32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment

32nd Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
Arkansas state flag
Active	1862 to 1865
Country	Confederate States of America
Allegiance	CSA
Branch	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Whitney's Lane Battle of Prairie Grove Battle of Helena Battle of Little Rock Red River Campaign Battle of Pleasant Hill Battle of Jenkins Ferry

Battle of Whitney's Lane
Battle of Prairie Grove
Battle of Helena
Battle of Little Rock
Red River Campaign

The 32nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, also called 4th Trans-Mississippi Regiment, (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. This Regiment was designated at various times as Matlock's Battalion Arkansas Cavalry, 4th Regiment (Gause's) Trans-Mississippi Infantry, and Gause's Regiment Arkansas Infantry.

May 1862 found Confederate Arkansas, with almost no organized army facing an invasion by forces under Union General Samuel R. Curtis. In March, Major General Earl Van Dorn had been ordered to move his Army of the West, via riverboats to the east side of the Mississippi River to reinforce Confederate forces near Corinth, Mississippi, leaving the state of Arkansas with no organized Confederate forces. Major General Thomas C. Hindman was dispatched to Arkansas to assume command of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi, arriving in Little Rock on 31 May 1862. Earlier in the month, Confederate Brigadier General John S. Roane, who had been left in command in Little Rock by General Van Dorn, had managed to stop a Texas Cavalry Regiment that was traversing the state to join General Van Dorn in Mississippi. This gave General Hindman one organized Cavalry Regiment to attempt to stop General Curtis's force from moving from Batesville, which had been occupied in early May, south to the state capital. Fortunately for General Hindman, the Confederate Congress had passed a Conscription (Draft) law in April 1862. The passage of this law had two effects that would help Hindman. The first, the law provided a method of pressing manpower into the Confederate Army through conscription or threat of conscription. Second, the law required that all existing Confederate regiments be re-organized, with new elections for officers, but gave the existing officers the option of resigning rather than standing for re-election. Many of the regimental officers serving in Arkansas regiments east of the Mississippi river chose to resign and follow General Hindman back to Arkansas and assist in the raising of new forces. This gave Hindman an officer corps around which to build his new army.