in may 1864 general j. o. shelby occupied northeast arkansas, well behind union army lines. in early june 1864, general shelby commissioned colonel thomas hamilton mccray, among others, to begin raising regiments in northeast arkansas. by june 13 shelby reported to general sterling price that mccray's efforts were bearing fruit. mccray's efforts led to the recruitment of at least three new regiments, the 45th, 46th and 47th arkansas infantry regiments. these 40-series regiments consisted mostly of teenagers, conscripts, and absentees from existing units, all organized around a small cadre of veterans detailed from infantry regiments expected to be idle during the fall and winter.