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The 19th Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) was mustered into service in southern Arkansas (DeValls Bluff) on 2 April 1862 under command of Colonel Hamilton Smead and immediately ordered to Corinth, Mississippi... but began arriving at Memphis on April 7th ...too late to take part in the Battle of Shiloh. Instead of going on to Corinth, the 19th Arkansas was directed to Fort Pillow, a few miles above Memphis on the Mississippi River (and the Confederate fallback position after fall of Island No.10) and transport was provided aboard CSS Capitol: http://www.rfrajola.com/JPMCSN/JPMCSN.pdf Collection of Confederate Covers by Robert Frajola (see page 48.) In a letter written aboard CSS Capitol by LtCol Thomas Hale he tells his friend in Fredericksburg, Virginia of the circumstances in Memphis as he found them on 7 April 1862. The 19th Arkansas remained at Fort Pillow for a few weeks, and suffered a number of deaths due to disease. After Fort Pillow was evacuated, the 19th Arkansas was sent to Corinth, and joined Van Dorn's Army of the West, Third Division (Dabney Maury) 1st Brigade (Dockery). [After Memphis surrendered 6 June 1862 the CSS Capitol was put to use as "support vessel" for CSS Arkansas, which was completed on the Yazoo River and made her famous run through three Federal fleets in July 1862.]

New member David (callsign "Ole Miss") provided a link to University of Mississippi archives, so took the opportunity to have a look: in the Juanita Brown Collection is a series of letters to/from Mrs. LouLie Clark, sister of Lieutenant J.H. Buford 32nd Mississippi Inf. Regt. and James Buford (regiment not identified) and aunt of J. B. Clark of the 11th Mississippi. The most interesting letter from James Buford (dated January 9, 1862 from Fort Columbus, Kentucky) [Item 511: Folder 21; Scan 8 on page 26] details James successful attempt to resign from the Confederate Army, due ill health. The 11th Mississippi, of which J.B. Clark was a member, was sent in 1861 to the Eastern Theatre, so many of J.B.'s letters have Virginia sites as place-of-post. For me, his most interesting letter is dated April 14, 1861 from Florence, Alabama, and details the celebrations there upon learning of the attack on Fort Sumter [Item 265-267: Folder 17; Scan 30-32 on page 14.] Lieutenant J.H. Buford has a number of interesting Letters: Item 288-293: Folder 17; Scan 51-56 page 15. Written on CSA letterhead from Camp Cheatham on June 14, 1861, Buford expresses his belief the war will be over soon, and he will not have had the opportunity to shoot at any Yankees. Item 341: Folder 18; Scan 34 page 18. Written from Danville, MS in August 1861. Item 368: Folder 18; Scan 59 page 19. Buford writes from Memphis on September 23, 1861. Item 427: Folder 20; Scan 1 page 22. Letter from Oakland, MS of November 1, 1861. Item 504: Folder 21; Scan 44-46 page 26. Corinth on May 16, 1862. Part of Hardee's Corps, SAM Wood's Brigade. Item 513: Folder 22; Scan 1 page 26. Baldwyn, MS on June 2, 1862: escape from Corinth. Item 515: Folder 22; Scan 11 page 26. Writing on August 2, 1862 from the Alabama River aboard the steamer, Lily, Buford describes his time in Tupelo; trek to Mobile; voyage on the steamer to Montgomery, with eventual destination of Chattanooga (of interest because this illustrates how Braxton Bragg got his forces to Chattanooga without use of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad.) http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/search/searchterm/juanita brown collection/field/origia/mode/all/conn/and/page/14 The above link will take you to page 14 of the Juanita Brown Collection. Advance pages one page at a time using page selector at top right. Scroll down the page to the Folder number and Scan number of the letter desired (many letters are multiple pages; to advance to next page, use "results" box arrow at top right.) Pages 14-26 contain many more letters than those listed above for the three Mississippi soldiers: Buford, Buford and Clark. Thanks again to David (Ole Miss) Ozzy