I don't know if anyone has ever studied this, but I have a question about the arming of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Arkansas Infantry of African decent.

As these units were originally organized as State regiments, whose responcibility was it to arm them (Arkansas or the Federal Government)? I know that some of the 4th Arkansas (AD) were not armed during the Red River Campaign in March - May 1864, and that they were used as Pioneers. This was at the same time that they were reorganized into the 57th U.S.C.T.

I am sure that the newly establish unionist Arkansas Government did not have the monies to properly arm these units and that most of their arms probably came from cast offs and battlefield pickups until they were organized as United States Troops and gained access to federal supplies.