Doyle,
Thank you for sharing this. My respects to you and your family on the loss of your great great grandfather. My great great grandfather. My GG Grandfather was there with a Georgia Regiment. The only way he survived was getting pinned behind a tree. Family tradition has it he had 17 bullet holes in his clothes and hat, and the tree was riddled. You should have great pride in the 3rd Arkansas. An Amazing Unit. I am betting you have read “They will Do to Tie Too!”. What a history.
On another note, my Wife’s Great Great Grandfather was with the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, at the breakthrough. That must have been some kind of battle. It is a shame how they buried people in mass graves like that. I am with you that “why” is the reason that the War was fought was not slavery and the reason was the same as very war, for power, control and money.