Just finished reading the article in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Winter 2013, Uncertain Loyalties: Dual Enlistment in the Third and Fourth Arkansas Cavalry, USV, by Georgena Duncan.
This is an interesting article on men who joined the Union Third and Fourth Arkansas Cavalry Regiments, who had prior service in the Confederate Army. These were not POWs who joined to escape prison, but recruits in Arkansas.
The article indicates that over 40% of the recruits of these two regiments had served in the Confederate Army. The total did not include common names which would make it difficult to insure they were the same man. Former Confederate Officers, NCOs and privates all joined the Union regiments, but the scale was tilted in favor of the NCOs. Most of the men claimed they had not served the Confederacy voluntary and were at heart Union men. Some claim they were part of the "Union League" which was present in many Confederate companies.
Not having studied this in depth I have not real explanation for this. President Lincoln believed these men had joined for patriotism, political bias, personal courage, love of adventure, want of employment and for convenience. Many of the dual loyalties men had deserted soon after enlisting in the Confederate Army and had been conscripted in 1863.
Regardless of the reasons why, the number of dual loyalty men in Arkansas was considerable. Any thoughts on this?
Third Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
From A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
Regimental Histories
By Frederick H. Dyer
Organized at Little Rock, Arkansas, February 1864. Attached to
Post of Little Rock, Arkansas, 7th Army Corps, Department
Arkansas, to May 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Army
Corps to September, 1864. 4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th
Army Corps to February, 1865. Post of Lewisburg, Arkansas, 7th
Army Corps to August, 1865.
Service
Operations in Northwest Arkansas January 16-February 15, 1864.
Expedition from Batesville to near Searcy Landing January 30-
February 3 (Detachment). Dardanelle March 15-17. Steele's
Camden Expedition March 23-May 3. Skirmishes on Benton Road
March 23-24. Rockport and Dover March 25. Quitman March 26.
Arkadelphia March 29. Near Camden March 30. Spoonville and
Terre Noir Creek April 2. Okolona April 2-3. Elkin's Ferry,
Little Missouri River, April 3-4. Prairie D'Ann April 9-12.
Camden APril 15-18. Mark's Mills April 25. Jenkins' Ferry,
Saline River, April 30. Operations against Shelby North of
Arkansas River May 13-31. Cypress Creek May 13. Princeton May
27. At Lewisburg till September. Lewisburg June 10. Scout from
Lewisburg June 20-23. Operations against guerrillas in
Arkansas July 1-31. Searcy County, July 4. Petit Jean,
Arkansas River, July 10. Near Pine Bluff July 22 (Detachment).
Scout in Yell County July 25-August 11 (Detachment).
Operations in central Arkansas and skirmishes August 9-15.
Near Dardanelle August 30. near Beattie's Mill September 1.
Near Quitman September 2. Operations about Lewisburg
September 6-8. Norristown September 6. Point Remove
September 7-8. Glass Village September 8. Scout to Norristown
and Russellville September 9-12 (Co. D). Ordered to Little
Rock September 10, and duty there till February 1865.
Expedition from Little Rock to Fort Smith Septembei 25-October
13 (Detachment). Skirmishes at Clarksville September 28. White
Oak Creek September 29. Clarksville October 9. Reconnaissance
from Little Rock toward Monticello and Mt. Elba October 4-11.
Expedition to Fort Smith November 5-23. Near Cypress Creek,
Perry County, December 1 (Co. C). Perry County December 3.
Operations in Arkansas January 1-27, 1865. Dardanelle January
14. Ivey's Ford January 17. Boggs' Mills January 24. Duty at
Lewisburg and operations against guerrillas in that vicinity
till August. Near Lewisburg February 12. Scout from Lewisburg
into Yell and Searcy Counties March 12-23. Mustered out August
20, 1865.
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Fourth Arkansas Union Cavalry
Historical Memoranda
From Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Arkansas
by Albert W. Bishop, Adjutant General of Arkansas, 1867
The raising of the 4th regiment Arkansas cavalry volunteers
was begun in November, 1863, and completed on the muster in of
Lafayette Gregg as colonel, December 29, 1864. Meantime
companies of the regiment, as rapidly as organized, were
placed on active duty and experienced the usual vicissitues of
the service.
The following communication, received shortly before the
muster out of the regiment (June 30, 1865,) gives an account
of its organization and services:
To: A. W. Bishop, Adjutant General, State of Arkansas
Headquarters Fourth Regiment Arkansas Cavalry
Little Rock, Arkansas June 8, 1865
SIR: In reply to your communication of today requesting a
history of this regiment I have the honor to state: The
organization of the regiment was commenced under the direction
of William M. Fishback in the month of November, 1863. The
first battalion was mustered in for one year or during the
war, but the muster was declared invalid by the Adjutant
General of the army, and in the month of December that
battalion was disabled, and the regiment commenced
reorganizing as a three years' organization. The regiment
filled up quite rapidly until the disastrous expedition of
General Steele in the month of March, 1864, which discouraged
enlistments, and the organization of the regiment was not
completed till December 29, 1864.
The following is a statement of the completion of the
organization of each company: 'A' Company was organized by
Captain Joel Brown on the 12th day of December, 1863, at
Little Rock, Arkansas; 'B' Company by Captain James R.
Lafferry on the 9th day of January, 1864, at Little Rock,
Arkansas; 'C' Company by Captain Henry Wood on the 28th day of
January, 1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'D' Company by
Captain George H. Hand, on the 5th day of March, 1864, at
Little Rock, Arkansas; 'E' Company by Captain George W. Smith,
on the 29th day of March, 1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'F'
Company by Captain William H. Warner, on the 7th day of April,
1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'G' Company by Captain William
J. Green, on the 29th day of April, 1864, at Little Rock,
Arkansas; 'H' Company by Captain John F. Sanders, on the 7th
day of May, 1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'I' Company by
Captain Emory E. Knowlton, on the 16th day of October, 1864,
at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'K' Company by Captain Joseph
Bennett, on the 18th day of June, 1864, at Little Rock,
Arkansas; 'L' Company by Captain James S. Clark, on the 15th
day of July, 1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas; 'M' Company by
Captain Frederick F. Burlock, on the 31st day of December,
1864, at Little Rock, Arkansas.
Although the regiment as such, has never been in any general
engagements, detachments of it have been in several skirmishes
and fights. A portion of company G was in a fight at Mount
Elba, Arkansas, on the 30th day of March, 1864. Companies A,
B, C, E and K were in a fight at Dardanelle, Arkansas, when
that place was attacked by the rebel General Shelby's command
on the 16th day of May, 1864. The regiment also had a severe
skirmish with the enemy on Saline River, Arkansas, on the 16th
day of July, 1864, in which the brave Captain Hugh Quin was
killed.
Portions of the regiment have also been in several other
skirmishes at different times, and a large number of
bushwhackers have at various times been captured by it.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant.
HORACE L. MOORE
Lieutenant Colonel Commanding Regiment
The regiment was mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas, on the
30th day of June, 1865.