Col. John M. Harrell, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 10.2, Arkansas
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

[57] third lieutenant. The company marched to Mound City, above Memphis, where, on May 14th, it was united with other companies in the formation of a regiment of infantry, of which Captain Cleburne was elected colonel, J. K. Patton, lieutenant-colonel, and J. T. Harris, major. L. H. Mangum was made adjutant of the regiment. It was the First regiment of infantry, State troops, but subsequently, upon the transfer of the State troops to the Confederate States service, according to the date of such transfer, it was numbered the Fifteenth Arkansas infantry, provisional army of the Confederate States, although in the unavoidable confusion consequent upon a change of enumeration, another—Col. Jas. Gee's Camden regiment—was given the same number.

In July, 1861, Gens. Gideon J. Pillow and M. Jeff Thompson were projecting movements from New Madrid upon the Federal forces at Bird's Point, Cape Girardeau and St. Louis, and eagerly importuning General Hardee to cooperate with them in their enterprises. Learning that the Federals had left Ironton for Greenville, Mo., General Hardee advanced to the latter place early in August, with 1,000 infantry and 250 cavalry and a battery of artillery, to meet them. They, learning of his approach, retired to Ironton. He planned an attack on Ironton, but Thompson failed to cooperate. About the 12th, Colonel Borland occupied Fredericktown. He was determined to hold his position in Missouri. Maj.-Gen. Leonidas Polk, commanding Department No. 2, and given charge of military operations in Arkansas and Missouri, August 2d, sustained Hardee in this determination for a time, and requested Pillow to abandon New Madrid and join Hardee in aggressive operations in Missouri. But on August 26th, Polk directed Hardee to retire to the river at Point Pleasant, and said he would advise abandoning the line altogether if it were not for the saltpeter mines on White river. Hardee approved this and declared that, in the event of a campaign against Memphis, ‘he ’