This Week in Arkansas Military History - The 3rd Arkansas Infantry at Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to 3, 1863, was a pivotal engagement during the American Civil War. Among the Confederate units involved was the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment—the only regiment from Arkansas to serve in the Eastern Theater. The unit saw heavy combat on July 2, participating in some of the most intense fighting of the battle.

Organized in 1861, the 3rd Arkansas was assigned to Brigadier General Jerome B. Robertson’s Texas Brigade. By the time of Gettysburg, the regiment had participated in several significant campaigns to include The Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Fredericksburg. During the battle, they were ordered to engage the Union Army's left flank, advancing into the rocky terrain of Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield.

“We advanced under a galling fire, the men falling fast around me,” wrote Colonel Van H. Manning, who commanded the regiment until he was wounded and captured during the assault.

On July 2, approximately 480 soldiers from the 3rd Arkansas entered combat in challenging conditions. The unit experienced substantial casualties: 41 killed, 101 wounded, and 40 missing—amounting to more than one-third of its total strength.

“The rocks and trees gave little cover. We moved forward because we had to, not because we could,” one soldier later recalled.

Although the regiment's advance briefly forced Union forces to withdraw from their position, the area was ultimately retaken. The terrain and opposition presented significant obstacles to holding ground. While the Confederacy was defeated at Gettysburg, the 3rd Arkansas continued to serve until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox in 1865. The regiment’s participation at Gettysburg highlights the involvement of military units from across the South, including those from states distant from the Easter

n front.

Today, the State of Arkansas monument stands on West Confederate Avenue near the site of the 3rd Arkansas’s involvement in the battle. Dedicated in 1966, the monument identifies the regiment’s location during the fighting on July 2.