In 1861 Newman Haynes Clanton moved his family to the sparsely populated
county of Hamilton, Texas. The Civil War had broken out and both Newman and his son
John Wesley Clanton served in the State Militia, which was a company of Home Guards
under the command of Captain W. H. Cotton. Newman served as private while his son
was appointed first corporal. For one reason or another, John left after serving a little over
a month and re-enlisted in Ellis County in the Twelfth Regiment of the Texas Cavalry.
After serving four months in this regiment, known as Parson's Regiment, John left once
again, this time going home to Hamilton County.
A letter written by a Confederate soldier in January or February of 1862 sheds a
little light on this incident. The letter written near Houston, states:
Sergt. Hodges and company returned day before yesterday with Clanton who
deserted from Capt. Maddox's Company some six weeks ago. They caught him in
Hamilton county. He is a very trifling fellow, and having stolen some things his
messmates kicked him out and none others would take him in. So the Captain took him in
his mess awhile and then told him to seek other quarters, so he "sloped." He is about
twenty years old, stout, healthy, though of low countenance; he is in the guardhouse and
will be turned over to the General Marshal and perhaps have to wear a ball and chain
during the war. Alas! for him."
Sergeant J. H. Hodges and two men were sent to arrest him and bring him back.
Concerning this affair, Sgt. Hodges wrote:
That night about three miles from where I arrested him, I met his father, and his father did
not wish him to come back, he told him to break custody. The prisoner then refused to
come, he afterwards agreed to come after my telling him he was obliged to. His father
told him he was afraid his destiny was death, which I suppose was the cause of his
refusing to come.
A court martial was held for John Clanton in February, 1862 and he offered no
defense. He was found guilty of desertion, but due to his youth and the fact that he had
not read the Articles of War and so not aware of the seriousness of his crime, his sentence
was a stoppage of pay from the time of his desertion to the expiration of his term of
enlistment and then to be dishonor-ably discharged.
John re-enlisted in March 1862 in Waco, Texas, along with his father Newman.
On July 6, 1862, Newman was discharged on account of being over age, and John served
until March 2, 1863. Newman enlisted again at Fort Herbert, but had gone AWOL on
June 1, 1863. Again Newman enlisted, this time in the Company for Second Frontier
District at Hamilton, serving twenty-three days. For this he was to be paid two dollars per
day and he claimed he had never received the money. Newman's son Phineas (known as
Phin) also served in the Confederate Army as a private in the Texas State Militia.
Newman's youngest son, William Harrison Clanton, was born in 1862 in
Hamilton County, Texas. Three years later the Civil War ended, and on April 10, 1865
Newman and Mariah sold their land on Pecan Creek in Hamilton County, Texas, to
Henry Burts. This may be about the time the family started heading west. In the latter part
of August 1865 John Wesley Clanton was with some refugees at Franklin, Texas. On
September 3, 1865 Newman, with his two sons John and Phin, appear with a group of ex-
Confederates at Fort Bowie, Arizona, enroute to California. A description is given of
them there that states Newman was six feet one inch, fair complexion, light hair and blue
eyes; John was five feet eleven inches, fair complexion, light hair and brown eyes; Phin
Clanton was five feet eight inches, fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Leaving Ft.
Bowie sometime in 1866 bound for California, Newman's wife Mariah died on the
Arizona plains.
Sorry that I can't name who the Captain Clanton was, unless Newman took on that
rank himself when passing through Fort Bowie.
If you find any more about their civil War activities I will be very interested. Newman
was first cousin to my great great great grandfather, Newman's dad being Henry Clanton
& my 4th great grandfather Henry's brother Drury Clanton, both of whom were natives of
Sussex County, VA., who moved west to Davidson & Williamson Cos, TN, and thence
on to Montgomery & Callaway Counties, Missouri.
Tom Goldrup tjgoldrup@sasquatch.com
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Tom Goldrup, Thank you for your thoughtful response.
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First, do you mean Franklin, Robertson County TX or Franklin County TX?
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Second, did John Wesley Clanton die in 1916? ... was he buried in the Santa Rosa Cemetery, Sonoma
County CA?
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I too read the Compiled Military Service Records of John Wesley Clanton (b-1831) as well as the Sep 3,
1865 Fort Bowie, Arizona Territory document. Most of this info is on my web page cited below. Thank
you for typing that lengthly record.
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Quoting: " ... John Wesley Clanton served in [Gurley's 30th TX Cavalry] until Mar 2, 1863 .... In the latter
part of August 1865 John Wesley Clanton was with some refugees at Franklin, Texas. ..."
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Please scroll down my web page.
http://www.bourlandcivilwar.com/Feb1864WashitaIndianTerritory.htm
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The statement: "J.W. Clanton was with some refugees at Franklin, Texas" implies that he was with a group
of men, maybe about 40 at one time.
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Most of my time is spent studying deserters during the last year of the Civil War, which means the records
are scant. Yes, I have the names of over 600 deserters languishing in North Texas in two listings.
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re: Gen. H.E. McCulloch's reference to "Capt. Clanton" in the Feb 4, 1864 letter only means that this man
named Clanton was a leader of about forty men. At this point in the War, the protocol is increasingly lax.
... What would you call a man who was leading 40 men on a foraging rampage?
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Please move this discussion to our Texas in the Civil War message board that Charles Christian of Santa
Rosa CA and I frequent. Our readers may be able to point you toward more relevant records.
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http://history-sites.com/txcwmb/
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Patti, prochette@Juno.com