17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Griffith's)

The 17th Arkansas Infantry (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit became split during the transfer of General Earl Van Dorn's Army of the West to Corinth, Mississippi in April 1862. The portion of the unit that was transferred east of the Mississippi River was eventually consolidated and became part of the 11th and 17th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry Regiment. The portion of the unit which remained in Arkansas was reorganized as the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

Organization
The unit, originally known as the 17th (Rector's) Infantry Regiment, was organized at Fort Smith, Arkansas, on November 17, 1861. The men elected Frank A. Rector, who would later command the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, colonel of the regiment. The other regimental officers were:


 * Lieutenant Colonel Sam W. Williams.
 * Major Lawrencee.
 * Adjutant William A. Dowdle.

The regiment consisted of eight companies, which were drawn mostly from Sebastian County and the surrounding area. The unit was composed of volunteer companies from the following counties:


 * Company A – of Sebastian County, commanded by Captain Henry Kayser.
 * Company B – of Sebastian County, commanded by Captain E.A. Adams.
 * Company C – of Sebastian County, commanded by Captain Unknown. According to the unit muster rolls several men of this company were left sick in the hospital in Arkansas when the remainder moved under General Van Dorn to reinforce General Beauregard at Corinth, Mississippi in April 1862. They were ordered to rejoin their company and were en route to do so when General Thomas C. Hindman ordered them to remain in Arkansas and assigned them to Company A, 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment. The muster roll also indicates that approximately three fourths of the unit had previously served in Gratiot's 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops.
 * Company D – of Washington County, commanded by Captain Unknown.
 * Company E – of Washington County, commanded by Captain Joseph R. Parks. This unit was organized as a volunteer militia company in Illinois Township, of Washington County, in the 32nd Regiment, Arkansas State Militia on August 22, 1861. >
 * Company F – of Sebastian County, commanded by Captain David Arbuckle.
 * Company G – of Madison County, commanded by Captain Stephen B. Enyart. Most of this company subsequently served in Company K, 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment.
 * Company H – the "Hempstead Rifles Number 2" of Hempstead County, commanded by Captain Benjamin P. Jett, Jr. This company was originally organized as a volunteer company in the 8th Regiment, Arkansas State Militia. The unit was mustered into the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops and participated in the Battle of Wilson's Creek. After the 3rd Regiment was disbanded, the unit returned to Hempstead county and reorganized.

Battles
The regiment's first major action was the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, where, from most accounts, Rector's regiment did not acquit itself well. A Missouri (Confederate) artillery battery found the regiment's colors lying on the field, and for a time refused to return the flag to Rector, saying that a regiment that would abandon its colors in battle had no right to carry them after the battle.

Another account of the 17th Arkansas's Conduct at the Battle of Pea Ridge was given in 1895 in a letter from former Captain Ben B. Chism to Mrs. Harlow Bishop of Junction City, Texas:

When General Van Dorn moved his army east of the Mississippi, following the Battle of Pea Ridge, portions of Companies A,B,C, and G remained in Arkansas. These companies then became part of the 35th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel Frank A. Rector.

The remaining companies of the 17th Regiment were at Corinth, Mississippi, with the Army of the West. At Corinth, John Griffith was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, commanding what was now a battalion-sized 17th Arkansas. Under Lieutenant Colonel Griffith's leadership, the unit performed so well at the Battle of Corinth that General Hebert wrote, in his after-action report: "Under my personal supervision no one faltered, no one hesitated to meet the foe, even in hand-to-hand conflict if required. I must, however, put into the positon [sic] of brave and true men the small numbers of the Fourteenth and Seventeenth Arkansas Regiments of Infantry, of the Second Brigade, upon whom past circumstances had cast a doubt. Nobly, heroically have they proven themselves true patriots and brave soldiers." Another account stated: "All the duties in camp, on the march, and in the field the regiment has so promptly performed and are unsurpassed in any service for good breeding, soldierly deportment, description, drill, bravery, and patriotism. The officers are pattern gentlemen, brave soldiers, and noble patriots." Clearly, the 17th Arkansas had left the cloud of Pea Ridge behind them.

In March 1863, the 17th Arkansas was consolidated with the 11th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and reorganized as the 11th & 17th Arkansas Mounted Infantry. Although the two regiments were from different parts of the State (the 11th Arkansas was mostly from Saline County and a few other southern counties), with different battle histories, the merger clicked. Under first Colonel John L Logan and later Col. John Griffith's command, the 11th & 17th Arkansas spent the rest of the war as the Confederate Army's 'fire brigade' in southern Mississippi. As Union columns made repeated incursions into the area over the next couple of years, the South's counter-moves invariably involved the 11th & 17th Arkansas.

Colonel Griffith seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to determining when and where to strike a larger enemy force to cause the most damage. The 11th & 17th Arkansas was renowned for its scouting and tracking abilities. The regiment served to the end of the war in this capacity. The regiment was involved in the following engagements:


 * Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas March 6–8, 1862.
 * Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, April to June 1862.
 * Battle of Iuka, Mississippi, September 19, 1862.
 * Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, October 8, 1862.
 * Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, May 24-July 9, 1863.

Some of the unit members were captured at Port Hudson on July 9, 1863.

Flags
There are two surviving flags which are traditionally associated with the Griffith's 17th Arkansas Infantry Regiment: Flag of the 17th Arkansas Infantry, currently located at the Old State House Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas, is a Van Dorn Patter flag. Only the cotton crescent and five of the original thirteen stars remain of this fragment of the flag of the 17th. The flag saw heavy service as the regiment it designated was at Elk Horn (Pea Ridge) and then transferred to Mississippi. After a 48-day siege at Port Hudson, Louisiana, the 17th Arkansas and other Confederate forces surrendered on 1 July 1863. Silk with cotton crescent, start and border, 34 1/2" x 29 1/2". A 1st National Flag Pattern battle flag was presented to a company known as the "Hempstead Rifles" was raised in Hempstead County, Arkansas in May 1861. Enlisted for only three months, they became Company B, 3rd Regiment, Arkansas State Troops and were engaged in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861. Returning to Arkansas, the company was mustered out of service on September 17, 1861, with the majority of the troops enlisting in regular Confederate units. The Hempstead Rifles No. 2 became the core of Company H of the newly formed 17th Regiment Arkansas Infantry. By this time there was little need for company flags since the regimental flags were used as a symbol of combined companies. Although made in recognition of the re-created Hempstead Rifles, this flag is not likely to have been used in the field.

Surrender
This regiment surrendered at the close of the war at Citronelle, Alabama, on 4 May1865.