Texas Soldiers During The Civil War

It can be said the driving cause for all Soldiers during the civil war was their determination to preserve what they felt was most important, to the bitter end. For Southerners in particular, the fuel that fed their determination was their personal duty to protect their homes, their families’ and their independent way of life, at all costs. The men of the Forth Texas Battalion, Confederate States of America (CSA) were by no means different.
These Texas Soldiers of the 4th Infantry were part of over 70,000 Texans that would take up arms in support of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The state required that all able bodied men 18 to 45 years old enlist in the Army. These particular Texans had a deep reputation to uphold. When
President Jefferson Davis met the first companies of Texas Soldiers in Richmond, Virginia, he proclaimed, “Texans! The troops of other states have their reputations to gain, but the sons of the defenders of the Alamo have theirs to maintain. I am assured that you will be faithful to the trust." (McComb, 1989) Many were veterans of the Mexican War and even the Texas revolution.
This experienced battalion of Soldiers was commanded by COL Key and later in the battle by MAJ Bane.
They were one of four battalions that made up Brigadier General Robertson’s Brigade as part of Major General Hood’s division supporting General Longstreet’s 1st Corps. They fought in several engagements throughout the war. However, the engagements that most notably remains locked into history are the events of July 2nd, 1863.
Their arrival to Gettysburg set the tone of the engagement. The Fourth Infantry Texas Battalion marched into battle just moments after they arrived at the battlefield from a 20 mile march. On many accounts there was not enough time to fill their canteens before they began the march towards the enemy positions. This was very detrimental given the almost 90 degree heat at that time of day. Not to mention the 1000 yards battlefield they would begin to push through.
Almost as soon as the Soldiers stepped off, the division Commander, General Hood, was maimed in the arm by artillery. The wound was incapacitating enough to take him out of the battle. His absence created a break down in communications among his subordinate leaders. As a result, the Texas Brigade Commander, General Robertson, was unsure where his Brigade’s position should be in relation to the rest of the 1st Corps’ assault across the field. With no instruction and little way to effectively issue his commands across the brigade, confusion among the Soldiers enveloped the situation. (Brig
Gen Robertson, 1863)
Despite the lack of direct leadership, the Soldiers relied on each other and their experience and even eventually fought the enemy to the right of Devils Den. Devil’s Den, however, was not their objective. The Texas Brigade incidentally formed two separate columns veering in opposite directions. 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas veered left through the heart of the Rose’s Woods and then Devil’s Den. This was General Robertson’s earlier intent. The 4th and 5th Texas moved with the Alabama Brigade for an assault to take the high ground. Being extremely dehydrated and exhausted from the events of day, they positioned themselves along with General Law’s Alabama Brigade in the tree line adjacent to the bottom for an uphill assault of Little Round Top.
As they came out of the tree line they were immediately addressed by the Union’s 16th Michigan Infantry.
The 16th Michigan was positioned slightly below the military crest of Little Round Top. In addition to the Michiganders, Union Sharpshooters and the remaining cannons from General Sickles artillery applied fires to deter the assaulting troops.
Colonel King Bryan of the Fifth Texas reported that, “the rocky nature of the ground over which not more than three or four men could pass abreast.” (Bryan, 1863) With what Confederate Soldiers lacked in tactical advantage they made up with in tenacity and courage. The Union’s ability to consistently bring fresh Soldiers to the battlefield eventually pushed the Texans back after several attempts to take the high ground. Their defeat that day was in no way caused by the lack of their fighting spirit.
At the beginning of the engagement, the battalion had 415 Soldiers. Throughout the course of the two days of fighting, roughly 15 percent were killed or missing. Additionally, another 10 percent were
wounded.