Watkins's Battalion Reserve Corps
Ouachita?
[Companies C]
From Sifakis, Compendium of C.S. Armies: Louisiana, 3:
"The Confederate Congress created the Reserves on February 17, 1864, when it expanded conscription to include all white males between 17 and 50. Those under 18 and those over 45 were to be organized in the Reserves, troops that did not have to serve beyond the boundaries of the state."
From Bergeron, "Free Men of Color in Grey," 250-51:
"... The Reserve Corps consisted primarily of men who were over or under draft age or who were in some manner ineligible for regular service, such as discharged or disabled former soldiers. The men of the Reserve Corps saw practically no fighting with the enemy, but Confederate authorities called them out to chase Jayhawkers and deserters when needed for such service. They sometimes acted as drovers gathering cattle for the army in the field."
Art Bergeron to the author, July 1997:
"The Conscript Act of February 17, 1864, extended the draft to include all able-bodied white males between the ages of 17 and 50. Under this law, the seventeen year olds and men between 45 and 50 would form a Reserve Corps. Each state would have its own Reserve Corps, and it would be organized into companies and regiments like regular army units. Some men who joined the Reserve Corps had served in combat units earlier in the war but had received discharges because of wounds, other disabilities, or age. Others could not perform active duty in the field but could carry out non-combat duties.
"Provisions of Conscription Act outlined certain tasks for the Reserve Corps. The Congress intended those units to act as a home guard and protect their states against enemy raids. From time to time, detachments of the Reserve Corps hunted draft dodgers and deserters and did such things as herding cattle for eventual use by the regular army. When not on active duty, the members of the Reserve Corps were detailed to perform specific duties, such as agricultural work or jobs connected with a supply agency. The reserves would thus release able-bodied troops for active service…."
CSRC, M320, roll 403
ROSTER