XX years ago today, on May 14, 1861, the 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops, was organized mainly from existing volunteer militia companies several of which had participated in the seizure of the Federal Arsenal at Little Rock in February 1861.
Ten Volunteer Companies were enrolled in State service on May 14, 1861 at Camp Rector, near Mound City, 6 miles (9.7 km) above Memphis on the Mississippi River. Seven of the original ten companies had initially been organized under the state militia laws. Captain Patrick R. Cleburne, of the Yell Rifles, was elected Colonel of the regiment. As the very first regiment of the line authorized by the Arkansas State Military Board in the Civil War, they bore the title of 1st Regiment, Arkansas State Troops. The regiment was formally organized with the following Volunteer Companies:

Company Name County Commander Organization Date
A "Harris Guards" Monroe Capt. James T. Harris May 27, 1861
B "Jefferson Guards" Jefferson Capt. H. Carlton September 24, 1860
C "Yell Guards" Jefferson Capt. Francis M. McNally
D "Rector Guards" Prairie Capt. George W. Glenn February 12, 1861
E "Napoleon Grays" Desha Capt. Henry E. Green February 28, 1861
F "Yell Riflemen" Phillips Capt. Patrick R. Cleburne January 29, 1861
G "Hindman Guards" White Capt. Henry B. Blakemore April 18, 1861
H "Phillips Guards" Phillips Capt. George Otey September 17, 1860
I "Tyronza Rebels" Mississippi Capt. Robert L. Harding June 3, 1861
K "Monroe Blues" Monroe Capt. Gaston K. Baldwin May 16, 1861

When Captain Cleburne was appointed colonel of the new regiment, Captain Edward H. Cowley was elected to succeed him in command of the Yell Rifles, Company F.

The regiment moved via steamboat from Camp Rector down the Mississippi and back up the White River to Pocahontas, Arkansas where they were sworn into Confederate service. Under the command of Colonel Patrick Cleburne, the unit was transferred from state service to Confederate service on July 23, 1861, at Pitman's Ferry, AR and was initially designated as the 1st Arkansas Infantry; This transfer was not binding on the men, who could opt out if they so desired. The men of Company C (Yell Guards) and Company G (Hindman Guards) declined to transfer to the Provisional Army of the Confederate States, so the men were honorably discharged and their companies were disbanded.

After July 1861, the 1st/15th Arkansas had only eight companies, making it, in effect, a "heavy" battalion, rather than a full regiment, but the unit was kept on the army rolls as a regiment throughout the war.

The regiment conducted its initial training at Pitman's Ferry and was assigned to a division commanded by Confederate General William Hardee's Division. They made a short excursion or raid into southeast Missouri in September, and in October, moved with the rest of Hardee's command across the river into Kentucky, becoming Hardee's Division, Army of Central Kentucky. At the time the regiment was moved across the Mississippi River, it contained 506 men. By January 1862 the Confederate War Department had discovered that there was already a "1st Arkansas Infantry" enrolled in Confederate service. Col James Fleming Fagan's regiment was accepted and enrolled in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States at Lynchburg, Virginia, on May 19, 1861, as the 1st Regiment Arkansas Volunteers. When the Confederate War Department realized that it had two "First Arkansas" regiments, it arbitrarily assigned what their records showed was the next available designation, "the 15th Arkansas Regiment" and ordered Cleburne's regiment to adopt this designation. The regiment was re-designated as the 15th Arkansas Infantry on December 31, 1861. Unfortunately the Arkansas State Military Board had already authorized the use of this designation for Col. James M. Gee's regiment. Effectively the Confederate Army went from having two 1st Arkansas Regiments to having two 15th Arkansas Regiments; however, these designations stuck for the rest of the war.

Colonel Cleburne was appointed Brigadier General in March 1862, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Archibald K. Patton. After the battle of Shiloh, Colonel Lucius E. Polk took command. Colonel Polk was appointed Brigadier General in December 1862, and was succeeded by Colonel John E. Josey. The U.S. War Department cataloged the regiment's Compiled Service Records as the 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Infantry.
General Hardee took the 7th Arkansas Battalion with him when he transferred his command to Kentucky and organized the Confederate Army of Central Kentucky and Colonel Cleburne was placed in command of a new brigade which included his 15th Arkansas, the 6th Mississippi, and the 23rd, 24th and 35th Tennessee Regiments.

Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald K. Patton, the 15th Arkansas saw its first combat at the Battle of Shiloh, April 6–7, 1862, where it suffered heavy casualties in driving back Sherman's division of Union troops.

The regiment served with Cleburne's Brigade in the Confederate Army of the Mississippi during the Battles of Richmond and Perryville, Kentucky in October 1862. Due to heavy losses suffered by the 13th Arkansas during the Battle of Shiloh, the 13th and the 15th Arkansas were consolidated during the Kentucky Campaign. The consolidated regiment was commanded by Colonel Lucius Eugene Polk of the 15th Arkansas. The regiment lost 2 killed and 19 wounded at the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. When the Army of Mississippi was reorganized and re-designated the Army of Tennessee, the regiment was assigned to first Polk's then Liddell's and finally to Govan's Brigade, Army of Tennessee. During the Battle of Murfreesboro the 13th/15th Arkansas was further consolidated with the 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment and the consolidated regiment was commanded by Colonel John W. Colquitt. The 13th/15th reported 68 casualties at the Battle of Murfreesborough.
During December, 1863, the 2nd/15th/24th consolidated as a single command, totaled 295 men and 202 arms. The unit served with the army from the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battles for Chattanooga, and throughout the Atlanta Campaign.

In July, 1864, the 15th Arkansas was field consolidated with the Fagan's 1st Arkansas Infantry. During the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain the 1st/15th became involved in a famous humanitarian act. At one point in the battle on June 27, not far from the position known as the "Dead Angle", the Union frontal assault had failed leaving hundreds of dead and wounded Union soldiers between the Confederate works and the Union lines. The woods and brush between the two armies caught fire because of the gun fire and artillery. The fire began to creep toward the wounded soldiers. Lt. Colonel William P. Martin who was commanding the 1st and 15th combined Arkansas Regiments, jumped on the earthworks and ordered his Confederate soldiers to cease firing. He then waved a white flag of truce yelling to the Union soldiers to "come and get your wounded, they are burning to death." For a short time the Union and Confederate soldiers helped remove the wounded and put out the fires. The next day the Union generals presented Martin with two Colt Revolvers as a thank you for his humanitarian efforts. Later the opposing forces began to fire at each other again.

The regiment and it colors were captured, along with much of Govan's Brigade at the Battle of Jonesboro, Georgia on Sept. 1, 1864. Due to a special cartel between Union General Sherman and Confederate General John B. Hood, the unit was quickly paroled and exchanged for Union prisoner held at Andersonville Prison. The regiment re-entered service approximately a month later. The 1st/15th reported 15 killed, 67 wounded, and 3 missing during the Battle of Atlanta.

The regiment and the rest of Govan's Brigade were released and exchanged just in time to participated in General John B. Hood's disastrous Franklin-Nashville Campaign. Due to the appalling losses suffered by Govan's Brigade during the Atlanta Campaign, the 1st/15th, 5th/13th and 2nd/24th Arkansas Regiments were consolidated into one regiment, which was commanded by Colonel Peter Green of the 5th/13th. The consolidated regiment fought under the colors of the consolidated 5th/13th Arkansas Regiment, because this was one of the only colors not captured when Govan's Brigade was overrun at the Battle of Jonesboro. The consolidated regiment numbered just 300 rifles and sustained 66% casualties during the Battle of Franklin.

The remnants of Govan's Brigade that survived the Tennessee Campaign remained with the Army of Tennessee through its final engagements in the 1865 Carolinas Campaign.
At the end of the war, Cleburne's old regiment finally recovered its original designation, after a fashion. In the massive reorganization of the Army of Tennessee on April 9, 1865, the 15th Arkansas was consolidated with nine other depleted Arkansas regiments, the 1st Arkansas, 2nd Arkansas, 5th Arkansas, 8th Arkansas, 13th Arkansas, 19th (Dawson's) Arkansas, 24th Arkansas and the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment. They were lumped together to form the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry. The survivors of the 15th Arkansas were consolidated into a single under strength company, "Company H" of the new 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry. The 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry surrendered with the Army of Tennessee at Greensboro, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.