3rd Arkansas Cavalry
| 3rd Arkansas Cavalry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | July 27, 1861–April 26, 1865 |
| Country | Confederate States of America |
| Allegiance |
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| Branch | Volunteer Army, American Civil War |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel Solon Borland Colonel Samuel G. Earle Colonel Anson W. Hobson |
3rd Arkansas Cavalry (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army cavalry regiment from Arkansas during the American Civil War.
At the outbreak of hostilities between the north and south, Arkansas began raising troops to serve in the Confederate Army. The state raised some 48 infantry regiments, along with several cavalry regiments and artillery batteries. The 3rd Arkansas Cavalry was first organized in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 10, 1861, by former senator and soldier Solon Borland. Borland, who was at the time serving as a state militia commander for Northern Arkansas, was initially named a Colonel of the regiment. However, that post was "elected" by the members of the regiment, and Borland was not reelected in May 1861.
On July 27, 1861, the regiment was mustered into the Confederate Army for one years service which they later extended, and sent to Corinth, Mississippi, but without Borland. Borland by this time had been replaced by Colonel Samuel G. Earle. The regiment was placed under the command of Major General Joseph Wheeler, and later became a part of the Army of Mississippi. They saw their first real battle action on October 3 and 4, 1862 at the Second Battle of Corinth, where Lieutenant Colonel Anson W. Hobson was wounded in both arms, with the regiment as a whole suffering heavy casualties. The very next day, on October 5, 1862, they fought in the Battle of Hatchie's Bridge. They saw considerable combat action in the months that followed. On March 5, 1863, Col. Earle was killed in action near Thompson's Station, Tennessee.
He was replaced by newly promoted Col. Anson W. Hobson. The regiment took part in the Knoxville Campaign, the Atlanta Campaign, and fought at the Battle of Bentonville. They surrendered with the Army of Tennessee on April 26, 1865.