The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 64, July 1960 - April, 1961 Page: 365
574 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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New Jersey Pioneers in Texas
come a Confederate Soldier was quite another affair. I thought of
his Mother, who aside from her solicitude for her son's welfare,
must most naturally be opposed to the cause he was about to engage
in, and therefore I tried to dissuade him from going, and but for
the peculiar state of affairs would have succeeded, for his were
the same views as myself. He loved his Mother, and the land of his
Mother, the Flag of that land, but no one dreamed that there would
[be] a two or three years' future of Bloody War extending to such
wide bounds.
They were going to New Mexico prepared to fight it is true but
hoping to have a surrender of those posts as there had been of the
inner line of posts. They would be far removed from Virginia and
the Mississippi where it was supposed the war would be mainly
confined. It was getting late fall of 1861, the war was of that mag-
nitude and prospects of its indefinite continuance. Troops collect-
ing from every part of our Country for every part of the field of
war. Feeling at the highest pitch and the press so strong that single
men were almost obliged to go at once. The Sibley expedition was
soon filled up by young men of Western Texas largely, as presenting
the best chance of going to a healthy country and by many like poor
Ed. as less likely to encounter the men of their native state em-
bracing relatives and friends.
I say less likely to encounter, I mean that many of the best and
bravest of that brigade had anything but feelings of hate to the
flag of the foe. They were in the Country, and the alternative was
presented of joining the Army or being wrongly understood by their
friends of having either cowardice or hostility to their country im-
puted to them. I myself was driving beeves to the army in Arkansas
and was strongly solicited to continue at it by my friends having the
contract (uncle Sam Wright), but I told my wife I meant to join
the Army, that nobody should charge me with trying to keep out
and accordingly I pitched in, but after being ordered to Louisiana
we were reordered to the Rio Grande, which has afforded me the
chance of hearing from my relatives once more.80
Uncertain whether the above letter had been delivered, Walling
wrote again upon the conclusion of the war to inform Edward's
family of his fate. In explaining and justifying Edward's role, he
expanded his previous account:
It was in the fall of 1861 that the expedition commanded by
Gen. H. H. Sibley left San Antonio for New Mexico. It was com-
posed largely of boys and being a cavalry expedition attracted at
once the attention of those who had been used to the saddle, and
destined for the far west it held out peculiar inducements.
s3George W. Walling to Thomas Burrowes, September 27, 1863.365
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 64, July 1960 - April, 1961, periodical, 1961; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101190/m1/402/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.