Qtrs. Trans Miss Dist. Little Rock,
…to assume command of the Troops in the region of country [sic] about the River Ark, from Clarksville to the mouth of the river & about White River from Des Arc to its mouth.
-You will proceed at once to organizing Reg’ts from the Co’s organized. The Co’s now at Little Rock will be sent to Devall’s [sic] Bluff under the command of Col. James P. Major, where the organization will take place. The Co’s North of the Ark River, that were formerly ordered to proceed under the command of Col. Major to Jacksonport, will proceed under his command to Des Arc, where they will be organized into Reg’ts & Bns under your direction.
-The Co’s organized under the call of Gov. Rector for the Confederate Service, & heretofore directed to proceed to Jacksonport under the control & supervision of Col James. P. Major, are hereby directed to change their march to Des Arc on White River. Col. Major will make the necessary arrangements to carry out these instructions.
-The Co’s now at Little Rock will proceed at once to Devall’s [sic] Bluff, where they will go into camp, be assessed, and await orders. Col. Major will superintend & control their movement also, & will make the necessary measures for the prompt execution of their orders, & for the proper care of the men.
-Gen. Rust, after assuming command as heretofore directed, will cause all the Ark Troops who may report to him to be organized into Reg’ts after their arrival on White River.
The White River forces at Pocahontas included the Arkansas infantry commands of McCarver, Lemoyne and Turnbull. Each of these units were involved in a confusing array of assignments and reassignments, primarily within the brigades of Rust and Churchill.^
It appears that McCarver’s regiment may have been intended to go to Corinth as a part of Churchill’s brigade, but was apparently detached at the last moment.^^
After which, perhaps it simply came under Rust’s orders but not necessarily part of his brigade proper [just yet]. That may be why it was designated as the unit to go to Ft Randolph on 4/19, while those of Rust’s brigade proper remained at Ft Pillow. For now, this must be viewed as speculative deduction [aka guesswork].
It can also be surmised that Rust was merely designated as the General officer on the scene available to undertake the organization of Turnbull's command, and not necessarily assigned as his brigade commander. Turnbull can be found in Churchill’s brigade while Rust is at Fort Pillow. Perhaps McCarver's ready made command was chosen vice Turnbull who was involved in organizing his command.
Not until the order of April 24th^^^, did McCarver and Lemoyne become official components of Rust’s brigade. I simply do not have adequate information on Lemoyne's command for the Fort Pillow period.
^4/10 Des Arc, [S O #47]
-Col McCarver’s reg’t of Ark Inf will transfer at once to the steamer Gen Price... on reaching Memphis, he and Col Lemoyne to report to Rust
-The Co’s of Inf as follows: Reinhard, Byers, Sloan, Hufstedler, Morgan and Oates are to go.... to Memphis under Capt Turnbull......
-to report to Rust who will organize them into a reg’t with Co’s of Adams, Rodgers, McCray, and Adair
-Election to be deferred till all Co’s present. Meanwhile the six Company Bn will be under Capt Turnbull
^^4/21 Memphis S. O. # 59 Following is the organization of the 1st Bgde & 2nd Bgde of 2nd Div Army of the West. These units to report immediately to their Bgde cdr
Churchill's Bgde
Embry Regt D.C.
Harper Regt D.C.
McNair Regt
McCarver Regt
Provence btry
4/23 Morning report 2nd Bgde, 2nd Div, Fort Pickering “[near Memphis]”-Gen Churchill cdg-J W Butler AAG
McCarver’s regt On dtchd service
^^^4/24 S.O. #64 Memphis
IV. Col McCarver's reg’t of Ark Volunteers is hereby transferred from Churchill to Rust's Bgde
XII. Gen Rust’s Bgde ....consists of the reg’ts of Colonel’s Carroll, King, Smead, McCarver and Lemoyne. Maj Clark to assign a btry
Damon writes: “King's Carroll's and McCarvers are all specifically mentioned as being at Fort Pillow, but Smead* is less clear to me.”,/I.
4/14 Fort Pillow, Gen Rust to Genl. Beauregard: By order, I am here with three Regts and a Bn of my Bgde.
Rust's wording could perhaps be interpreted to infer that this is only a portion of Rust’s brigade with him at Fort Pillow
*”...Upon completing the armament of Company G, Captain H G P Williams, along with the other companies comprising the 19th Arkansas, departed for Memphis, and thence to Fort Pillow, Tennessee. After arriving at the fort, overlooking the high bluffs on the east side of the Mississippi, the men of the 19th Arkansas found their stay short-lived. Fort Pillow underwent a terrific mortar bombardment which Williams and his men managed to survive.
until the 24th when we went by water to Memphis and from there to Corinth on the 25th...”
ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, Volume 31 (Spring 1972), p. 36
Hillsboro's Soldier-Citizen: Horatio Gates Perry Williams. By ARTHUR R. AND ROBERT B. BUCKALEW
Continuing with speculative deductions, it could be argued that the ‘three Regts and a Bn of my Bgde’ that Rust referred to on April 14th were:
Carroll
Smead
King
Jones/Miller’s Bn
The Battalion is more speculative than the regiments, and while it might seem it was Lemoyne’s, I have yet to uncover any evidence to support that. I doubt that it was Turnbull’s Battalion as there are references to him in Memphis, and part of Churchill’s brigade [perhaps replacing McCarver] while Rust was at Fort Pillow.:
4/20 Memphis-Capt Charles Turnbull commanding Bn receipts for 344 haversacks, 62 knapsacks & 12,000 caps
4/22 Member of (Turnbull's) Regt- Elmwood Cemetery burial, Memphis
4/23 Memphis, Morning Report for troops of A of W
…
…
2nd Bgde 1060 1090 Gen Churchill
1st Bgde 2475 2695 Gen Hogg
Bn Ak Inf 432 464 Maj Turnbull
…
4/24 S. O. #64 Memphis
I. The Regt under command of Capt Turnbull of the Co’s of Capts Reinhardt, Byers, Sloan [sp?], Hufstedtler, Morgan, Oates, Adams, Rogers, McCoy & Adair is hereby assigned to Churchill Bgde
As to Miller/Jones' Bn, we do have a reference under command of Rust, but not necessarily of his brigade proper-- as follows:
4/24 Memphis, Maury to Gen Rust, Fort Pillow-You will please send Maj Miller’s Bn to this point without delay.
Bu,t Miller’s Bn is not included in the order of 4/24 announcing Rust’s brigade [see above]
And, the Miller/Jones’ Bn is included in the April 28th morning report of Rust’s Brigade. This is also the first time that I have seen this Bn listed in such a report.
But, then again, the 4th Arkansas Bn is also shown in this same report, but had never been an official part of Rust’s brigade that I can determine, but rather had escaped surrender at Island #10, and then came temporarily under Rust’s command:
4/28 Morning report of Rust's Bgde Returned for correction-MM Kimmel AAG
17th Regt Ark
Carroll Regt Ark
Smead Regt Ark
King's Regt Ark
4th Bn Ark
Jones' Bn Ark
4/29 Gen Orders # 17- Memphis- Following is the organization of the Army of the West:
…
Jones' Div
1st Bgde Rust
[18th] Ak
[22d] Ak
[19th] Ak
Jones' Ak Bn
Lemoynes' Ak Bn
McCarver's Ak Bn
bty