President Abraham Lincoln called upon the "militia of the several states" to provide 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion.

I there- fore request you to furnish one regiment of infantry without delay, to rendezvous at Lynchburg, Va.

The regiment will be entitled to one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, one major, one adjutant from the line of lieutenants, one~ sergeant-major from the enlisted men.

Staff officers are appointed by the President; the term of service not less than twelve months, unless sooner discharged.

Governor Rector initially responded that he had no power to comply with the Confederate request but he expected the state to secede when the secession convention reconvened on 6 May.

[4] Thompson B. Flournoy was a planter from Laconia, in Desha County, and had supported the Douglas and Johnson ticket in the election of 1860.

[5] Colonel Flournoy began by organizing the first companies which arrived in Little Rock seeking service in the Confederate forces.

[7] At the actual organization of the regiment at Little Rock on 6 May 1861, Flournoy was defeated for the colonelcy, and Captain James F. Fagan, of Saline County, was elected colonel; Capt.

James C. Monroe, of Clark County, was elected lieutenant-colonel, and John Baker Thompson, major.

Flournoy accepted the outcome with good grace; he was afterward promoted to brigadier-general in the Confederate service.

[5] The unit was composed of companies from the following Arkansas counties:[8] The regiment was sent to Lynchburg, Virginia, for training the same month it was accepted into the Confederate ranks.

[13] The regiment attracted attention on the road from Arkansas to Virginia, as folks along the way learned that it contained the offspring of two famous Tennessee families.

[citation needed] Following that battle, they were reorganized[15] and received replacements, then were assigned to Army of Mississippi for the upcoming Kentucky Campaign, the 1st Arkansas was assigned to Colonel Samuel Powel's 3rd Brigade of Brigadier General James Patton Anderson's 2nd Division of Major General William Joseph Hardee's Corps.

[20] During the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864, the 1st/15th Arkansas became involved in a famous humanitarian act.

Colonel William P. Martin who was commanding the 1st and 15th combined Arkansas Regiments, jumped on the earthworks and ordered his Confederate soldiers to cease firing.

He then waved a white flag of truce yelling to the Union soldiers to "come and get your wounded, they are burning to death."

For a short time the Union and Confederate soldiers helped remove the wounded and put out the fires.

[24] The regiment and the rest of Govan's Brigade were released and exchanged just in time to participate in General John B.

The flag of the combined 5th/13th Arkansas was issued in March 1864 and was captured by Benjamin Newman of the 88th Illinois Infantry at the battle of Franklin.

Twenty-seven soldiers of the 1st Arkansas Infantry were inscribed into the roll during the war, as the Confederacy lacked the funds to manufacture medals.

[citation needed] On 5 May 1861, Lieutenant Sydney S. Gause, of the local volunteer militia company, the "Jackson County", received a 1st National Flag Pattern flag, bearing a blue panel on the white stripe, with the words, "LADIES OF JACKSONPORT TO THE JACKSON GUARDS".

[29] On 26 April 1865, the regiment was present with the Army of Tennessee when it surrendered in Greensboro, North Carolina.