DOUGLAS' FIRST TEXAS BATTERY - Smith County, TX
About June 1, 1861, Col. Elkanah Greer, of Marshall, Texas, was
commissioned by the Confederate Government at Richmond, to raise a
regiment of cavalry, and a company to man a battery of artillery. The
work of raising the artillery company was committed to J. J. Goode, of
Dallas, and J. P. Douglas of Tyler. Douglas enlisted fifty young men in
and around Tyler, and on June 10, 1861, formed them in line in the Court
House yard, where they received a beautiful flag made by the ladies of
the city, from the hands of Miss Mollie E. Moore, the poetess. The fifty
men then started immediately to Dallas, where the company organized.
They arrived there the 14th.
In the meantime, J. J. Goode had
been enlisting me, but did not have the requisite number. The writer of
this was then 20 years old and lived in the country ten miles west of
Dallas. On the night of the 14th I got a message from a friend in town
that this company was to be organized immediately, and recommending it
to me if I wanted to join the Confederate army. I went into Dallas soon
in the morning on the 14th, and reported to Captain Goode and signed the
roll, being the thirteenth on the list of the fifty raised by him before
the organization. Douglas and his fifty Tyler boys soon came in and went
into camp in a beautiful grove in front of Captain Goode's residence, a
place then one mile out of town. In a short time the Dallas fifty were
enlisted and the company of one hundred men was complete, and proceded
to organize. I forget given names and initials, but my best recollection
is that the organization for the first year was as follows: J. J. Goode,
captain; J. P. Douglas, first lieutenant; Alf Davis, second lieutenant;
James M. Boren, third lieutenant; William Harris, fourth lieutenant. The
Sergeants were: Ben Hardin, orderly; John Durrough, quartermaster; Tom
Floyd, first; Julius Sanders, second; Mitch Gray, third; James Long,
fourth; Tom Hoard, fifth; Jim Howard, sixth. The Company organized and
was recorded as the First Texas Battery. It was mostly composed of young
men from in and around the two towns, Dallas and Tyler. As an
organization it was a company of well grown, active, healthy boys.
Seventy per cent of them were under 22 years old, ninety per cent under
25, and but four men over 30. Nearly all occupations then followed in
Texas, were represented in that company. Judge Burford, of the Superior
Court of the Dallas District, was a private until he received a
Colonel's commission in 1862, and was put in command of a cavalry
regiment. There were three editors, several printers, several lawyers
and law students, some farmer's boys, merchant's sons and clerks, and
some had been Texas Rangers.
We had to remain several days in
Dallas waiting for cannons and outfit to arrive from the recently
captured Federal garrison at San Antonio. About July 10, 1861, we
received a splendidly equipped battery of six guns, horses, mules,
baggage wagons, etc. In the meantime the ten companies of cavalry from
different parts of the State had gathered at Dallas, and Col. Greer
started on the march to Missouri to join Gen. McCulloch. We marched
north and crossed Red River at Colbert's Ferry, near where the city of
Denison now stands. Our camp life, receiving our horses, marching and
drilling at every opportunity, even at night, was a novelty and very
interesting to us, but our first real excitement was at Red River.
The river was very low. The current ran near the north bank and a
sand bar extended from the Texas bank a considerable distance toward the
water near the other shore. The cavalry had that day marched in front
and had forded the river above the ferry. We moved down on the sandbar
and one gun and caison had been ferried over when Col. Greer ordered the
crossing of the artillery suspended till the baggage wagons of the
cavalry regiment could cross over. The guns were parked, ropes
stretched, horses unhitched and tied, driftwood gathered and cooking
commenced.
While some of the boys were in bathing, they heard a
strange roaring. It sounded like it came from the still water around
them. They got to the company as soon as they could. By that time the
water was moving up on the sand bar and the men were busy harnessing
horses and packing wagons. The artillery tactics on drill says that
horses can be harnessed and hitched to the guns and ready to move, in
seven minutes, if no errors are made. Our company harnessed the horses
and carried five cannon, five caissons, forge, battery wagon, and four
battery wagons, off that sand bar back to the Texas shore in ten
minutes. The water was near the top of the wheels as some of the last
went out. Red River rose 20 feet in 30 minutes. The phenomenon was said
to have been caused by a cloud-burst, the waters uniting with the annual
flow from the melted snow from the head of Red River.
We ferried
over next day and took up the line of march towards Missouri. We crossed
the Indian Nation and arrived at Ft. Smith, Arkansas, about the first of
August. Col. Greer was ordered forward to Springfield, Mo., with the
cavalry. He left us at Ft. Smith to recruit our horses and repair our
gun carriages and went on a "forced march" to join McCulloch. We
remained a few days and moved forward, but did not reach the army in
time to be at the battle of Oak Hill, Mo. We stopped in Mt. Vernon. The
enemy having retreated towards St. Louis, McCulloch remained in North
Arkansas and Southern Missouri till the spring campaign opened in 1862.
The "Yankees" did not advance till late in the fall. Pending that
time we marched South through Neosho and into Arkansas, and camped at
the edge of a large prarie near Bentonville, Camp Jackson. We spent the
time drilling. At one time, while executing the manoeuvers of the
battery drill of flying artillery over the rough prarie, the powder in
an ammunition chest became ignited and all three chests of a caisson
were blown up. Fortunately there was no other damage done. Some of the
horses were badly scared, and it was a new experience to the boys, we
were more or less excited.
When the enemy moved south under Gen.
Fremont, we again advanced into Missouri. The battle never came off, as
we expected. We remained in Missouri till near Christmas, and went into
winter quarters near Fayettville, Ark. We built substantial quarters for
the men and stables for the horses. There were two other batteries
quartered with us: Hart's Battery from Little Rock, and Province's
Battery from Ft. Smith, all three under Maj. Bradfute of McCulloch's
staff.
It was here that we were placed under discipline,
according to a strict construction of the army regulations. We had guard
lines around the quarters and sentries walked their beats in silence
except the "Who goes there?" if any one approached: and in the night to
call out the "All is well!" every hour. We submitted to all this
cheerfully and thought we were soldiers: but when a severe North
Arkansas winter came upon us we demanded fires at the guard posts. Maj.
Bradfute, who had spent 20 years in the regular army, remonstrated with
us, appealed to our patriotism and the oath we had taken. He was replied
to by Dick Small, W. S. Waites and others, to the effect that he,
himself, had taken an oath, and that if his oath as an officer meant
anything, he should protect the health of the men under him and not
sacrifice their lives in such weather, in the interest of discipline,
when there was not an enemy within 200 miles. The fires were
extinguished by a detail sent out by Maj. Bradfute from another company,
but the Texans, rallying to the sentinels from camp, immediately rebuilt
them. Maj. Bradfute reluctantly submitted, and remained afterwards our
friend. We were not under his command after that winter.
In
February, 1862, the Federal Army under Gen. Curtis advanced south
through Missouri. Our company marched out of winter quarters and marched
and countermarched for some days waiting for Price and McCulloch to
organize, and for Van Dorn to come with reinforcements and take comand.
On the 6th and 7th of March, 1862, we went into the battle of Elk
Horn. On the first day we were on the right till late in the evening.
After Gen. McCulloch, commanding that right wing of army, and Gen.
McIntosh, the next in rank, had been killed, we were ordered to the left
to reinforce Gen. Price, who had engaged the enemy during the day at
that point. Next morning our battery was placed in position south of the
Elk Horn Tavern, in an exposed place, in some heavy timber. The enemy
was across a field from us in force with several batteries. Our
situation was different at Elk Horn from anything I saw during that four
years of war. It seems that we were sent in there to engage the enemy
while the rest of the army were in full retreat. We held that position
for three long hours without any support. It was our first battle and I
have always been astonished that we did as well as we did. We were under
the cannonade of five or six batteries. The air was thick with flying
shots and bursting shells; some of them went high and cut the timber,
which fell among us. Strange to say, we had but one man killed, a
beardless boy, Charlie Erwin, of Tyler. We had seven wounded and several
horses killed. We exhausted our ammunition and were ordered out, and
found that the army was retreating. We followed with scarcely horses
enough to move the guns, but with the help of the cannoniers, after
several days of hardship, we arrived at Van Buren, Ark. The army had
retreated during the night and morning, going west, turning south at
south at Bentonville, while the battery, unsupported by either cavalry
or infantry, were directed due East across a wild, rugged country,
making a curve South and southwesterly, until we made the junction with
the main army. It was during this artillery duel and retreat that
Lieutenant Douglas proved his capacity for command and insured his
election to the captaincy.
We soon started on that long march
across the state of Arkansas to Desarc, where we embarked on a steamboat
for Memphis, Tennessee. We arrived there on the 16th of April, 1862, and
soon left for Corinth, Mississippi. The guns were carried on the
railroad, the horses were carried over the dirt road. Our battery was
present and in line at the battle of Farmington, in front of Corinth,
but was not engaged.
We were at Corinth, Miss., when the
organization of the army was effected. Capt. Goode was assigned to duty
on a military court and left the company. J. P. Douglas was elected
Captain; James N. Boren, First Lieutenant; J. H. Bingham, Second
Lieutenant; Ben Hardin, Third Lieutenant; Mark L. Fleishel, Orderly
Sergeant; Pink Wilfong, Quartermaster Sergeant.
I forgot some who
were appointed gun Sergeants at that time, as there were several changes
made afterwards; but I well remember J. M. Seagle, Ans. Keel and Sam
McDermot. The company was ever afterwards known as Douglas' First Texas
Battery.
After the army retreated from Corinth, we remained at
Tupelo, Miss., for several weeks. We were then ordered to East Tennessee
to join Kirby Smith for the Kentucky campaign. We went by rail via
Mobile, Montgomery and Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn., remained there for
a few weeks and started on the march north to Knoxville, on the 10th of
August 1862. There were many incidents which transpired before we
returned to Louden, Tenn., in the following November, which interested
us at the time, but I fear it would not interest many in this fast age.
We were in the battle of Richmond, Ky., and lost three men killed and
several wounded. Among the killed was the gallant Lieutenent Boren, who
was shot through the body with a cannon ball, while he was standing
between his guns giving orders to gunners. Lieut. Hardin was badly
wounded. The battery was engaged again on the 1st of September at
Kentucky River, on our way to Lexington.
At the camp near
Lexington two Lieutenants were elected. Bingham became First, Ben Hardin
Second, and Mark Fleishal Third, Julius Sanders Fourth. We marched North
to Covington, back to Mt. Sterling, West to Frankfort, South to
Harrodsburg, East through Cumberland Gap into East Tennessee, and
remained at Louden till December 1862.
We left Louden and crossed
Cumberland Mountains again into Middle Tennessee, and on the morning of
the 31st of December, went with McGowan's Division into the charge made
on the enemy's right at Murfreesborough. We were hotly engaged at the
opening of the battle and advanced with the infantry as the Yankees fell
back to their stronghold in the "Cedar Brakes." We spent the remainder
of that winter at Shelbyville, 25 miles south of Murfreesborough.
As the army retired from Middle Tennessee, our battery was engaged
at Elk River and other places that summer, and were active in all the
maneuvering of Bragg's army till the battle of Chickamauga. We were at
Chattanooga, Harrison's Landing, Pigeon Mountain, Lafayette, Georgia,
and other places, and were hotly engaged at Chickamauga. In the last
charge at sundown, on the 20th of September 1863, our battery advanced
with the infantry to within a few paces of Thomas' strong position and
followed his retreat till late in the night. We were in the hottest of
the fight at Missionary Ridge, got our guns off and covered the retreat
to Dalton, Georgia. In fact, the part of the line held by General
Cleburne, with whose command our battery was then in co-operation,
repulsed all assaults, and we knew nothing of the repulse of our center
and left wing, until late that afternoon, when orders came for us to
retire.
Many interesting events transpired while in winter
quarters at Dalton. The most important was the re-enlistment of our
company in January 1864 for the war. My recollection is that it was
before the army bill of that year was passed. The boys, after discussing
the probable action of the Congress, decided to reenlist for the war. We
did so by adopting a set of resolutions drawn up by Ed W. Smith, of
Tyler, one of our original company.
We had a twofold object in
re-enlisting: one was that we expected to remain in the army and did not
want to be affected by any action Congress might take; and the other was
to set an example to those in the army who might be dissatisfied with
the propable conscript law. The latter object seemed to have the desired
effect. General Johnston ordorsed (spelling?) our action and
recommmended the example to the army, and I think very nearly all of his
command re-enlisted. Our company by name received the thanks of the
Confederate Congress for its action in the matter.
The history of
Douglas' Battery during the year 1864, if written, would make a large
volume, and its history from the time it left Dalton, the first of May,
till the fall of Atlanta, "The Hundred Days Battle," would fill many
pages. I think it was more active than any other battery in the army. We
were under fire all the time except at times when we would be changing
position or moving to a new line, we would be out of range. We were
hotly engaged at Resaca, New Hope church, Marietta, Atlanta, on the 22nd
and 23rd of July, and, in fact, we were in position on every line of
battle that was formed during the hundred days. It was at Atlanta on the
22nd of July that we got our battery of 12-pound Napoleon guns. It was
captured from the Federals by our infantry support and turned over to
us. After the fall of Atlanta we moved South and were in the battle of
Jonesboro, Ga. We remained at Lovejoy Station till October, and then
started on the campaign with Gen. Hood to Nashville. We moved Northwest
through Georgia and Alabama to Florence, on the Tennessee river.
Gen. Stephen D. Lee was commanding the advance when we approached the
South side of the river. The Yankees occupied the town. The artillery
was masked on the bluffs and the firing of our guns commenced
simultaneously with the launching of the pontoon boats. Gibson's
Louisiana Brigade crossed over in the boats under fire. The bridge was
soon laid and the army crossed.
After some days we started
towards Nashville. At Columbia, Tenn., we were confronted by a large
force, and our battery was engaged all day on the 29th of November,
firing across Duck river. Col. Beckham, Chief of Artillery, was killed
at that place near our guns.
On Nov. 30, 1864, at Franklin,
Tenn., Capt. Douglas advanced the battery with our attacking line of
infantry to the Yankees' front line of works, which they abandoned, and
took a position in and on the side of the pike and fired over the heads
of our men as they advanced, and afterwards at the old gin house. When
the enemy finally gave way, in the middle of the night, our battery,
under the immediate command of General Cheatham, moved forward and took
position near the old gin house and fired at them as they retreated
across Harpeth river.
We moved forward next day to Nashville. On
the 15th and 16th of December we were in Hood's lines and under heavy
fire. The cannonade on the 16th was terrific. When our army gave way
late in the evening, Capt. Douglas, under the direction of Gen. Stephen
D. Lee, placed some guns in position one mile South of our abandoned
works and rallied some of our infantry for sharpshooters, and protected
the retreat of that part of the army.
The next day, the 17th,
Gen. Stephen D. Lee placed our battery in the rear to help cover the
retreat. We gave them battle on almost every eminence along the pike
till late in the evening, when we took a position South of Franklin and
held it for some time while a large force of Yankee cavalry was forming
around us. The fog and the cold misty rain that was falling made it
difficult to see. When we limbered up the guns and started, the Yankee
cavalry made a charge on us, stopped the carriages, captured most of the
men, cut the harness and otherwise loosed the horses, and started back
with us before our cavalry came to our relief; and then in a confused
and desultory way, they fired into our captors and created a confusion
in which nearly all of us got away. We brought out most of the horses,
but lost our guns. Ed Smith, after escaping, with one or two others,
made a last effort to bring off a gun, was finally captured and taken to
prison.
The company, without guns, retreated with the army and
staid for a while at Columbus, Miss. In January, 1865, we were assigned
to duty at Mobile, to take charge of the siege guns at Fort Sidney
Johnston. Capt. Douglas went home on a furlough and left the company in
command of Lieut. Ben Hardin, Bingham having left us the previous
summer. In March there was some desultory firing between the Fort and
gun boats in the bay. Some of their shot flew about us. This was the
last battle we were in. It was said that we disabled one of their boats,
but I never knew whether we did or not.
When Mobile was evacuated
on the 11th of April, 1865, we received a light battery with a splendid
outfit of horses. We marched to North Mississippi and were camping at
Artesia, on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, when we received news of the
surrender. We were ordered to Gainesville, Ala., to be paroled. Some of
the boys started for their homes immediately, but the body of the
company took paroles May 14th, 1865, and went to Mobile and from there
to Texas.
As we did not know what would be the condition of the
people after the war, many returned to their original States. Many who
were not identified with towns where they enlisted, scattered off into
different parts of Texas, and other States. I came to North Carolina
from Mobile. I have seen but one member of the company since the war,
that is Sergeant N. M. Seagle, of Hickory, N. C. At this writing, June,
1907, I don't know how many are alive. Five years ago it was thought
that about forty were alive, of all the enlistments and recruits. As an
artillery company has to be kept full, we recruited from time to time,
mostly by transfers of active young men from the cavalry and infantry.
In all, I think, we enrolled about 200 men. About fifty of the original
one hundred were present at the surrender. I know the whereabouts of but
few: N. M. Seagle, of Hickory, N. C.; P. E. Hockersmith, of Woodburn,
Ky.; Tom Hoard and G. A. Knight, of Dallas, Texas; Sam A. Thompson, of
Jacksonville, Texas; Ed W. Smith, Joe Barron, Frank Erwin, George
Wimberly, J. M. Seagle and Julius Saunders live in Tyler, Texas. Dr.
Walker lives in Gainsville, Texas.
I would like to say something
of the personnel of Douglas' Battery; but this occaison does not admit
it. I will only refer to two or three who did not survive the war. There
were many thousand brave men in the Confederate Army, and it is absurd
to say that any one man was the bravest of all; but if I were required
to name the man was my ideal of a good, intelligent and brave soldier, I
would name James N. Boren, of the Tyler fifty. He had just returned from
Tennessee where he had been graduated from Franklin College and then the
law school in Lebanan University. His courage was not of a savage
nature, neither was he a stoic; but he seemed to be actuated by
patriotic motives and a strong sense of duty, and his actions in the
hour of danger were controlled by good judgement, with sufficient
excitement to cause him to give his best intelligence to his duties. At
Elk Horn he stood between the guns of his section and directed their
firing for three hours through that ordeal of shot and shell and falling
timber. At Richmond, Ky., I belonged to the other section and was
stationed at a distance from him, and did not see him killed; but
learned that his actions were of the same heroic nature that they were
at Elk Horn.
There were many in the company of similar
temperament and character of mind. Ans Keel, a young teacher who joined
at Dallas, and was killed at Marietta, Ga. was of that kind.
Cal
Crozier, who was murdered by order of the colonel of the negro soldiers
stationed at Newberry, S. C., in September 1865, was a member of our
company from June 1861 till August 1862. He was transferred to the
Cavalry when he started on the Kentucky campaign. He left us, I think,
at Knoxville. His name is well worthy of the monument which the people
of Newberry have erected to his memory.
The members of Douglas'
Battery have been so widely scattered since the war that there has been
practically no co-operation or concert of action towards publishing the
history of our war operations, that it may be perpetuated and handed
down to our children. The few who survive should look after this. I
appeal to Ed Smith, Sam Thompson, Press Hockersmith, G. A. Knight and
the other boys who are alive, to bring forward something fuller and
better in every way than this disjointed record of reminisences. We are
not ashamed for our children to read our record after we are gone.
JAMES B. LUNSFORD
Rutherford College, N. C. June 26, 1907. |
