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The Exploits of Waul's Texas Legion Table of Contents.
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The exploits of Waul's Texas Legion
This page is a work in progress. If you have information concerning persons, places or events involved with Waul's Texas Legion, Timmon's or Wrigley's infantry Regiments, Willis' Battalion Texas Cavalry, Edgar's Battery or Steele's Command Texas Cavalry, please send it to us for inclusion into this record.
[ Last update; 4-5-04 ]
A capsule History of Waul's Texas Legion.
A legion is a military unit composed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery components.Waul's Texas Legion, the only true legion of Texas troops in the Confederate States army, was raised in and around Brenham in spring of 1862 The formation of Waul's Legion took place at Camp Waul in beginning May ,1862. Waul's Meadow, located some seven (7) miles north of Brenham, on Gay Hill overlooking New Year's Creek near the southern boundary of the Glenblythe Plantation, saw the training and organization of the legion.
The legion originally consisted of twelve companies of infantry, six companies of cavalry, and a six-gun battery of artillery with a total complement of 2,000 men. The first infantry battalion was originally commanded by Lt. Col. Barnard Timmons and the second by Lt. Col. James Wrigley.The cavalry battalion was led by Lt. Col. Leonidias Willis and the artillery battery by Capt. William Edgar.
The legion was part of the Eastern District of Texas until completion of its training in August 1862, when according to John Duff Brown of company D, they were orderd to march toward Northern Mississippi.
They marched toward Clarksville, Arkansas, However orders were received to go to Shreveport, Louisiana instead.
Camping on the Sabine River September 11, they arrived on September 14.GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. OF THE ARMY, DIST. OF THE MISS, Number 50.
Camp at Davis' Mill, Miss., Sept. 23, 1862.
The brigades of Brigadier-Generals Rust, Bowen, Vilepigue, W. H. Jackson (cavalry), and Waul's Texas Legion will compose a division, to be commanded by Major-General Mansfield Lovell. The troops of this command will be in readiness to march to-morrow morning at 6 o'clock with fifteen days' rations.
The legion was assigned to Vicksburg October 1st 1862 as a part of Loring's Division, Lovell's Corps, Army of West Tennessee, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. They were sent to Holly Springs on the 8th where they received converted muskets, cartridge boxes with 40 rounds ammunition, cap pouch, bayonet and scabbard. The diarist Phillip Amsler (Co. E, 2nd Btn.) noted on October 13th that "we received our arms consisting mostly of old firelock muskets converted to percussion, with bayonets. Also cartridge boxes, bayonet scabbard and belt, [these] being new and in good order with forty rounds of ammunition" (Hasskarl and Hasskarl 1985: 8). On November 9th he wrote that "we received a good uniform last week consisting of good blue cloth pants, a grey woolen jacket well lined, and a grey cap. Quite a comfortable suit. We can also draw shirts and drawers if we want any" (Hasskarl and Hasskarl 1985: 12).
October 27th they went to Coldwater Mississippi and on through Holly Springs and Dumphins Mill before reaching Camp Natchez on the Tallahatchie River.[ From : Reminiscences of John Duff Brown ]
.... In a few days we resumed our march en route for Holly Springs; and soon the news of our defeat at Shiloh, which had been fought while we lay at Vicksburg [*1], and the death of our loved Sidney Johnston came to us. For about two weeks we lay camped on an unsheltered hill some ten miles south of Holly Springs. General Price, with his Missouri troops, lay just south of us. Here we encountered real wintry weather. We were next ordered seven miles north of Holly Springs, where General Tighlman was quartered at a farm house...A few days after this, we were ordered to make a change of front, throwing us around Holly Springs, where we lay three days. During this time, I had resumed command of Company D by order of the colonel commanding. After three days more, General Tighlman ordered a retreat of twenty or thirty miles south. He had been captured at Fort Donelson and subsequently exchanged, and I suppose he was unwilling again to take the chances. I must have kept better posted than he, for I knew there was no danger of an advance of the enemy. They had about twenty skeleton regiments fifteen or twenty miles north of us, but this body of troops had been depleted till it was too weak to advance. But Tighlman's retreat invited the enemy to advance, which they did after a time, though not immediately.[*1 ] The battle of Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing Tn. was fought on April 6-7,1862 , General Johnson was killed April 6th of 1862 by a shot to the leg of which he bled to death.
Shiloh could not have been fought while the legion " lay at Vicksburg", as the legion did not complete training in Texas until August of 1862.
The original Legion's composition was dismantled as the infantry, cavalry and artillery components were assigned to separate fields of operation. It seems however they were re-organized, the men of the original Legion always considered themselves as serving with Waul's Texas Legion.
In order to recount the exploits of the various elements of what is called Waul's Texas Legion we must first understand that The Legion did not act as a single command. After the initial formation of the legion it was splintered into various commands. Colonel Waul himself was promoted to Brigadier General after Vicksburg in 1863 and the battalions / regiments of his Infantry which he commanded at Vicksburg fell to the command of Colonel Barnard Timmons and James Wrigley, who had served with Waul. It is this infantry that is generally regarded as Waul's Texas Legion.
His six cavalry battalions in October of 1862 fell under the command of Lt. Colonel Leonidas Willis was known as Waul's Texas Legion Cavalry or Willis' Cavalry Battalion and was assigned to the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, and later to the cavalry command of Gen. Nathan B. Forrest. With the possible exception of a deachment of scouts, none of the cavalry battalions were assigned to Vicksburg at the time of the siege. [ Read more about Vicksburg ]The artillery battery which was known as Edgars Battery moved on also, served under General McCulloch, and later under Major General John G. Walker in Walker's Division.
Although Waul's Texas Legion was only one unit, Waul himself did command other units. His rank and commands were,
17 May 1862 as Colonel, Waul's Texas Legion
18 Sep 1863 as Brigadier General, Commanding a brigade in Walker's division, District of West Tennessee, Trans-Mississippi Department.
Feb-Aug 1864 as Brigadier General, Commanding a brigade in Walker's division, District of Arkansas, Trans-Mississippi Department.
Aug 1864-26 May 1865 as Brigadier General, Commanding a brigade in Walker's Division
(Specifically 1st Texas Brigade, 1st Texas Division, 1st Corps or District of West Louisiana).Any of these brigades may be referred to as Waul's.
While the original makeup of Waul's Texas Legion were moved about like chess pieces, and Waul himself was promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of various units, in order to account for the actions of these pieces we will break them down into componenent parts and track the Regiments, Battalions and Companies that comprised the only true Legion formed in Texas.
Infantry :
Ist Infantry : Colonel Barnard Timmons
2nd Infantry : Colonel James Wrigley
Cavalry : Six Companies : Later Seven Commanded by Lt. colonel Leonidas WillisArtillery : Edgars Battery under Captain William Edgar
The Artillery Battery -
Edgars Battery was part of the legion from April - October 1862.Capt. William Edgar
In early April 1862, the battery was ordered to report to Brigadier General T. N. Waul and serve as his Legion's artillery company. The Legion spent some time at Camp Lubbock, but ultimately set up quarters at Camp Waul. At the camp, Edgar began to experience success in the reenlistment of his men by providing furloughs and bounties. The battery was again shifted in October of 1862 as Brigadier General Henry McCulloch had received orders to organize a division under the Trans-Mississippi Department to serve in Texas and Louisiana. The division was formed at Camp Nelson, with four brigades, each with its own battery of light artillery. Edgar's Battery had arrived in camp by September and was placed in the Third Brigade. The brigade commander was General McCulloch, who was relieved by Major General John G. Walker as the division commander in late 1862. [ More ]
The Cavalry Battalion ( Most commonly referred to as Willis' Battalion Texas Cavalry )
The cavalry battalion was first led by Lt. Col. Leonodias Willis contained six companies, later increased to seven. The field officers were Lieutenant Colonel L. Willis; and Majors H. S. Parker, John R. Smith, and Benjamin F. Weeks.
It served in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, skirmished in Mississippi, then fought with Forrest in Western Tennessee and Kentucky. The unit returned to Mississippi, saw action in Hood's operations in Northern Georgia, and ended the war in Alabama. In October, 1863, it had 450 men present, at the end of the war few surrendered with Ross' Brigade, Jackson's Div. Forrest's Cavalry Corps, Dept. of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. [ More ]
The Infantry Regiments
According to the book Texas in the civil war by Wright, the re-organized infantry battalions were considered as Waul's Texas legion.Infantry regiments
[ Timmons Regiment Texas Infantry] [ Wrigley's Regiment ]
In October 1862 the infantry companies were transferred to Mississippi served in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana Commanded by Major General Earl Van Dorn and reorganized into two battalions of six companies each. later In October of 1862 transferred to Major General John Clifford Pemberton same Department. The first infantry battalion was originally commanded by Lt. Col. Barnard Timmons and the second by Lt. Col. James Wrigley. Uniforms were issued November 9, 1862 and the unit moved to Rocky Ford November 12th, 1862 where they threw up breast works. All was quiet through November 28th. On December 1st there was a skirmish, and the legion retired to Coffeeville Mississippi. The legion moved to Grenada December 7th as part of the Army of North Mississippi in December of 1862. Orders issued January 2nd made the legion part of Pemberton's First Division, under direct command of W.W. Loring and transferred to the Army of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana.The legion moved January 24, 1863 going through Yazoo City some 60 miles by boat to Snyders Mill ,then back to Yazoo City on February 16. From there up the Yazoo River February 20th. They were stationed at Fort Pemberton until May 4th, 1863 after which they were ordered to Vicksburg to defend the city.
Attached to Gen. John C. Pemberton's Army of Vicksburg, the legion played a stalwart role in that city's defense. With the exception of a single company, then on detached duty, It fought in the Vicksburg Campaign and was captured on July 4, 1863. Here the unit reported 47 killed, 190 wounded, and 8 missing of the 381 engaged.
Wauls Texas Legion Infantry Regiment Assignments;
Eastern District of Texas, Trans-Mississippi Department (May-August 1862)
Waul's Legion, Lovell's Division, District of the Mississippi, Department # 2 (September-October 1862)
Waul's Legion, Loring's Division, Lovell's Corps, Army of West Tennessee, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (October-December 1862)
Waul's Legion, Loring's Division, Lovell's Corps, Army of North Mississippi, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana
(December 1862-January 1863Waul's Legion, Loring's Division, Army of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (January 1863)
GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPT. OF Miss. AND EAST La.,No. 5 [21]. Grenada, January 2, 1863
Hereafter the organization of the army, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. will be as follows, viz:
The army will consist of two divisions, to be known as First and Second Divisions, and commanded ,respectively, by Maj. Gen. W. W. Loring and Maj. Gen. Sterling Price. Each division will consist of two brigades.
First Division comprises Tilghman's brigade, Rust's brigade, and Waul's Texas Legion, Colonel Waul commanding.....
Waul's Legion, 2nd Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (January-March 1863)
Moore's Brigade, Loring's Division, 2nd Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (March-April 1863)
Moore's Brigade, Loring's Division, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (April 1863)
Waul's Legion, Stevenson's Division, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (April-July 1863)
Captured at Vicksburg July 1863
Luckett's Brigade, Eastern Sub-district, District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, Trans-Mississippi Department
(December 1863-January 1864)Eastern Sub district, District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, Trans-Mississippi Department (January-February 1864)
1st Sub-district, District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona,Trans-Mississippi Department (May-September 1864)
5th (Hawes') Texas Brigade, 2nd (Hebert's) Texas Division, 3rd Corps, Trans-Mississippi Department (September 1864-May 1865)
Battles:
Fort Pemberton (March 11-April 5, 1863)
Vicksburg Campaign (May-July 1863)
Vicksburg Siege (May-July 1863)
Sources:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~tx1250/weber01.htm
Joel Pate ( Rootsweb PATE-L Archives) patej@nettally.com
National Parks Service
National Archives Records AdministrationK.C. MacDonald
See the Index at The Exploits of Waul's Texas Legion Table of Contents.
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The Exploits of Waul's Texas Legion
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