1st
Arkansas Mounted Rifles
Organized at Little Rock,
Arkansas on June 16, 1861 under the command of Colonel Thomas J. Churchill. Initially assigned to McCulloch's Brigade near Fayetteville,
Arkansas, the regiment participated in the campaign to reinforce General
Sterling Price's Missouri State Guard in southwestern Missouri in July and
August, 1861, fighting in the battles at Neosho and Wilson's Creek (called
"Oak Hills" by the Confederates).
Returned to Arkansas after Wilson's Creek and
served in the Indian Territory against a number of Unionist Cherokee units in
September and October, 1861. Wintered near Stickler's Station, and marched with
the Army of the West in late February, 1862, fighting in a number of small
skirmishes culminating in the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7-8, 1862.
Retreated with the Army of the West to Van
Buren, and from there marched east to join the Confederate forces massing at
Corinth, Mississippi. Dismounted at DeVall's Bluff,
Arkansas, in April 1862 and fought as infantry for the remainder of the war.
Reorganized at Corinth, MS
on May 1, 1862, re-enlisting for three years or the duration of the War. Colonel Churchill was promoted to brigade command at
Corinth, and the regiment was assigned to his brigade in McCown's
Division, which accompanied Kirby Smith's army in an attempt to re-occupy
Kentucky in the summer and early fall of 1862. General Churchill was reassigned
to a command in Arkansas in July, and General McNair assumed command of the
brigade.
The brigade fought in the battle of Richmond,
KY on August 29-30, 1862.
Following the Battle of Perryville fought by
Bragg's army in October, Kirby Smith's army followed Bragg back into middle
Tennessee where it was merged with Bragg's Army of Tennessee.
The regiment fought at the battle of
Murfreesboro on December 30, 1862 - January 2, 1863. In the early summer of
1863 McNair's brigade was detailed to General Joe Johnston's forces in an
attempt to relieve the federal siege of Vicksburg and fought in the siege of
Jackson, MS.
Following the fall of both Vicksburg and
Jackson the brigade returned to Bragg's Army of Tennessee near Tullahoma, and
fought in all of that army's battles for the remainder of the war.
Chickamauga;
Chattanooga,
Atlanta Campaign including Dug Gap,
Resaca, Peachtree Creek,
Atlanta,
Ezra Church,
The siege of Atlanta,
Jonesboro,
Lovejoy's Station and Moon's Station;
The battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville,
Sugar Creek,
The Carolinas Campaign,
Bentonville.
Consolidated with the 2nd Arkansas Mounted
Rifles, 4th Arkansas Infantry Battalion, and the 4th, 9th, and 25th Arkansas
Infantry regiments and the consolidated unit renamed as the 1st Mounted Rifles
Regiment (Consolidated) (Dismounted) at the last reorganization of the Army of
Tennessee near Smithville, North Carolina on April 9, 1865.
Surrendered with the Army
of Tennessee near Durham Station, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.
Officers: Col. T. J. Churchill. Field
Officers: Maj. Wm. P. Campbell; Lt. Col. Morton G. Galloway; Major (later
Colonel) Robert W. Harper; Major (later Lt. Col.) George S. Laswell;
Lt. Col. Charles H. Matlock; Major (later Lt. Col. and Col.) Leander M. Ramsaur; Major (later Lt. Col., Col., and Brigadier
General) Daniel H. Reynolds; Major (later Lt. Col.) George W. Wells
References: Robert H. Dacus,
Reminiscences of Company "H", First Arkansas Mounted Rifles
John D. McReynolds Service Record
Records for John D. McReynolds
service in the Confederate States Army were supplied by
ARKANSAS HISTORY COMMISSION
One Capitol Mall Little Rock, AR
72201.
Below is an Extract from these
copies in possession of 3rd great grandson William Andrew McReynolds. On each
Muster Roll is included name of soldier, date, place of enrollment and officer
who enrolled them I chose not to include that information on each entry.
Capt. Laswell's
Company, Churchill's Mounted Rifle Regiment, Arkansas Volunteers
MUSTER ROLLS:
6 June, 1861 enlisted for 12 months
at Ft. Smith, Arkansas age 18 travelled 127 miles with horse.
6 June to 1 Aug. 1861 present:
allowed $68.01 for horse & equipment.
31 Aug. to 31 Sept., 1861 absent due
to sick furlough age 18: Allowed $50.00 for horse & $10.00 for equipment.
1 Nov. to 31 Dec. 1861 absent on sick
leave age 18: Allowed $50.00 for horse & $10.00 for equipment.
May & June 1862 age 19.
____ Feb. to ______ 1862 Reenlisted,
Extended Bounty paid.
May & June 1862 no remarks.
(eligible) & (eligible) 1862 no remarks.
Nov. & Dec. 1862 absent wounded
in battle 31 Dec. 1862. [wounded at Murfreesboro, Tn.]
December 1862 through January 2,
1863 The Battle of Stones River or Murfreesboro took place.
1st Dec to 31st Dec $24.00.
Jan. & Feb. present pay due
$23.00.
March & April 1863 Detailed as
Provost Guard 25 Feb. 1863.
May & June 1863 present.
June & Aug. 1863 present pay for
horse .40 per day $24.00.
31 Aug to 31 Oct 1863 on detailed
service as Provost Guard.
Jan & Feb 1864 present.
Jul & Aug 1864 entitled to .40 per
day for use of horse from 1st of May. 1864.
[Not dated] Use of horse, arms, etc. .40 per day $58.00.
J. D. McReynolds Pvt. Co. I 1st Ark.
appears on a LIST of killed, wounded and missing in action, in Maj. Gen,
McGowan's Division, A. T., at the Battle in front of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Dec.
31, 1862 (wounded slightly in arm) Dec. 31, 1862. Series 1, Vol. 20, part 1,
page 779.
J. D. McReynolds Pvt. Co. I 1st Ark.
Regt. Appears on a REPORT of officers and enlistded
men absent with leave and on detached service McCowan's
Division, Polk's Corp. , Army of Tennessee, April 26, 1863. Report dated
Shelbyville April 11, 1862. Date of leave Dec,1, 1862.
By whose authority General McCowan.
Remarks Cleveland Tenn.
Register Mar. 1 to June 30 1863 paid
$48.00.
July 1863 Retreat from Jackson,
Mississippi; 1st & 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles were consolidated with Lt.
Colonel Reynolds command. p. 436
July 30, 1863 the 1st & 2nd
Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Dismounted) voted to reenlist if the regiment could be
remounted & sent west of the Mississippi River. August 1st 1863 a lodge was
organized after receiving a dispensation from the Grand Master of Masons in
Arkansas. p. 438
August 15th, 1863 the 1st Arkansas
camped at Camp Bowne about 1 mile from the Depot in Meridian Mississippi. The
lodge formed on August 16th was named "Harper Travelling Lodge" p.
439
August 17th, 1863 …left sick &
disabled men at Meridian, Mississippi & departed by cars for Okalona. The 1st & 25th camped at sundown 150 yards
east of the water tank in Okalona and they spent 3
days to build the breastworks. Friday 21st the Rev. Leathe
preached in camp & on Saturday 22nd both regiments took cars back to
Meridian, Mississippi. p. 439
Dec. 1 to Dec 31, 1863 $24.40.
On Jan. 4, 1864 Jonn
D. McReynolds Pvt. Co.
I Regt. Ark. Mounted Rifles requested pay at $12.00 per day from Dec 1 to Dec
31, 1863. Also requested horse allotment $00.40 per day, (31 days) $12.40. He
received $24.40 per his request.[The document includes
his signature].
J.D. McReynolds Pvt. Co., B Regiment
Arkansas Mounted Rifles: Appears on a Muster Roll of Officers and Men paroled
in accordance with the terms of a Military Convention entered into on the 28th
day of April. 1865. Between General Joseph E. Johnston Commanding Confederate
Army and Major General W. W. Sherman, Commanding United States Army in North
Carolina. Roll dated Jamestown, N. C., April 28, 1865.
Paroled at Greensboro, N. C., 1865. Present
Below Ref: Arkansas Confederates in
the Western Theater By: James Willis
Morningside House, Inc., 260 Oak
Street, Dayton, Ohio 45401 1-800-648-9710 Fax 937-461-4260
http://www.morningsidebooks.com
The 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles was
to arrive in Montgomery, Alabama about September 7th, 1863. On September 9th,
the 1st Arkansas Mounted attended a play with their Lt. Col. Reynolds. The
regiment pulled out the next morning September 10th, 1863 at 5:00 AM. Lt. Col.
Reynolds was promoted to Colonel after the Battle of Chickamauga in September
of 1863. Reynolds and the Arkansas
regiments reached Resaca, Georgia on Sept 13th and they camped ½ mile west of
town……remained all day & night…..quite cold…[Next morning at 2:00, orders
came to the sleeping men to be ready to leave in two hours, but at 4:00 new
orders came changing the time to 9:00,
when McNairs brigade left for Ringgold. Arrived at
Chickamauga Creek where the brigade had been burned 2 ½ miles Southeast of
Ringgold. p. 440
…. The 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles
(Dismounted) camped for the night beside the railroad in line of battle…. Men
in fine spirits: Chickamauga…a creek in
NW Georgia in its Cherokee name means "River of Death" also
translates from Cherokee as "Stagnant Water". p. 441
Units from Arkansas engaged in the
Battle of Chickamauga
1st Arkansas Lucius Polk's Brigade,
Cleburne's Division
19th & 24th Regiments
(Consolidated) Desher's Brigade, Cleburne's Division
2nd & 15th (Consolidated); 5th
& 13th (Consolidated); 6th & 7th (Consolidated) & 8th Daniel Govans' Brigade, Lidell's
Division
1st & 2nd Arkansas Mounted
Rifles (Dismounted) & 4th & 25th Regiments McNair's Brigade, Bushrod Johnson's Division
3rd Arkansas Jerome Robertson's
Brigade, Hood's Division
3rd Arkansas Cavalry Col. James T.
Wheeler's Brigade, under Brig. Gen. N. B. Forrest
Arkansas Artillery; J. H. Wiggins
Battery; 1st Arkansas Battery; Helena Artillery
3rd & 5th Confederate
(Consolidated) Polk's Brigade, Cleburne's Division (the 3rd Confederate
comprised the 18th Arkansas Regiment, 1st Arkansas Battalion, & Smith's 5th
Tennessee Regiment)
John D. McReynolds Pension Record
According to an application for
pension filed on John D. McReynolds, M. L. McReynolds applied August 15, 1903.
John D. McReynolds served in the War of Northern Aggression from June 6,
1861-April 26, 1865 and was paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina. Mrs. M. L.
McReynolds states her husbands' death to be January 7, 1898.
Application of M. L. McReynolds
widow of John D. McReynolds Carden Bottoms P. O.
Yell County, Arkansas Examined and $50.00 allowed and Auditor authorized
to draw warrant for same This 15 day of Aug., 1903
____________Sec'y.of
State
T. C. Monroe Auditor
WIDOW'S APPLICATION FOR PENSION
STATE OF ARKANSAS
}
County of Yell }
I, M. L. McReynolds do solemnly
swear that I am the widow of John D. McReynolds who served as a soldier in the
army (or sailor in the navy) of the Confederate States, being a member of C o.
I, 1st Ark. Mounted riflemen, Reynolds Brigade, Regiment of Mathews Div. ??? , from the State of Arkansas or a member of the crew
of the ship called________ that he was honorably discharged (paroled or
released) from such service on or about the 9th day of May 1865 and did not
desert the same; that I am now, and for the past twelve months have been, a
bona fide resident of this State; that I do not own, real or personal, or both,
or money or choses in action, in excess of the value of $400.00 (exclusive of
household goods and wearing apparel), nor have I conveyed title to any property
to enable me to draw a pension, and that I am not inreceipt
of any income, annuity, pension or wages for any services, the emoluments of an
office, in excess of &150.00 per year; that my said husband died Jan.7,
1898. Died after the close of War and that I have not since
remarried, so help me God.
(Signature) M. L. McReynolds
Subscribed and sworn to before me,this 30 day of July, 1903
Pat. E. H_______
Notory Public
My Com. Expires Oct., 27, 1904
Application of M. L. McReynolds
Widow #14301
McReynolds John D. Co. I 1st Arknansas Rifles 1861-1865
T. C. Monroe Auditor
STATE OF ARKANSAS
}
COUNTY OF YELL } SS
We the undersigned, sitting as a
Pension Board for Yell County certify that we have examined the application of
the within named __________________________________ for pension under Act of
the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas as approved March 11, 1901 and
proof in support of same and find that said applicant ____________ the widow of a
Confederate soldier is _________ in indigent circumstances and that the claim
is just and that she should be allowed $50.00 pension.
W. H. (ineligible)
D. H. Russell