8. Texas in the Civil War: Part B (April 15, 1861-March 31, 1862)
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Important Notes
1. These links, almost without exception, are to documents having to do with events and movements (mostly of a military character) which occurred (or at least meant to occur) within the boundaries of the state of Texas. Persons interested in documents having to do with the participation of Texans in various battles and campaigns beyond Texas can consult works found in the first Civil War list at this site, especially The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (plus the same for the navies) and Battles and Leaders of the Civil War.
2. How to cite most of the documents in this list.
Most of the documents in this list are from the two multi-volume collections listed just below this paragraph. Those collections are at Cornell University's "Making of America" website. At a specific document page, most browsers will display the phrases "Cornell University Library" and "Cornell Making of America" near the top of the page. (If not, use the scroll bar to the right of the "next page" icon to reveal these phrases.) To determine the exact location of a document in either of the War Department or Navy Department series (i.e., series, volume, and part), go to the drop-down "Go To:" menu on the right and choose "Title Page." Please cite both the data having to do with the War Department or the Navy Department series and Cornell University's "Making of America" website. Please do not cite "Lone Star History Links."
United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 70 vols. in 128. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
United States. Navy Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. 30 vols. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894-1922.
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Suggestion: One might also find it useful to consult the list of documents and collections of documents at List 2, "Texas in the Nineteenth Century: General."
J. K. P. Blackburn. "Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers. Part I." [Written long after the events recounted.] The author (a resident of Fayette County at the time) describes his enlistment in the Confederate service at the beginning of the war. [Relevant material begins with the fifth paragraph.] Link to document
James Buckner Barry. Diary, 1860-1862. Bosque County resident describes life as a settler on the frontier and experiences fighting Indians as an officer in the state's Frontier Regiment. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. T. Sprague. The Treachery in Texas, the Secession of Texas, and the Arrest of the United States Soldiers Serving in Texas. Read Before the New York Historical Society, June 25, 1861. Sprague was a major in the U.S. Army. He arrived in Texas early in March 1861 and was arrested by state forces in April. He was paroled soon after the beginning of hostilities in April, after which he returned to the United States. The relevant material containing his personal experiences after the war began begins on p. 136, first column, with the sentence beginning, "The surrender of Fort Sumter was received in . . . ." Link to document
Stephan Schwartz. Twenty-two Months a Prisoner of War. (1892) Written by a soldier in the U.S. infantry about his experiences as a prisoner of war, held by Confederate forces in Texas from April 1861 to February 1863. Includes an interesting description of the San Antonio community as secession neared plus an account (with many anecdotes) of the imprisonment, movements, and eventual release of Union troops seized in the plaza at San Antonio on April 23, 1861. Link to document
John Tyler, Jr. to Earl Van Dorn, April 16, 1861. Written by the authority of Confederate Secretary of War L. P. Walker. Encloses communication from Texas about U.S. troops concentrating at Indianola and pointing "to the complicity of General Houston in the business." [See D. C. Horton to "Dear Sir," April 9, 1861.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Edward Clark to Jefferson Davis, April 17, 1861. The Texas governor writes to the Confederate president that the state has taken possession of a considerable amount of U.S. funds as part of the surrender of U.S. property by General D. W. Twiggs. Will retain it pending instructions from the Confederate government. Also, notes the need for artillery to defend Indianola and suggests how to obtain it. Link to document
S. Cooper to J. M. Galt, April 17, 1861. Confederate war department orders artillery and ammunition for it sent to Galveston for its defense against the Union Navy. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
H. E. McCulloch to L. P. Walker, April 17, 1861. Texas army officer writes from San Antonio to the Confederate secretary of war about how the beginning of hostilities with the U.S. brings about a changed situation with respect to Federal troops readying to leave Texas. Suggests they be required to surrender their arms, etc. Link to document
C. A. Waite to the Adjutant-General, Washington, D.C., April 17, 1861. New Union army commander writes from San Antonio that Texas state troops stationed there plan to arrest officers, &c.,î the next day. Union troops are still moving to Indianola for embarkation. The last will not arrive until May 10, if allowed to proceed there. Additional transport needed. Link to document
E. Kirby Smith to [L. P. Walker,] April 20, 1861. Smith, then a major of artillery, writes to the Confederate secretary of war about frontier defenses of Texas. Recommends that the line of the Rio Grande be occupied by infantry and artillery and that mounted troops patrol the Indian frontier. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Earl Van Dorn. General Orders No. 1, April 21, 1861. Col. Van Dorn announces that he has taken command of Confederate military forces in Texas. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
[Unsigned] Memorandum relating to the arrest of Colonel C. A. Waite, U.S. Army, and the officers on duty at San Antonio, Tex., April 23, 1861. A detailed report of the event in which Texas state troops made prisoners of war of the officers. An enclosure deals with the same subject. [The document continues for four more pages.] Link to document
C. C. Sibley to the adjutant-general, U.S. Army, April 25, 1861. Major Sibley reports on the surrender of himself and his troops to Confederate military forces at Saluria on the Texas coast. Details. [Scroll down to the document, which continues on the following pages (including enclosures).] Link to document
L. P. Walker to Henry E. McCulloch, April 26, 1861. Confederate secretary of war authorizes Col. McCulloch in San Antonio to hold U.S. troops in Texas as prisoners of war. Link to document
_____________ to the authorities of the Confederate States of America,î April 26, 1861. Oath administered to Union troops surrendered at Saluria the previous date in which a soldier swore not to bear arms against the CSA, etc., unless exchanged, etc. Link to document
L. P. Walker to Edward Clark, April 27, 1861. Confederate secretary of war informs Governor Clark that Clark's letter to President Davis of April 17 has been referred to his office. An officer has been sent to see to the defense of Texas. Details about this and about transferring to the Confederate government funds obtained by the state as part of the surrender of U.S. property earlier. Link to document
Benjamin F. Neal and others to Jefferson Davis, April 28, 1861. The authors were chosen as a committee of public safety at a meeting of Corpus Christi residents the previous day. They ask the Confederate government for arms and munitions, as they have none. They have heard that "the Black Republicans have landed upon our soil" to either coerce Texas to rejoin the Union or to encourage "the Mexicans to commence a predatory war upon our frontier." [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
John C. Hesse to E. D. Townsend, September 6, 1864. [Document placed here because the events described occurred at or about the end of April 1861.] Relates how he and two other Union troops rescued the colors of their regiment before they fell into Confederate hands at San Antonio just before its men surrendered. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
James R. Greene to C. C. Sibley, May 1, 1861. Union army officer, assisting in the evacuation of troops from Texas, reports to a fellow officer in Texas, that, while carrying out his responsibility, he had heard a rumor that his command was to be made prisoners of war. Not believing it, he still checked it out and found it to be true. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
P. N. Luckett to Earl Van Dorn, May 2, 1861. On instructions from Governor Clark, Luckett, state quartermaster and commissary general, writes to the new Confederate military commander in Texas that he will deduct from the funds recently obtained as part of the surrender of U.S. property in Texas a sufficient amount to equip the regiment of state troops commanded by Col. John S. Ford. Also asks that the regiment be accepted into Confederate service. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
W. T. Mechling. Orders No. 3, May 3, 1861. Col. Earl Van Dorn, Confederate commander in Texas, orders the movement of troops (including some in state service) to various locations. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
W. T. Mechling. General Orders No. 4, May 3, 1861. Col. Van Dorn, Confederate commander in Texas, "acknowledges with pride the valuable services of the volunteers called out by his orders to arrest the United States troops at Indianola." Details. Link to document
Earl Van Dorn to S. Cooper, May 4, 1861. Confederate commander in Texas asks the adjutant and inspector general in Montgomery, Alabama, for instructions on how to deal with a wagon train captured while attempting to take supplies to U.S. troops in Arizona. Details. Link to document
William F. Austin to L. A. Thompson, May 7, 1861. One Confederate officer writes to another about the status of arms available for the defense of several parts of Texas and asks that some of the arms at San Antonio be transferred to Galveston. Link to document
I. V. D. Reeve to L. Thomas, May 12, 1861. Officer reports to the Union army adjutant general on the surrender of his command at San Lucas Spring to Confederate forces. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
I. V. D. Reeve to L. Thomas, May 12, 1861. A further, more detailed report on the surrender of his command to Confederate forces. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the following two pages.] Link to document
W. T. Mechling. General Orders No. 5, May 13, 1861. Col. Earl Van Dorn, Confederate commander in Texas, thanks "the volunteer troops of Texas for the valuable services they have rendered to the Confederate States" in the recent past. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Sam Houston to Sam Houston, Jr., May 22, 1861. Houston tells his son that the young man may join the army to defend his country "at a proper time, and in a proper way." Link to document
C. A. Waite to E. D. Townsend, May 25, 1861. Commander of the U.S. army in Texas reports to the assistant adjutant general of the Union army that on April 23 he and eleven other officers were arrested, made prisoners of war, then paroled. Efforts were made to get them to join the Confederate army. Details about that and about other troops arrested and their paroles. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the next page.] Link to document
C. C. Sibley to L. Thomas, June 3, 1861. Major Sibley provides the U.S. army adjutant general a more detailed report on the surrender of troops at Saluria on April 25. Link to document
Anthony M. Dignowity to Abraham Lincoln, June 15, 1861. The author, an immigrant physician from Bohemia, had been a resident of San Antonio until forced to flee Texas earlier that year because of his Unionist sentiments. States that there are 60,000 Unionists in western Texas and that they are free-soilers, not pro-slavery Unionists. Seeks a Federal appointment. Link to document
I. V. D. Reeve to L. Thomas, June 18, 1861. Union officer explains to the Union army adjutant general why he is Kankakee, Illinois, and reports on the treatment of Union troops who had surrendered to Confederate forces in Texas. Link to document
Irion [Taylor] to [Charles S. Taylor], July 21, 1861. Confederate soldier writes from Fort Bliss, El Paso, of the capture of some Union spies. [Author seems to be from Nacogdoches.] [Click on "A31B1F1D21Jul1861p2" for the document.] Link to access page
Arthur Lynn [and seven others] to James Alden, August 5, 1861. Eight consuls and vice consuls at Galveston protest to a U.S. naval captain about his ship's bombardment of the city on the 3rd without giving warning so that women and children could be removed. Reports one death of a civilian and the wounding of several others. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
James Alden to Arthur Lynn [and others], August 6, 1861. U.S. naval captain denies accusations made the day before. States that on the 3rd, Confederate shore batteries had opened fire on a Union gunboat, which returned the fire. Later in the day, his own ship was fired upon by the same batteries. There was a brief exchange of shots, after which Alden retired to prevent loss of innocent lives in the city. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
James Alden to William Mervine, August 10, 1861. Alden gives official report to the commander of the Gulf Blockading Squadron (Union) on the exchange of fire between Confederate shore batteries and two Union blockading ships on August 3. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
William Mervine to James Alden, August 21, 1861. The Union commander of the Gulf Blockading Squadron approves Captain Alden's conduct on August 3 at Galveston. Is critical of British consul Arthur Lynn. Link to document
Abraham Lincoln to Lorenzo Thomas, August 29, 1861. The U.S. president writes to the adjutant general of the Union army, asking that Anthony Dignowity, exiled Texas Unionist, be examined for appointment as a surgeon in the Union army. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
___________. Memorandum in Abraham Lincoln Papers, part of which is about Texas. [August 1861?]. [Transcription incorrectly says July, but manuscript original has August. Manuscript also has the word "cabinet" added. Lincoln may be the author, but the manuscript is not in his handwriting.] Document deals with possible Union military strategies, including one or two invasions of Texas. There is an expectation that the many Unionists in northern and western Texas will flock to the Union standard if an adequate force appears, perhaps leading to the creation of the new free state of Western Texas. Link to document
Truman Smith to Abraham Lincoln, 1861 or 1864?]. New York lawyer and politician argues at length that Texas has forfeited to the United States its public lands. Recommends that a military force be sent into western Texas that, with the aid of loyal Unionists there, might lead to the establishment of a free state on the Rio Grande. [Someone has written on this manuscript 1864 with a question mark. The Library of Congress has dated it 1861. Although the transcriber may have made an error, the LC may have revised the dating as the result of research. It seems to fit a much earlier time than 1864, when there was already a Union force on the lower Rio Grande.] [To access this document, click on the "Link to document," then type "Truman Smith" in the search field. Then click on the "Search" button. Then choose the document "Truman Smith to Abraham Lincoln, 1861 (Land in Texas)" from the list.] Link to access page
Henry Watson to John Lindsey Watson, September 1861. Panola County man writes his family soon after enlisting as a private in Company F, 10th Cavalry, at Quitman. Makes observations about his experiences since leaving home. [The Internet source of this document is the TexGenWeb Project.] Scroll down to the letter.] Link to document
G. W. Fox to James Alden, September 12, 1861. Acting Union secretary of the navy states that the department approves the actions of Union blockading ships off Galveston on August 3. Link to document
Eli Thayer to Abraham Lincoln, October 12, 1861. Recommends that northerners be recruited to immigrate to some of the border states as a way to secure and sustain the loyalty of those states. "It has been suggested that Texas could be saved to the Union in this way." Link to document
P. O. Hebert to J. P. Benjamin, October 24, 1861. Commander of Confederate forces in Texas writes to the secretary of war about inadequate arms, insufficient numbers of troops, etc. Will be almost impossible to prevent an enemy landing on the coast. States in detail how he plans to try to overcome the problems. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Eli Thayer to Abraham Lincoln, November 6, 1861. Recommends that 50,000 men and their families be recruited in Europe to immigrate to Texas in order to ensure the state's loyalty in the future. Provides details but does not make clear when this is to occur. Link to document
R. D. Bone to "Dear Wife" [Minerva Bone], November 10, 1861. Nacogdoches County physician is in Madison County, traveling with some Confederate volunteers [likely from Nacogdoches County themselves] toward an unspecified location. He states that the "boys are in fine spirits; very jovial and full of fun." Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, November 16, 1861. Nacogdoches County physician writes to his wife of traveling with the troops of the 12th Texas Volunteer Infantry Company by rail through East Texas. Mentions scarcity of men in the area because of enlistments, displays of patriotic feeling by women along the way, etc. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, November 24, 1861. Nacogdoches County physician writes to his wife from Hempstead in Austin County about food rations for the troops, unhealthy camp conditions, having to sleep on the ground, and, in a note dated November 25, his appointment as assistant surgeon to a regiment. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, November 27, 1861. Nacogdoches physician writes to is wife from Camp Sanford in Austin County about how painful it is to be separated from his wife, but states that he has a duty "as a common citizen" to serve his country. Writes approvingly of a widow hotelier in Hempstead who has taken in some sick soldiers. [The letter may be incomplete.] Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, December 15, 1861. Nacogdoches County physician writes to his wife of hearing an excellent sermon from a Presbyterian minister. Contrasts the good morals of some soldiers in the company with the "fiddling and dancing" of others, etc. Link to document
Texas. Legislature. An Act for the Protection of the Frontier of the State of Texas, December 21, 1861. Calls for the raising of a regiment of rangers to protect the northern and western frontiers of Texas. Details about how it will be raised, governed, supplied, etc. Spells out the relationship with the Confederate army and specifies the authority of the governor over the regiment. Repeals an act of the same title, passed February 7, 1861. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, December 22, 1861. Nacogdoches County physician writes to his wife of sickness at Camp Hebert in Austin County, and of the availability of variety of food for the troops. Does not expect any fighting in the area. Link to document
Oliver Loving to Francis R. Lubbock, [1862?]. Cattleman writes to the Texas governor, proposing to raise several companies of men under state or Confederate authority for the purpose of destroying some Comanches in New Mexico who have stolen cattle belonging to Texans. Also offers to go so far as Denver to free some Confederate prisoners held there. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, January 14, 1862. Nacogdoches physician writes to his wife that he is very busy. Is the only physician at Camp Hebert. Many soldiers are ill. A new hospital has just been finished. Link to document
Abraham Lincoln to Edwin M. Stanton, January 31, 1862. The U.S. president writes to his secretary of war. Wants the so-called "Lane Expedition" [the sending of troops from Kansas into Arkansas and Texas] to be a limited enterprise, comprising no more than 10,000 to 15,000 troops. Details. Link to document
Asenath M. Paine to R. D. Bone, February 3, 1862. Sister writes from rural Nacogdoches County to her brother, a physician serving with a Confederate regiment. Has heard that "the North has whipped [sic] the South in one battle." Some local people believe that the war will soon end; others that the fight will continue until the nation is destroyed. Others consider the war to be a scourge sent upon the people for wickedness. [Click on "A9B2F9D3Feb1862p1."] Link to document
Joseph Medill to Abraham Lincoln, February 9, 1862. Chicago newspaper publisher urges that General James H. Lane be given the command of the expedition [from Kansas into Arkansas and Texas]. Is confident that "Lane's little army" can, among other things, establish a free state in western Texas. Link to document
J. P. Benjamin to P. O. Hebert, February 23, 1862. The Confederate secretary of war writes to the military commander in Texas that the line of communication to the West must be maintained. As no invasion of Texas is deemed probable, he is to send to General Earl Van Dorn at Little Rock those troops guarding the Texas coast. Troops along the Rio Grande and on the frontier should remain in place. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, March 11, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife that the men at Camp Hebert in Austin County keep hearing depressing war news. They may be ordered to move into the eastern part of the state to try to prevent the Federals from entering Texas through Arkansas. Link to document
Minerva Bone to R. D. Bone, March 16, 1862. Army physician's wife writes to her husband from their home in Nacogdoches County [near Douglass] that five slaves have been hanged at Carthage because they were allegedly about to kill the members of their master's family. Another slave was hanged at Rusk. Says that "times is getting worse here." More and more men are being called into military service. Fears that her father may be soon. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, March 17, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife from Camp Hebert in Austin County that the volunteers are excited to hear that they are to be discharged and sent home to be subject to the draft. Speculates that the purpose may be to scare the men into volunteering for the duration of the war. Details. Link to document
Leslie Combs to Abraham Lincoln, March 18, 1862. Kentucky politician and military leader states that there are large colonies of Germans and few slaves west of the Colorado River in Texas. A few regiments, landing at Matagorda Bay, could easily penetrate to Austin and San Antonio, cutting the state in two. Link to document
Minerva Bone to R. D. Bone, March 23, 1862. Resident of Nacogdoches County writes to her husband, a physician serving in the Confederate army, that slaves in the area are saying that they will rise and fight the local army volunteers when they return home to be subject to the draft. Worries that, should more county men join the Confederate forces, "there will be danger here." [Click on "A9B1F20D23Mar1862p1" for this document.] Link to access page
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, March 30, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife about rumors circulating through Camp Hebert in Austin County about where the soldiers will be sent. Fears that "the dark hour[s?] of our history is approaching rapidly." Encourages his wife to have courage. Link to document
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Note: This list will have more links added later.