A Courage and Desperation Rarely Equaled: The 36th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Confederate States Army) (The American Civil War)

This work is the regimental history of a single Confederate infantry regiment that conducted its military operations entirely in the western theater of the American Civil War as viewed through the lens of unit cohesion. The methodology used to build the history of the regiment, from which none existed, relies predominantly on two key primary historical collections: reports that are pertinent from the Official Records and archived microfilmed pay and muster records as well as a limited number of letters and quartermaster records that have survived the years. The intent then, as the framework of the regiment?s operations are discovered, is to tell the history of the soldiers and events of this regiment and then draw general conclusions as to their cohesiveness and effectiveness directly from the interpreted recourses available. This is a work of rediscovering and retelling the forgotten story of an obscure Confederate infantry regiment that operated far from the general public view and attention as all eyes seemed to be transfixed on the dramatic battles to the east. This is the history of forgotten men who endured a great deal and sacrificed much while retaining their ability to conduct effective military operations.