True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 39

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HOUSTON AND HOUSTONIANS 39
and was sent home. He lived several years after the war and
died in Austin.
C. A. Merriman belonged to Company A, Fifth Regiment. He
was wounded in one of the first skirmishes his company got in,
and was then attacked by what the doctors said was galloping
consumption. He was honorably discharged from the army and
returned to Texas to die. During the winter of 1862'the Federal
war vessel, the Hariot Lane, had anchored in the Potomac and
kept up an almost constant bombardment of the winter quarters
of the Texas brigade. Charley Merriman got back to Texas
late in the fall of 1862 and when he learned that Magruder was
organizing his forces to take Galveston and that the Harlot
Lane was one of the vessels there, he volunteered to go down
on the Bayou City, one of the Confederate boats, that was to
attack the Federal vessels. -He was more than half dead any
way. He was in the fight that took place January 1, 1863,
and had the pleasure of getting even with the Lane, by helping
to capture her. Now here a miracle was worked. Merriman
had his arm badly shattered by a piece of shell and he was shot
right through the lung. His arm got well and what was more
remarkable, the bullet through his lung cured his consumption.
He was never troubled with his lung after that and got so fat
and healthy that he returned to Virginia and remained with his
comrades till the close of the war.
The other member whose record I know was Captain Dave
Rice, the youngest brother of Wm. M. and F. A. Rice. He was
one of the handsomest men to be found anywhere. He was, perhaps
too effeminate looking, for he had the complexion of a girl.
His complexion was the only effeminate thing about him, for he
was a man, every inch of him, and one of the most gallant soldiers
in Lee's army. He was captain of Company C, First Texas
Regiment, but did more duty as a field officer than as a company
commander. He was in command of the First Regiment
at the battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863, and
had quite a strange experience there on the first day's fight.
He was captured and taken before General Rosecrans. Of
course he refused to give any information, but the general kept
him with him and for two hours he was literally under the fire
of both armies. I say "under," for that's what he was. His own
brigade was on one hill and the Federals were on an opposite
hill, while Rosecrans and his staff were in the narrow and deep
valley, so that all the fighting went on over their heads. Late
that night an opportunity presented itself and Captain Rice made
his escape, but was unable to get back to his command for several
weeks.
I wish I knew something about. the war records of the other

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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/39/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

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