The second 19th Arkansas Regiment—whose Compiled Service Records were catalogued by the U.S. War Department as the 19th (Dockery’s) Arkansas Infantry—was just flat-out mis-designated by the powers that be. When companies were being mustered into service at DeValls Bluff in April 1862, Colonel Carroll’s regiment was given the designation 18th Arkansas Regiment, since that designation was no longer being used by Colonel Marmaduke’s old 18th Arkansas Regiment (now designated as the 3rd Confederate Infantry). So, the next regiment to be mustered was given the next sequential number—the 19th Arkansas Regiment—despite the fact that Colonel Dawson’s 19th Arkansas Regiment was already in service; but they were stationed out in the Indian Territory, so out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

At any rate, the new 19th Arkansas Regiment was organized on April 2, 1862, at DeValls Bluff, with Col. Hamilton P. Smead in command. The regimental quartermaster was Capt. Thomas P. Dockery, future brigadier-general. The regiment was comprised of ten companies from Columbia, Hot Spring, Lafayette, Ouachita and Union counties. Soon after being organized, the regiment was ordered to Mississippi, along with the rest of Van Dorn’s Army of the West. After settling in at Camp Churchill Clark, near Corinth, Mississippi, the 19th Arkansas was reorganized for the war and new officers were elected. All of the original field officers were thrown out in the election of May 12, 1862, and in their place the men elected Col. Thomas P. Dockery, Lieut. Col. William H. Dismukes, and Maj. Horatio G. P. Williams. On June 2, 1862, the two Hot Spring County companies were consolidated. Company D (from Rockport) was merged into Company E (from Hot Springs).

Colonel Dockery was placed in command of Second Brigade, Bowen’s Division, and so actual field command of the 19th Arkansas Regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Dismukes, who led the regiment through the terrible battles that preceded the siege of Vicksburg. The 19th Arkansas fought at Port Gibson, Champion’s Hill, and the Big Black River Bridge, where Lieutenant-Colonel Dismukes was mortally wounded and most of the regiment was captured. Major Horatio Gates Perry Williamson was promoted to lieutenant-colonel after Dismukes’ death, and the uncaptured remnant of the 19th Arkansas fell back to Vicksburg, where it was surrendered and paroled when the city fell on July 4, 1863.

The regiment was exchanged back in Arkansas, and, when Colonel Dockery was appointed brigadier-general, Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson was promoted to colonel, commanding regiment (or what was left of it). The 19th Arkansas was consolidated with other decimated Arkansas regiments to form the 3rd Consolidated Arkansas Infantry, and was stationed at Marshall, Texas, when the war ended.

This 19th Arkansas Regiment maintained unusually good regimental records, perhaps due to the influence of Dockery, with muster rolls submitted up to April 30, 1863, just before the Vicksburg Campaign fights started. Despite this, there has always been a great deal of confusion about the identities of the 19th Arkansas Regiments, especially among genealogical researchers. The confusion is further fueled by the existence of another, quasi-official 19th Arkansas Regiment—the one known as Col. John R. Hardy’s regiment. I’ll cover Hardy’s regiment next.