March 16, 1865

The Sixth Arkansas Volunteer Infantry fought its last Civil War battle, which was at Bentonville, North Carolina. Although the Confederates won the battle, the Arkansas brigade of which the Sixth was a part had lost so many men that further consolidation was needed (the Sixth had already merged with the Seventh). As one of its prized units, the Sixth fought in all of the major battles of the Army of Tennessee. With the rest of the Arkansas Brigade, it helped form what many believe was the toughest military unit ever from Arkansas. Brigadier General William Hardee expressed this best in his report about General Patrick Cleburne’s division, saying, “When his division defended, no odds could break its line; when it attacked, no numbers resisted its onslaught.”