Calvin Shopher

SHOPHER, CALVIN
Researched and Written by Darren M. Jones

Calvin enlisted February 26, 1862 at Poinsett Co. Ark. From the get go he had a hard time of it as did the regiment. Calvin was in the 23rd Arkansas Infantry Company A, also known as (Lyles’) Infantry Regiment, which was originally C. W. Adams’, 23rd Regiment, and was organized at Helena, Ark. during the spring of 1862. Its members were from the counties of Craighead, Phillips, St. Francis, Monroe, Cross, Poinsett, and Chicot, Ark. The unit fought in the conflicts at Corinth and Hatchie Bridge. During these battles the Regiment suffered a reported 5 killed, 23 wounded, and 116 missing.

Calvin was, however, according to the muster rolls, present at the battle of Corinth in Corinth Miss. in April of 1862. Shortly after this battle in August Calvin fell ill. It is not stated in his records what the illness was, but he more than likely suffered from cholera. This would be an accurate assumption since at the beginning of the war both sides suffered greatly from cholera due to poor hygiene and dirty drinking water. Also, another clue is the length of time that Calvin was listed as "sick" in his records. Cholera kept it’s victims incapacitated for months at a time and once a soldier was diagnosed with this disease they would continue to suffer from relapses for years after there original recovery.

Calvin spent most of the month of August in 1862 in a hospital and was eventually returned to his regiment. In December of that same year the regiment was engaged in a large battle at "Cane Hill" which is known as the battle of "Prairie Grove" southwest of Fayetteville, Arkansas. According to a report by Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman, C. S. Army, commanding First Corps, Trans-Mississippi Army to the Assistant Adjutant General, Trans-Mississippi Department Lieut. Col. S. S. Anderson, the regiment did not perform so well. In the letter the General stated,

"Of all the troops engaged on our side, Adams’ Arkansas regiment alone dishonored itself. It was well armed, ably commanded, and surrounded by good soldiers from the same state, setting it an example of courage and patriotism; but, after delivering a single fire, the greater part of the men broke ranks, threw down their arms, and shamefully fled, many of them even deserting to the enemy. The field and staff officers who had been appointed rallied about 75 around the colors, and these did much to redeem the reputation of the regiment. With but few exceptions, the company officers exerted no influence."

Despite this act by the men of the twenty-third the Confederate force took the field and captured some three stands of colors.

Calvin however, did not desert but was listed on the roster as present up until May of 1863 but was also listed as sick in most of the entries up to this point. Most of the men in this regiment, as well as many soldiers in the South, were ragged, dirty, sick, under nourished and with out shoes or boots, yet they continued to do their duty and take up their gun.

The Regiment was later assigned to General Beall’s Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. In April 1863, it was united with Powers’ 14th and Crockett’s 18th Arkansas, Regiments, and in July captured at Port Hudson. It's not clear whether Calvin was captured at this time or not as the whole regiment was not captured. But if he was, this would have surely added to his health problems.

After being exchanged and mounted, the regiment served in the Trans-Mississippi Department and took an active part in Price’s Missouri Expedition. The regiment surrendered on May 16, 1865 near Memphis, Tennessee. The field officers were Colonel Oliver P. Lyles, and Lieutenant Colonels Erastus L. Black and A. H. Pennington.

The last entry in Calvin’s service record was dated May 1, 1863 so it is not known as to whether he served until the Regiment surrendered or if he left the war early due to his illness. The Twenty-third Regiment was a tough bunch, at least those that lasted until the end of the war. It was one of the lasts Confederate regiments to have surrendered. Maj. Wm. H. Morgan wrote a reply letter to Col. Lyles, which stated:

Colonel: "I am instructed by the major-general commanding to say, in reply to your letter of this date, that you and your command can surrender on the same terms that General Lee did to General Grant, or General Taylor to General Canby."

There were many smaller units or bands of confederates in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and in the Mississippi area who did not immediately surrender. Some of these men wanted to surrender honorably as soldiers and be paroled like the troops of General Lee and General Taylor but Federal troops had dubbed them as outlaws or "guerrillas and acting without authority". As a result, outlaw gangs sprang up such as that of Jessie James, the Daltons and the Youngers.

The full fate of the men of the Twenty-third is not known it would probably take years and years of research to find out. However, we do know that Calvin Shopher was very ill and he returned home to his family. According to family records he passed his illness on to his wife and they both became unfit to take care of their children.

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