"One of Cleburne’s Command"
November 1861-War Department orders received by Col M. T. Johnson providing authority to raise a brigade for 12 months service.......
organized these regiments in response:
[what became known as]14th-15th-16th-17th-18th Texas Cavalry Regiments
Col Darnell denies his 18th Texas Cavalry regiment was to be connected with Johnson's brigade
“If Johnson raises a brigade, Darnell’s regt will form no part of it -the commands of these two Colonels being entirely distinct and independent of each other.”
14th and 17th Texas Cavalry regiments organized in east Texas
Austin Weekly State Gazette [11/6/61 and 5/26/62 Gazette]
February 24, 1862- Gen. Hebert [commander in Texas] ordered to push forward at once all troops defending the Texas coast to Gen Van Dorn, not including those troops on Rio Grande or Western frontier-He received this order March 14.
HOUSTON TRI-WEEKLY TELEGRAPH, March 26, 1862, p. 2, c. 1
The Tyler Reporter has the following. ........
The Reporter says that Smith county has ten companies in the service, and four more forming. Smith County has done nobly, but her misfortune will be found in having so many of her noble volunteers in for twelve months only. For all these the county will get no credit under the fifteen regiment call. In apportioning for the draft no men count in the quota of the county but those in for three years or the war.
The Tyler Reporter says Col. M. T. Johnson, has now three full regiments under his command.
The 14th-15th-16th-17th-18th Texas Cavalry regiments, along with the 12th Texas Cavalry regiment assembled at Clarksville, Texas -"6000 men stretched for miles....."
These six regiments at Clarksville were not organized as a brigade but ordered to proceed by regiment to Little Rock where it was expected the brigade would be organized and Johnson would take command
RICHMOND, April 11, 1862. Col. M. T. JOHNSON, Fourteenth Texas Cavalry Regiment, Richmond: COLONEL: I am directed by the Secretary of War to say that your regiment will be known as the Fourteenth Texas Cavalry Regiment, that of Col. G. H. Sweet as the Fifteenth Texas Cavalry, that of Col. William Fitzhugh as the Sixteenth, and that of Col. G. F. Moore as the Seventeenth Texas Cavalry; that the staff of your regiment as recommended by you have been nominated, and when confirmed will be commissioned. The staff of the other regiments above named will be appointed when the muster-rolls are received. Respectfully, V. D. Groner, Acting Assistant Adjutant- General.
April 1, 1862 General Albert Sidney Johnston orders the brigade of four Texas Cavalry regiments under senior Colonel Johnson to come at once to Corinth, MS
Comment-When Van Dorn's Army of the West crossed the Miss river in April 1862, he was still hoping for additional units belatedly marching from Texas, such as Johnson's so called brigade of the 14th-15th-16th-17th [and 18th?] Texas cavalry regiments to catch up with, and reinforce his army.
"One of Cleburne's Command"
The 14th Texas Cavalry was the first [of Johnson’s so called brigade] to arrive in Little Rock where it was dismounted and sent across Miss river to join the army at Corinth.
[LITTLE ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, April 24, 1862, p. 1, c. 1
We were pleased, last week, to receive a call from Dr. Chas. R. Pryor, late editor of the Dallas (Texas) Herald, and now surgeon of the 1st regiment of Texas cavalry [14th Texas Cav] under the command of Col. M. T. Johnson. This regiment reached Little Rock on Wednesday last, and is now at the Ashley camp grounds, awaiting transportation.—We learn that it is full, numbering between 1,000 and 1,100 men, among whom there is but little sickness, and that little of very mild type. The men are strong, healthy and anxious to go into immediate service, and their gallant leader, Lt. Col. Manus, equally so to lead them on. We wish them continued health, and a chance to meet the enemy on equal terms.
One of Van Dorn's orders [#64-issued 4/24 from Memphis] states that the 14th-15th-16th-17th Texas cavalry regiments are to be dismounted with the horses left near Little Rock in preparation to joining his army. All but the 14th Texas were subsequently detained in Arkansas due to the crisis [in May] that developed after Van Dorn's departure.
May 11, 1862-Confederate General Roan in Little Rock was collecting troops as they arrived from Texas and forwarding them to Van Dorn via Memphis
[After the 14th Texas cavalry had arrived in Little Rock, dismounted and crossed the Miss. River], the 15th and 18th Texas cavalry regiments, then still on the road, were ordered to Pine Bluff to dismount and cross the Miss. River [but were detained in Arkansas instead].
Due to high water these two regiments were delayed several days in getting to Pine Bluff. Before they arrived, Federal General Curtis made threatening demonstrations in N. Arkansas so these regiments were ordered back from Pine Bluff to Little Rock. [Note: the 12th, 16th & 17th Texas cavalry regiments were also detained for the defense of Arkansas and likewise did not cross the Miss river. However, some of these units continued to be carried on Van Dorn’s tables of organization for several weeks in anticipation of their arrival]
April 29, 1862-as announced in Army of the West orders this date in Memphis
Following is the organization of Army of West
[includes this brigade named on paper]
xxxxx brigade
Johnson Texas Dismounted Cavalry regiment
Fitzhugh Texas Dismounted Cavalry regiment
Moore Texas Dismounted Cavalry regiment
Sweet Texas Dismounted Cavalry regiment
May 4, 1862 revised table of organization for Army of the West at Corinth includes:
xxxxxx brigade [note-only 1 regiment of this brigade has arrived]
Fitzhugh Tex Dismounted Cavalry [16th]
Johnson Tex Dismounted Cavalry [14th]
Moore Tex Dismounted Cavalry [17th]
Sweet Tex Dismounted Cavalry [15th]
May 26, 1862 revised table of organization for Army of the West includes:
McCown Division
3rd Brigade-xxxx
Fitzhugh Tex Dismounted Cavalry [16th]
Johnson Tex Dismounted Cavalry [14th]
Moore Tex Dismounted Cavalry [17th]
Sweet Tex Dismounted Cavalry [15th]
[LITTLE ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, May 29, 1862, p. 1, c. 1
Letter from Corinth., May 15, 1862.
Editor True Democrat.—For the satisfaction and information of our friends in Texas and Arkansas, I will give you the outlines of our movements since we reached the great stronghold and encampment of the chivalry of the South. Our regiment, formerly the 1st raised by Col. M. T. Johnson, of which he was the Colonel elect, but now the 14th, reached Corinth on the 6th and our individuality lost in the ocean of the thousands congregated around us. We were ordered out that very evening, in obedience to an order, from headquarters, in anticipation of an attack by the enemy. It proved only a feint, however, and we were ordered back. The next day we were transferred to Gen. Van Dorn's division and to Gen. Cabell's brigade, and our designation as the 14th formally given.
On the evening of the 8th, we were called under arms, and marched out several miles on the Farmington road, a short distance across the Memphis and Charleston railroad. Our brigade is composed of several Texas regiments, one or two Arkansas, and Good's battery of artillery, and is ably commanded by Gen. Cabell, a fine officer as well as an accomplished gentleman. On the 9th our division in full force, constituting the right wing of the army, engaged the enemy at and around Farmington, driving them from their position and completely routing the entire batch of some 15 or 20,000 men. Our loss was comparatively small, while that of the enemy was very large. Our boys rushed into their camps and seized whatever they had a fancy to, viz: numerous overcoats, blankets, late Boston and New York cheap literature of the same old genuine Yankee stripe, not worth a cent, envelopes of fanciful devices and monstrous vignettes, representing Jeff. Davis as hanging by the neck, victorious Yankees and all such. It was amusing to see one of our Dallas boys ©. M.) carrying off a magnificent overcoat belonging to a Yankee Captain, as a trophy of this brilliant engagement. A late Boston publication fell to my lot, which I had not the patience to read, as it was one of the old "yaller kiver novelettes," as full of nuisance as nonsense.
The attack was made by Ruggles and Price, and gallantly sustained throughout. The charge upon the enemy which drove them into a deep morass, was a brilliant maneuver, resulting in the slaughter of hundreds of the Feds, as they floundered about like a gang of wounded and frightened wild geese. You may judge of the effect of grape and cannister upon them, when I tell you that after the battle was over, the water of the morass looked like a lake of blood. We also took a large number of prisoners, and destroyed the telegraph which they had constructed from Farmington to their headquarters on the Tennessee. I am proud to say that the 14th Texas regiment behaved like veterans and stood the shock of battle as if they had got used to it. Lieut. Col. Mains was as cool and collected as if he had been in a dress parade on the prairies of Texas. But right here, permit me to say, that Texans are robbed of half their spirit and usefulness by dismounting and making them serve as infantry. Mount them well and give them a leader worthy of such material, and the world cannot produce such cavalry—Murat never had better.
Our Texas regiments have all been re-organized by the late act of Congress. Capt. Camp was elected Colonel, in the 14th, and Lieut. Harris of Fort Worth, Lieut. Colonel—a most excellent selection, as it is generally conceded that Harris is one of the best military men in the regiment. Most of the officers of the old organization resigned and were not candidates for re-election. The stringency of the Military Board of examiners will have a very happy effect, excluding as incompetent, all those elected, who cannot pass the board. Where so much is at stake, the rules governing the conduct and discipline of the army, cannot well be too severe.
The Texas troops behave gallantly, side by side with those from Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi—they all move as a unit as if impelled by the same controlling principle, and right nobly and gallantly have they all braved the dangers that face them......
June 30, 1862 Organization of the Army of the West includes:
McCown Division
Cabell 2nd Brig
McCray Ark [31st]
10th Texas dismounted cavalry regiment
11th Tex Texas dismounted cavalry regiment
14th Tex Texas dismounted cavalry regiment
15th[aka 32nd] Texas dismounted cavalry regiment
TYLER REPORTER, July 24, 1862, p. 2, c. 2 Notice to Detached Soldiers!!
Headquarters, Tyler, Texas, July 20, 1862.
The detached men belonging to the dismounted regiments formerly commanded by Colonels. Greer, Stone, Locke, Young, Sims, Whitfield, Camp (late Col. M. T. Johnson's) and Crump's battalion, who were sent home with the horses of their commands, are notified and required forthwith to assemble at Paris, Lamar County, Texas. At Paris they will report to Major Wm. E. Estes, of Col. Andrews, (late Crumps) regiment, who has been assigned to the temporary command of said detached men in lieu of Col. J. J. Diamond. Most of these men have already reported at Paris. All others, who have not been discharged by competent authority, must do so without delay, or they will be treated as deserters. On reporting to Major Estes, he will discharge those who desire it, who were over 35 or under 18 years of age on the 16th day of April, 1862. By order of Gen. Henry E. McCulloch......
Sources:
Official Records
Special Orders Army of the West-National Archives
"One of Cleburne's Command"
"In the Saddle with the Texans" [Parsons’ Cavalry Brigade]
"Between the Enemy and Texas: Parsons' Texas Cavalry in the Civil War"
“The Ragged Rebel: A Common Soldier in W. H. Parsons' Texas Cavalry, 1861-1865"
Period newspapers as cited
And piles of my own disorganized notes