The 24th Tex Cav, also known as the 2nd Tex Lancers, was organized at Hempstead in Waller County in April 1862. They were among many Texas sent to Arkansas in the summer of ’62. They were then dismounted and assigned to Garland’s Brigade which was captured at Arkansas Post in January 1863.
I have not seen any connection between this regiment and General Steele’s command.
10/18/62 Arkansas Gazette-Brig Generals –
The President has appointed the Brigadier Generals Jas. F. Fagan of Ark; Col. F. A. Shoup of Florida & Maj. Wm. Steele, now of a Texas Regt but late of the old army. All of these appointments are doubtless good. We have been urging the appointment of Col. Fagan for a long time, on account of his fitness for the place, as well as his early, continued, & devoted service in the country. Gen’ls Shoup & Steele are both graduates of West Point & both stand high in their profession. They will probably all be assigned duty on this side of the Ms.
Handbook of Texas Online, Rev. by Randolph B. Campbell, "Steele, William S.,"
…Upon Sibley’s departure for Richmond at the end of the campaign, Steele remained as civil governor and military commander of Arizona Territory until his promotion to brigadier general in September 1862 and assignment to the command of the Department of Indian Territory. Superseded by Brig. Gen. Samuel Bell Maxey in December 1863, he was assigned to the command of the defenses of Galveston until the spring of 1864 when he took part in the Red River Campaign as a brigade commander in Maj. Gen. Thomas Green’s Cavalry division, which he briefly commanded after Green’s death at the battle of Blair’s Landing…
In the returns for December 1864, General William Steele is listed as commanding a cavalry brigade in Wharton’s cavalry division.
1st Texas Cavalry Bgde Steele
12th Texas Cavalry
19th Texas Cavalry
21st Texas Cavalry
Morgan's (Texas] Cavalry
Oliver Steele
Handbook of Texas Online, Aragorn Storm Miller, "Steele, Oliver,"
On June 11, 1862, he joined Waul's Texas Legion as adjutant at Brenham. During the siege of Vicksburg, Steele received mention for distinguished service from his superiors. He was taken prisoner after the fall of Vicksburg. Following his exchange, Steele returned to Texas where he served as commander of the port of Gonzales and later as lieutenant colonel of the third military sub-district headquartered at Victoria.
Here is a summary of information regarding Oliver Steele's "Texas Command" after he was detached from serving with Waul's Texas Legion:
12/27/63 Magruder commanding District of Texas, Arizona & New Mexico to Alston-I have placed Maj O Steele of Waul’s Legion in command of the post of Gonzales. This is an important post…
Lt Col O Steele-Waul’s Legion/Timmons’ Infy shown on Regtal return of March 1864 as dropped from rolls-in command of post/Gonzales
4/5/64 Lt Col Steele will assemble the Cav of Waul’s Bn at Victoria & other points he may designate
4/6/64 Col Duff with his Regt & Fulcrod’s Bn will proceed to Hempstead where he will receive further orders. The Cav of Waul’s Legion on duty with Col Duff will report to Lt Col Steele at Victoria
The 3rd Dist have been recently made for Col Duff will now fall to the next ranking officer, which is Lt Col Steele until further orders
4/19/64 Lt Col O Steele cdg 3rd s d t Victoria [sub district of Texas]
5/6/64 Gen Drayton having reported at these Dist Hqs is hereby assigned to the districts currently commanded by Col Bates & Lt Col O Steele
Abstract from return of the Western Sub-District of Tex, Brig Gen Thomas F Drayton commanding, for the month of Aug 1864 (a)
O Officers Agg present
M Men B Agg P & A
P Present for duty C Pieces of field Arty
---P------
Command O M A B C
General Hqs 7
Eagle Pass, Col C L Pyron
Camp Placide, Lt Col O Steele 7 104 140 219
San Antonio, Capt O G Jones 4
San Antonio, Capt S L Scott 19 105 124 167
Total 26 209 264 393 4
10/31/64 Gen Drayton cdg, Columbus-Asks as to what troops are under his command-Endorse: all troops in the boundaries of your district which includes as of now:
13th Tex Infy
Good’s unattached Co of Cav at Velasco
Dunn’s unattached Co of Cav at Cedar Lake
Hughes Lt Btry
All above under the command of Col Bates
Lt Col Steele cdg at Victoria
Next are references that may indicate a connection [of sorts] between the 24th Texas Cavalry [aka 2nd Texas Lancers] and Lt Col Oliver Steele's "Texas Command"
Note: At the capture of Arkansas Post some men of the various units were not present for the surrender. Late in the war some of the Texas units attempted to reform the fragments of their commands, and this included the 24th Texas Cavalry as follows:
Capt Poole’s Company
On Jan 24, 1863, within two weeks after the Battle of Arkansas Post, Gen J. G. Walker at Pine Bluff issued S O No. 10. This order specified that Capt Poole was charged with the duty of collecting the officers & men of the 24th Regt, by inference those who for some reason had not been captured at Arkansas Post, & organizing them into Co’s. He was to requisition the funds necessary to carry out this order. Though the order as published specified that the men were to report to Poole at Hempstead, Poole set up his Hqs at Rusk, Tex, & published the order in Tex newspapers with the instructions to rendezvous at Rusk by March 22, in order to march back to Ark.
8/63 See Capt Poole for ref to Magruder ordering him to form Co from men of 24th Tex Cav [see 24/25th Tex Cav]
By Nov 1863, he had set up camp at "Camp Morgan at Sessum’s Lake" in Montgomery County & was sending reports to Gen Magruder regarding his activities. He wrote, "I started on Mon Evening last with a detachment of my company to arrest deserters in the thicket."
A short newspaper article published in the Tri-Weekly Telegraph on Dec 4, 1863, stated that there was a desperate gang of deserters & runaway negroes infesting “The Big Thicket” in San Jacinto bottom. On Nov19, a detail of men was sent to find their camp. Captain Poole was fired on by one of the gang, & a ball passed through his hat.
Apparently, there was some sentiment in favor of the deserters, & a letter written by Poole was published in the Tri-Weekly Telegraph of Dec 23, 1863, wherein he defended his activities “in arresting deserters under orders from Gen Magruder.”
In an article published in the Houston Telegraph & headlined Moscow, Polk County, Jan 4, 1864, Capt R. S. Poole, cdg a detachment of the 24th Tex Cav, was said to be hotly pursuing deserters from Sabine Pass. The author commented, “On Thurs night Capt. Poole, with the 29 prisoners & guard of forty men stopped in this place over night. The citizens of Moscow desire to bear testimony to the gentlemanly conduct & soldierly bearing of Capt Poole & his brave command…”
Co A-formerly Capt Poole's unattached Tex Cav Co-organized 2/1/64 by Capt Poole formerly Capt Co A 24th Tex Cav
Also reported on returns as Co A 24th Tex Cav in TM D
2/10/64 Poole was named Capt of an unattached company of Tex cavalry & was headquartered at Camp Groce at Hempstead. This company was designated as Co A of the 24th & 25th Regts Consol. under Col C. C. Gillespie. Its officers were Capt Poole, 1st Lt Creed T. Woodson of Montgomery County, 2nd Lt M. M. Uzzell, & junior 2nd Lt P. L. Cartwright.
From this point, Poole was responsible for the men of the 24th & 25th Regts who, for any reason, had returned to Tex. They were to report to his camp, & he would then assign them to duty.
At the same time, Poole's name appears on the returns of the 24th Cav as Co. A 24 Cav. in the Trans-Miss. Dept
April 64-Poole is mentioned once in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union & Confederate Armies. His name appears in a report of Gen Magruder for April 1864, showing that he was Capt of a company of unattached cavalry which had four officers & 54 privates, & that he was headquartered at a camp near Livingston, Tex.
7/21/64 District staff to Col Gillespie, Hempstead-I desire Capt Poole’s services in escorting political prisoners to the Rio Grande & apprehending deserters from Tyler. You have given orders to officers of the 24th & 25th Tex Cav to enlist men & that is contrary to orders. Countermand your orders forthwith
7/25/64 The Company was assigned as Co. A, Mann's (formerly Bradford’s) Regt. Tex Cavalry per S O #207 by the Hqs District Tex, New Mexico & Arizona, on July 25, 1864
Reported on returns of that Regt as been attached to Gillespie's Regt by SO #103 Dist of Tex of 1864
March 1865 rolls shows permanently attached
Note-most of this company appears not to have belonged to Poole's old Co in the 24th Tex Cav
This Company afterward attchd to Gillespie’s Regt
All records filed as of Co A 24/25th Tex Cav Regt consolidated Gillespie’s TMD
In some cases, individual soldiers who escaped the war & somehow made it home were loathe to report to Capt Poole at Camp Groce. In those cases, it was Poole’s duty to send a posse of provost marshals to bring those men into camp & to see that they complied with their commitment as Confederate soldiers. This was the case with Poole's fellow Montgomery Countians James McIntyre & James Lindley, both of whom were rounded up by Poole's men & taken to Camp Groce.
11/8/64 Lt Col Mann of Bradford’s Regt applies for Poole’s, Scott’s, Williamson’s Co’s to be ordered to their Regt-endorsed-orders recently from Dept Hqs that Poole’s Co report for duty with Gillespie’s Regt. Dist cdrs of the other Co’s are requested to state the duty being performed by the detached Co’s
In late 1864, Poole's Co A was part of Bradford's Regt. In Dec, he was ordered to report to Gillespie's Regt at the District Hqs. Poole served until Jan, 1865, when he was dropped from the rolls for an unknown reason.
12/22/64 Gen Walker cdg Dist of Texas, etc. to C C Gillespie, cdg 2nd Tex Cav-[probably a mistake for 25th]-Special Orders have been issued from here today ordering all men of the 24th & 25th Regts Tex Cav to report to you at Hempstead immediately-also all officers not on duty to do likewise. Those on duty to report to you by letter- Orders have also been issued attaching to your Regt the Co’s of Poole & Smith. Nothing is known here of the whereabouts of the Co’s of Lt’s Maddox & Rudd. If you have letter from Dept directing these Co’s be attached to your Regt, please send a copy here.
1/13/65 Gen Walker to C C Gillespie, cdg 25th Tex Cav [actually a consolidation of the 24th & 25th]-The numerous desertions from Spaight’s Regt make it necessary to adopt energetic measures to deal with that. Capt Poole’s Co now at Montgomery is most convenient to the country bordering the Trinity where they appear to be, it is necessary he be assigned to Spaight’s orders temporarily. He will also arrest all deserters & absentees he may encounter.
On last return of Bradford's Regt, dated March 1865, shows Poole permanently attached.
4/8/65 Magruder to C C Gillespie-Forward to these Hqs a protest handed you by Capt Poole in regards to his Co being united with your Regt; & also advise the status of his Co…
4/14/65 Gillespie's consol Regt [24th & 25th Tex Cav Regiments] was dismtd by par 24 SO #104 Dist of Tex etc. 4/14/65 per instructions from Gen Kirby Smith cdg TMD [Ch 2-Vol 103 p 105 RG 109 National Archives]--
The Co of Cav commanded by Capt Poole is excepted from this order, & will remain mtd for the present--the question not having been settled whether it belongs to Gillespie’s [&?] Mann's regiment-& in addition being required for mtd service
4/27/65 Pool’s Cav Co is detached for special service & will report to Lt Col Steele at Victoria for service in arresting deserters & absentees & assisting in the conscript service & affording protection to the citizens
4/28/65 Magruder to cdg officer of Poole’s Cav Company-proceed with your Company by rail to Brenham & remount your men as soon as possible reporting to Lt Col Steele at Victoria. You are also to obey the instructions of Col Gillespie in collecting his absentees & recruiting
Poole seems to have been a renegade to the end, however. In the Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph published June 9, 1865, Col. Gillespie posts information for the officers & men of his command, stating that he has all muster rolls with the exception of those of the Co’s of Capt’s Poole, Montgomery, Singletary & Goode. He requests that the rolls be forwarded to him at his office to be turned over to the proper authorities.