Spartan Band: Burnett's 13th Texas Cavalry in the Civil War by Thomas Reid
Spartan Band: Burnett's 13th Texas Cavalry in the Civil War by Thomas Reid
In SPARTAN BAND (which comes from the eulogistic poem the regiment's first chaplain wrote for the late Capt. William Blewitt), author Thomas Reid traces the Civil War history of the 13th Texas Cavalry, a unit drawn from eleven counties in East Texas. Two Texas Senators, John H. Burnett and Anderson F. Crawford, organized "Burnett's Texas Mounted Volunteers" in the spring of 1862. After crossing the Red River into Arkansas, however, the cavalry unit was ordered to dismount. The 13th served as infantry until the end of the war, but unlike most Texan Confederate units, they served in a division drawn entirely from their native state.
The regiment gradually evolved into a tough, well-trained unit during action at Lake Providence, Fort De Russy, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry as part of Maj. Gen. John G. Walker's Texas division in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The 13th Texas disbanded at Hempstead, Texas, in late May 1865. Following the war, Confederate veterans in Texas were generally held in high regard in their communities, which improved their chances for political office or for securing favorable treatment in business and employment.
Reid researched letters, diaries, and oral history gleaned from more than one hundred descendants of the soldiers, answering many questions relating to their experiences and final resting places. He also analyzes the regiment's makeup and includes detailed information on battle casualty figures, equipment issued to each company, slave ownership, wealth of officers, deaths due to disease, and the effects of conscription on the regiment's composition.
The 13th Texas Cavalry had no significant shortages of supplies or equipment during a time when the military authorities in the state were virtually destitute. While a few of the officers had some training as a result of the Mexican War and Texas frontier service, the timing of its organization led to an enlisted force with an unusually low level of military experience. In spite of this, the regiment, while not immune to insubordination and desertions, fared far better than many other units that served with them.
This is the first contemporary history of the 13th Texas Cavalry and its role in defeating Union attacks aimed at Texas. Their story has been overshadowed by events in the eastern theater, but now receives the attention it deserves.
University of North Texas Press, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2005, 240 pages
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK