Genealogical Sources for Confederate Arkansas

Southern Troops Fought to Secede from the Union

Nov 10, 2009

Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861, but its population was divided on joining the Confederacy, so genealogists may find ancestors who fought for either side.

Although the majority of Arkansans supported the Confederacy, a sizable number of both black and white Arkansas residents supported the Union. Throughout the war, parts of the state were controlled by the Confederacy and parts by the Union. Neither governed very much territory beyond their own camps, so some areas of the state were overrun with bushwhackers, or jayhawkers, who claimed to be fighting for one side or the other, but were really just thieves and murderers.

Civil War Battles and Regiments in Arkansas

Arkansas, because of the Mississippi river, served as a gateway to the Southwest, and therefore was of strategic interest to both North and South. It was the site of more than 750 military engagements, though not many of them were as large as the well-known Arkansas battles of Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Arkansas Post, or the Battle of Helena.

About 48 Confederate infantry regiments, as well as several cavalry and artillery battery units, were created in Arkansas. A number of other Arkansas soldiers, especially those from regions bordering other states, joined regiments in Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, or Texas. Because of this, as well as the fact that many Confederate regimental records have been lost, make it almost impossible to estimate the total number of Arkansas men who served in the Confederate Army.

Finding Civil War Records for Confederate Soldiers in Arkansas

Several excellent sources, both online and in print, can help the genealogist trace Arkansas soldiers who fought for the South. While census records are always valuable, and the Civil War Soldier and Sailor Records are great for basic information, several state resources can also help locate Civil War veterans.

1911 Census of Confederate Veterans

One source of special interest, often available in libraries, is a transcription of the Arkansas 1911 Census of Confederate Veterans. This series of interviews, conducted in 1911 and published 1977-1981, includes names of parents, spouse, children, birth date and place, and often other information. The text was compiled from actual interviews with the veterans, so the information is sometimes surprisingly extensive.

The Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock collects and makes available material on the Civil War. The following indexes of Confederate records are available online at the Arkansas History Commission website:

- Online Index to Arkansas Confederate Pension Records

In 1891, Arkansas granted annual pensions to its resident ex-Confederate servicemen and their widows. As in the other former Confederate states, pensions were granted by the state in which the veteran or his widow lived at the time of application, rather than by the state in which he served.

- Online Index to Arkansas Confederate Home Records

The Confederate Home was established in 1890 by the Ex-Confederate Association of Arkansas to care for the needs of indigent Confederate soldiers and their widows. The home was operated by the state until only a handful of residents remained, closing in 1963.

Other material regarding the Civil War available at the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock includes the Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served In Organizations From Arkansas, Index to Arkansas Confederate Service Records (Herndon's), Ex-Confederate Pension Records, State Auditor's Warrant Books, Unfiled Papers of Confederate Soldiers, Index to Confederate Soldiers In Units Raised Directly by the Confederate Government, Service Records of Confederate General & Staff Officers, Confederate Casualty Lists & Narrative Battle Reports, 1861-1865, Arkansas Ex-Confederate Amnesty Papers, Arkansas Confederate Service Records, History of Arkansas Confederate Units, Arkansas Confederate Pension Book Index, Arkansas Confederate Miscellaneous Pension Records, 1911 Confederate Veterans Questionnaires, Consolidated Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, Confederate Soldiers Raised Directly by the Confederate Government Service Records, and Records of Confederate Naval & Marine Personnel.

This website, which came online in 2008, was designed to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. It will continue to add content, even as it publicizes events planned between 2011 and 2015, which correspond to the war years of 1861-1865. The site includes the following sections:

The copyright of the article Genealogical Sources for Confederate Arkansas in Genealogy is owned by Katharine Garstka. Permission to republish Genealogical Sources for Confederate Arkansas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.