Doyle, I never would have known about the circumstances at Sharpsburg from any reading I've done, but for the fact that several years ago I chanced upon a personal account by a member of the 3rd Arkansas regimental band. I can't remember off-hand if it's in a letter or a postwar account -- it's buried in my so-called files somewhere -- but the musician stated that many of his fellow band members who had been detailed as nurses volunteered to stay behind to care for their wounded comrades. When the Union army took charge of the makeshift Confederate field hospital, the surgeons, nurses and medical orderlies were sent to prisoner of war camps. However, according to the then-prevailing practices of war dealing with medical personnel, they were exchanged fairly quickly.

I agree that the 3rd Arkansas Regiment (and the 2nd Arkansas Battalion) need to have their story told in a much more comprehensive manner than Collier's book was able to do. As you said, so much more information has been uncovered since Collier's book was published. He did the best he could with what he had to work with, but it's time for someone to undertake a new book.

You're an excellent writer, Doyle. Howzabout it?