Some of those old boys were "States Rights to the Core". They believed in defending their state first and were not for "federalization" of their troops. But that is not what happened in Arkansas.

In 1861 and early 1862 half of all the volunteer regiments raised in Arkansas went east to final become part of the AoT and even the Army of Northern Virginia. But after Van Dorn abandoned his Trans-Mississippi command after only recieving his appointment to that post 90 days before in January 1862 that ended. In fact Governor Rector and Gen's Roane and Hindman issues statewide orders for the provost marshalls to stop all unit who were heading to the eastern theaters, including units from other states like Texas. Parsons 12th Texas Cavalry was one of the first units stopped and in fact two companies of this regiment had already reached Memphis when they recieved tha order and returned to Arkansas.

Those old boys were H.O.T. hot at Van Dorn and Davis. Hindman's reorganization of the Confederate army in Arkansas in 90 days from absolutely nothing with raw conscripts and no equipment. While at the same time with less than 500 cavalry and independant home guards bluffed a veteran 12,000 man Union army into retreating to Helena, Ark. is a fantastic story. And they did not get over their mad spell easily.

The Confederates even sent the CSS Ponchartrain to Little Rock as a form of "gunboat diplomacy" to keep Arkansas in the fight for the Confederacy. 1) One to show Governor Rector that the Confederacy had not abandoned Arkansas. Although I don't know what good one Gunboat was going to do against a land army. 2) As an implied threat of force. That is why the CSS Ponchartrain and Maurepas missed out on the Battle of Memphis, June 1862.

In Arkansas after the Van Dorn incident they never sent another Arkansas or Texas man east of the Mississippi River. In fact the Confederates finally sent Gen Sterling Price's Missourians back to Arkansas along with extra small arms and Artillery to re-equip the "new" confederate army in Arkansas because Van Dorn had taken everything including the machines from the Little Rock arsenal.

There were several request and there were even orders cut that certain regiments such as the Texas regiments that were captured at Arkansas Post were to be sent east of the Mississippi for several operational plans. Even to The ANV per Lee's request for more western troops in his army.

But, they never were sent except as exchanged prisoners that became a part of Pat Cleburne's Division AoT.