History of Company "A" 19th Texas Infantry
The Nineteenth
Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized during the
Spring of 1862, and mustered
into Confederate Service at Jefferson, Texas on May 13, 1862. The
men who joined the Regiment all came from
the East Texas area. Company "A", as well as two other
companies, were raised in Jefferson. The other seven
companies were raised in Titus, Marion, San Augustine, Panola,
Rusk, and Henderson Counties, Dangerfield and
Pine Forest. The original Captain of Company "A" was
William L. Crawford, who later served as Lieutenant Colonel.
The Regiment's original Commanding Officer was Colonel
Richard Waterhouse, Jr.. Following Colonel Waterhouse's
promotion to command of the Brigade, Colonel Ennis W. Taylor led
the Regiment for the last year of the war.
The
Nineteenth Texas was assigned to the Third
Brigade, Walker's
Texas Division. Also included in the Third
Brigade were the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Texas Volunteer
Infantry Regiments, the Sixteenth Texas Dismounted
Cavalry Regiment, and Edgar's Battery of Artillery.
Walker's
Texas Division, also known as "Walker's Greyhounds"
served in the Trans-Mississippi department
throughout the war. The history of the division, including the
Nineteenth Texas, was largely a record of long marches
over the muddy roads of Louisiana and Arkansas, often in pouring
rain. The division was a mobile organization and
good marchers. The land over which they operated was bad country,
intersected with deep bayous. Compounding this
was the lack of bridging equipment. The country had a heavy
rainfall, and one could hardly dignify the muddy and
bottomless trails as roads. Additionally, the division operated
in a secondary theater, which always gets what is left.
Unfortunately, there was not much to be had after the
Federals cut the Confederacy in two by opening the Mississippi,
brought about by the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the
Summer of 1863.
During
the war, the Nineteenth Texas, as well as the rest of Walker's
Division was
constantly in need of clothing and shoes. Rations were poor
and scarce, and issued irregularly. Paydays
were few and far between; and when money was received, it
had little value. One positive note was that the Confederate
government did keep the Division reasonably supplied with arms
and ammunition!!!
The
Nineteenth Texas, like most Civil War units, spent most of the
war in camp and on the march; not in action
against the enemy. They participated in several major campaigns
of the war. The Regiment saw it's first action in the
campaign to relieve Vicksburg, by attacking General U.S. Grant's
line of supply on the west side of the Mississippi River.
This campaign included attacks on Federal supply depots at Perkin's
Landing and Milliken's Bend. The battle at
Milliken's Bend was the Regiment's first major action, and the
Regiment received high praise from General Henry
McCulloch for its part in the victory on June 7, 1863. In the
Fall of 1863, the Nineteenth Texas participated in the Bayou
Teche Campaign, which prevented a Federal invasion of Eastern
Texas.
In the
Spring of 1864, the Nineteenth Texas saw their heaviest action of
the war during the Red River Campaign
against General Nathaniel P. Banks. Men from Company "A"
and "H" were captured in the first action, the Battle
of Fort
De Russey. The rest of the Regiment participated in the great
victories at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, which prevented
Banks' capture of Shreveport, and once again thwarted a planned
invasion of Texas. When Banks' forces retreated
Southward, Walker's Division and the Nineteenth Texas turned
North and marched to arkansas to counter General
Steele's expedition aimed at Shreveport. On April 30, 1864, the
Regiment fought it's last major engagement of the war at Jenkin's
Ferry, north of Camden, Arkansas. During the battle, the Third
Brigade Commander, General
Richard Scurry
was mortally wounded. Colonel Richard Waterhouse, commanding the
Nineteenth Texas, was promoted to command
of the Brigade, and Colonel Ennis Taylor assumed command of the
Nineteenth Texas.
During
the Summer of 1864, plans were made to send Walker's Division
east of the Mississippi, but the movement never materialized, and
the Division and the Nineteenth Texas went into winter quarters
near Minden, Louisiana. In January 1865,
Company "K" was detached for duty at the Confederate
Powder Works at Marshall, Texas where it remained on duty
guarding this installation for the remainder of the war.
By
March 6. 1865, it was evident to all that the Confederacy was on
it's last legs and the war would soon be over.
On that date, "Walker's Greyhounds", including the
Nineteenth Texas (minus Company "K") was in camp near
Natchitoches, Louisiana. That same day, "Walker's Greyhounds"
started the march back to Texas. The Division passed through
Mansfield and crossed the Texas State Line on March 15th. Upon
entering Texas, they found game plentiful, and this helped the
commissary department greatly. Major General John H.Forney,
commanding the Division, was determined that "Walker's
Greyhounds" would not disintegrate on the road. He
maintained discipline by having the troops drill twice each
day, despite the fact that the soldier's did not like the idea
very much. The Division crossed the Trinity River on April 3.
1865, and reached Camp Groce on the Brazos on April 15th.
Beginning around the middle of May, the Division disbanded,
by regiments, to aid in the journey home, each regiment assigned
one wagon per company to carry equipment and supplies. Company
"A", Nineteenth Texas started the trek home to
Jefferson, Texas. Company "K" remained on duty at
Marshall, Texas and turned over the Powder Works to Federal
occupation troops in mid-June 1865.
Walker's
Division, including the Nineteenth Texas Volunteer Infantry
Regiment, which had performed valuable service to the Confederacy
all over the Trans-Mississippi Department and had kept the enemy
out of Texas on several occasions, had ceased to exist. The
Nineteenth Texas and the rest of "Walker's Greyhounds"
were included in the surrender of Confederate Trans-Mississippi
forces at Galveston, Texas on June 2, 1865, although they did not
participate in a formal surrender.