The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, July 1980 - April, 1981 Page: 388
502 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
During the first few weeks, the companies drilled, received new
members, and attended an endless round of public ceremonies featur-
ing patriotic addresses by local dignitaries and veterans of the Texas
Revolution and Mexican War. Ordinarily the speakers praised the
South's determination to resist northern aggression and predicted
quick victory for southern arms, but occasionally a more somber note
was sounded. Ralph J. Smith, a private in Company K of the Second
Texas Infantry, reported that deposed governor Sam Houston, a foe
of secession, warned members of his company that they did not know
what they were doing. Smith reported Houston's caution that "the re-
sources of the north were almost exhaustless." He concluded, however,
that the words of the old hero of San Jacinto had no effect: "He might
as well had been giving advice to the inmates of a lunatic asylum. We
knew no such words as fail."
Many of the recruits received their military instruction, such as it
was, in their local communities. Others were trained in one of the
military camps created by Governor Edward Clark. Many of these,
such as Camp Berlin, located near Brenham; Camp Honey Springs, on
the west bank of Honey Creek near Dallas; and Camp Roberts, in
Smith County, were primarily mustering or rendezvous stations. Oth-
ers, such as Camp Bosque, seven miles from Waco; Camp Clark, on
the San Marcos River; and Camp Van Dorn, on Buffalo Bayou near
of infantry, a troop of cavalry, or a battery of artillery. These units, consisting of ap-
proximately one hundred men, and commanded by a captain, were later formed into
regiments commanded by a colonel. The authorized strength of a Civil War regiment
was ten companies, or approximately one thousand men, but some regiments, such as the
First Texas, had twelve companies. A varying number of regiments formed a brigade,
usually commanded by a brigadier general. Two to five brigades formed a division, nor-
mally commanded in Confederate service by a major general. Two or more divisions were
combined to form an army corps, commanded by a lieutenant general. Two or more
corps made up an army, usually commanded by a full general.
Some artillery batteries and cavalry troops were also organized into battalions. Com-
posed of three or four batteries or troops, battalions were usually commanded by lieu-
tenant colonels.
Most larger military units in Confederate service were known by the name of their
commanding officer; e.g., Hood's Brigade was named for John Bell Hood, one of its early
commanders. Most, but not all, regiments were designated by a number, e.g., Second
Texas Infantry. In this paper, reference to such names as the Second Texas Infantry im-
plies a regimental designation. For more on Civil War military organization, see Mark
Mayo Boatner, III, The Civil Wai Dictionary (New York, 1959), 61o-613.
For organizational histories of various Texas units, see Harry McCory Henderson,
Texas in the Confederacy (San Antonio, 1955), and Lester N. Fitzhugh, Texas Batteries,
Battalions, Regiments, Commanders and Field Officers, Confederate States Army, 1861-
1865 (Midlothian, Tex., 1959).
4Ralph J. Smith, Reminiscences of the Civil War and Other Sketches (reprint ed.,
Waco, Tex., 1962), 2.388
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, July 1980 - April, 1981, periodical, 1980/1981; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101225/m1/448/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.