> [BN] Stay tuned for more
I will, believe me ... I've learned quite a bit on this forum in less than a week.
> [BN] or add questions.
I'll do that, too -- happily!
Since my last post I've clarified a few things with family; R.W.'s family lived in Maury County, TN, just a couple miles south of Columbia, TN (40 miles south of Nashville; James K. Polk's stomping grounds, prior to the Presidency), no later than 1820 (R.W.'s grandfather is on the 1820 census for Maury County).
In approximately 1856, R.W. would have been 15 years old ... that year he and his father, mother, uncle, and two sisters (perhaps a few more) left for Texas. Why? Manifest Destiny, perhaps? I couldn't tell you, but they ended up settling almost 500 miles away, in Red River County (not in Daingerfield, as I'd thought earlier). Not sure of their exact location in Red River County ... nothing has led me to believe that they actually lived in Clarksville ...
Another tidbit: in June 1861 R.W. joined a volunteer unit for his county of residence, called The Rosalie Guard. The following information is from http://www.txgenweb6.org/txredriver/volunteers/rosgds.html ...
> The Rosalie Guard, an organization with twelve officers and 105 privates, organized on June 24, 1861, was officially recorded on June 25, 1861, as the fourth company of volunteers to be organized in Red River County for service in the Civil War.
> H. F. Murray, named as captain of the Rosalie Guard, was in command of the company, members of which immediately began preparations to leave their homes in Red River county for service on the battle front.
> "We, the undersigned, agree to form ourselves into a volunteer ilitary company for defense of the countyh. That we agree to act in conjunction with other companies that may be formed in this county, for all defense of our homes, and farther that with this shall not despair ay of us from volunteering at any call that may be made on our state for troops."
I'm certainly going to do some cross-referencing of the Rosalie Guard roster w/ the 27th roster and see what I can find.
The copies of muster rolls that we have and the information provided by George Martin tell us that R.W.:
> Enlisted February 2, 1862 at Daingerfield, Texas by E. R. Hawkins for 12 months.
> Mustered into service 26 Feb, 1862 by Capt. Bradfute at Lees Creek, Ark.
This may be a dumb question, but since I'm so new to this ... although I certainly understand what the words mean, I don't quite understand exactly what is being described here ... he "enlisted" on 2/2/1862 in Daingerfield, then "was mustered into service" 2/26/1862 at Lee's Creek, Arkansas.
So ... he signed some papers and agreed to participate on Feb 2nd, then traveled 150 miles north, to Lees Creek, AK, and joined other recruits that were formed into companies there, on Feb 26th, at which point he became officially part of his company?
> [BN] The Whitfield company was first found in the Indian territory. Next it was at Wilson Creek, where Ben McClough added three Texas companies and one Arkansas company to Whitfield's Company and made it a battalion.
August 10, 1861: Battle of Wilson's Creek ... so R.W. definitely wasn't in one of those three Texas companies, he was still back in Red River County ...
February 2, 1862: R.W. enlists at Daingerfield, Texas
February 26, 1862: R.W. is mustered into service at Lees Creek, Arkansas
> [BN] It operated as a cavalry battalion at Elkhorn Tavern (Pea Ridge).
March 6 - 8, 1862: Battle of Elkhorn Tavern (Pea Ridge) ... that battle took place less than 50 miles north of Lees Creek, and R.W. had been in the company for less than a week ... more on this below ...
> [BN] As the units fell back toward Fort Smith after the battle, two factors seemed to affect Van Dorns thinking. One the cavalry horses were taking up a lot of time getting the horses fed and the horses looked sick. The second thing was that he needed Infantry if he was going to be help at Corinth. Thus he dismounted most of the Cavalry and sent the horses to Texas and Louisiana.
Thank you so much for explaining this; I never did see any documented reasons for why they were dismounted.
> [BN] At the same time eight companies were recruited in Texas. All were brought to Arkansas attached to Whitfield ...
So on what date were the eight companies attached to Whitfield? Before or after Elkhorn Tavern? If before, did any / all of the new companies see action at Elkhorn Tavern?
I'm assuming this is referring to the companies that R.W. was with, and when he joined Whitfield's unit.
> [BN] ... and horses were returned to Texas. A lot of men were on details moving horses. The Arkansas company went to an Arkansas unit, and Whitfield had Twelve companies. Someone may have intended to make a real Legion, but no companies were trained as artillery. All trained as infantry.
On R.W.'s 1899 pension application he states that he enlisted in 1862 with "Whitfield's 1st Texas Legion." I've read that elsewhere, about there being no artillery ...
One of the things my father mentioned to me is that according to family legend R.W. was at the battle of Britton's Lane ... from what I'm understanding the 27th was involved in the Battle of Iuka on September 19; Britton's Lane took place on September 1, so it was possible, but I can't see any evidence of the 27th participating in that particular raid/battle?
The rest of your post is fascinating, Bill, and really informative; I may have more questions later. I really appreciate this information and your patience with my questions. I'll be looking into some more of these things and will update as able ... and will definitely check out your website.
> [BN] What does not show up is the day to day activities. Some is found in the books by Stephen Kirk and a few diaries and two or three books by line troopers, such as Asbury Newton Keene.
Indeed, and I'd really like to know more about that, too. Any idea where I can find those books? I searched for the Kirk books and didn't come up with much beyond e-mailing Kirk himself, and couldn't find anything on Keene.
> [BN] The 27th needs some specific study.
You're preaching to the choir, Bill. :-) Would that I knew enough about it and had the time, resources, and ability; if so I'd begin working on it myself ...
> [BN] I suspect that the two last companies L & M were disbanded to fill losses caused at Wilson Creek, Pea Ridge, Corinth I, Iuka, Corinth II, Hatchie Bridge And Holly Springs raid and to man Whitfield's staff when the unit became a regiment and later a brigade. These units were training in '62, but they were also pulling guard, acting in all aspects of the times. Detachments were always out on recon or missions as part of training. It was not an easy life.
I believe it; the more I learn about it the more amazed I become.
One thing about R.W. that has always been fascinating to me is that not only did he survive the war (somewhat obviously, since all his children were sired and born after the war), he was never even wounded, at least to our knowledge. After the war he settled in Haywood County, Tennessee (near Brownsville, in West TN; east of Memphis and not far from Jackson, TN; he stated in his 1899 pension application that he'd lived in the state of Tennessee for thirty-four years). He married in October, 1866 and farmed in that area for the rest of his life, eventually fathering twelve children (eight boys, four girls ... I assume this doesn't include the inevitable stillbirths, etc., I'll have to check on that). In 1899 due to some physical hardship (broken shoulder and rheumatism, and his wife was very ill, according to the paperwork) he applied for a military pension from the State of Tennessee, and in the process of doing so Company A Captain J.N. Zachary, and Company A Private Henry D. M. Rice, both living in Morris County, Texas, at the time, vouched for R.W.'s service in the 27th.
One of R.W.'s sons stayed and lived there in Haywood County, one of R.W.'s many grandsons (yet another William -- my grandfather) ended up living in New Johnsonville, TN, which is just across the Tennessee River (you may be more familiar with Johnsonville due to Forrest's exploits vs. the union supply depot there in October, 1864).
I (yet another William) have moved around some and lived in a few places before settling in my current location of Columbia, TN, which is in Maury County (yes, I've come full circle, living mere miles away from where R.W. was born and raised, almost 170 years ago). My young son (yet another William) and I are very interested in this subject and intend to learn as much about it as we can. I was born in 1967 so I'm old enough to have, as a child, met and vaguely/briefly known two of R.W.'s sons ... my Great Grandfather and a Great Great Uncle.
Again, thanks for your time!
Bill Acuff