User:Aleutian06/13th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment

The 13th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment (1864-1865) was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was more commonly referred to as Clarkson’s Battalion Independent Rangers, "Clarkson's Battalion, Confederate Cavalry", "Buster's Battalion" and occasionally as "Clarkson's Missouri Cavalry Battalion". The designation "13th Arkansas Cavalry" only appears on prisoner of war records for 8 unit members.

Organization
Colonel James J. Clarkson led a company of Missouri troops during the Mexican - American War and had been involved in the conflict over slavery in Kansas in the 1850s. He led pro slavery militia forces during the "Bleeding Kansas" period. At the beginning of the Civil War he was commissioned as a Colonel in the Missouri State Guard and organized the 5th Missouri Infantry, Missouri State Guard. In the aftermath of the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Maj Gen Earl Van Dorn authorized Colonel Clarkson to raise a mounted force to operate on the western frontier. On March 20, 1862, Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn authorized Clarkson "to muster into service and organize a battalion of Cavalry of six companies--for six months if they furnish their arms and equipment, otherwise for the war" and ordered him to report back for further orders as soon as he raised his battalion. Clarkson quickly recruited six companies and on 8 April 1862 received the following direction from Gen D.H. Maury regarding the purpose of his new command.

Colonel Clarkson mustered six companies for Confederate service on May 1, 1862 at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The unit was composed of the following companies:


 * Company A, Commanded by Captain Leftwich H Stone, organized in Franklin County, Arkansas on 1 Feb 62.
 * Company B, Commanded by Captain J. Henry Minhart, organized in Sebastian County, Arkansas on 1 Apr 62.
 * Company C, Commanded by Captain John F. Winfrey, organized in Crawford County, Arkansas on 1 May 62. This company was divided in on 4 August 1862 with a portion going to create Forester's 2nd Company D.


 * 1st Company D, Commanded by Captain M. R. Johnson, organized in Missouri.
 * 2nd Company D, Commanded by Captain Joseph B. Forester, organized in Crawford, Arkansas on 6 Sep 62. This company was created by the division of Captain Winfrey's Company C and replaced Captain Johnson's 1st Company D.
 * Company E, Commanded by Captain William H. Doak, organized 29 Apr 62. Captain Doak was from Doaksville in Indian territory.
 * Company F, Commanded by Captain James McDonel, organized in Franklin County, Arkansas on 1 May 62. This company was formed from Company A in August 1862.
 * Company G, Commanded by Captain Jesse B. Davis, organized in Franklin county, Arkansas on 1 Feb 62. This company was formed from Company A in August 1862.
 * Company H, Commanded by Captain John F. Ross, organized in Crawford county, Arkansas on 14 Jul 62. Formerly, First Company 'K', First Regiment, Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Enlisted July 12, 1861 for 12 months. Reorganized July 14, 1862 for two years."

After its original formation, the unit gained additional companies by consolidation with Maj Thomas R. Livingston's Battalion, eventually including nine white companies and one Indian company. The unit is occasionally listed as a Missouri unit, probably because both Clarkson and Buster were Missourians, but it seems to have been primarily Arkansas soldiers. The designation "13th Arkansas Cavalry" appears on the Prisoner of War records for 8 prisoners who belonged to Clarkson's unit.

Service
In General Order Number 21, Trans-Mississippi District dated 26 Jun 62:

"II. For the defense of our Indian allies against Federal enemies,..., Col J.J. Clarkson is hereby assigned to the command of all forces that now are or may hereafter be within the limits of the Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole countries, until otherwise ordered by brigadier-general commanding the Department of the Indian Territory, who is now marching in that direction, and to whom Colonel Clarkson will report upon his arrival in the Cherokee country."

Colonel Clarkson and others of his command were captured on July 3, 1862, on Grand River in the Cherokee Nation during the Battle of Locust Grove. Clarkson and his men were escorting a wagon train of supplies intended for Confederate units in the Indian Territory. Approximately 150 members of the unit were either killed or captured. The survivors scattered toward Park Hill and Tahlequah and spread panic among the pro-Confederate Cherokee units, leading to many desertions from those units. At this time, the original Company D, Commanded by Captain M. R. Johnson deserted and eventually joined Major Thomas R. Livingston's First Missouri Cavalry Battalion.

Following the disaster at Locust Grove, Lt. Col. Buster assumed command and served under Brig. Gen. D.H. Cooper during the operations north of the Boston Mountains which culminated in the First Battle of Newtonia, Missouri, September 30, 1862.

After Newtonia and in preparation for the Prairie Grove Campaign, Maj. Gen. Hindman then stripped Brig. Gen. Cooper of many of his units to increase the size of his force in Arkansas.

Consolidation
In November 1862 the remaining five companies of Clarkson/Buster's command were divided into eight companies, dismounted, and merged into Colonel Clark's 9th Missouri Infantry for service during the Prairie Grove Campaign. Lt. Col Buster became the Lt. Col. of Clark's Regiment. The former members of Clarkson/Buster's command thus served with the 9th Missouri at the Battles of Prairie Grove and Helena.

In September 1863 the four Arkansas companies of Clark's Regiment were detached to form the Buster's Cavalry Battalion. Buster's 15th Arkansas Cavalry Battalion was organized On September 20, 1863, for service in the Indian Territory, by taking the four Arkansas companies of Clark's 9th Regiment Missouri Infantry and organizing them as a cavalry battalion under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Michael W. Buster.


 * Co. I, 9th Missouri, became Co. A, Buster's Battalion and was composed mainly of men from Crawford county, Arkansas.
 * Co. G, 9th Missouri, became Co. B, Buster's Battalion and was composed mainly of men from Benton county, Arkansas.
 * Co. E, 9th Missouri, became Co. C, Buster's Battalion and was composed mainly of men from Logan county, Arkansas.
 * Co. D, 9th Missouri, became Co. D, Buster's Battalion and was composed mainly of men from Benton county, Arkansas.

The service of Buster's Battalion following its separation from Clark's 9th Missouri is somewhat obscure. There are no muster rolls from this period and only a few orders and receipts have survived. One of the last official references to the unit is an 11 Jun 64 order which states that the battalion has been ordered to Camden, Ark, probably from Washington, Arkansas. There is a signed document by one of the Battalions officers as later as Jul 64, but after that there is no documentation. Historians believe that at some point between after July 1864 the unit was broken up probably as part of the reorganization of forces that occurred in preparation for Price's Missouri Raid in the fall of that year.