A Holiday Break

In order to recharge, rejuvenate, and revitalize, I’m going to take a short break from the blog, but I will resume posting next month. Blogging has been an enjoyable activity for me, one that has forced me to hit the books, reconsider some of my ideas regarding the trans-Mississippi, and think about some possible research projects. In addition, I’ve greatly enjoyed corresponding with new friends that I have “met” through this blog. I hope that all of you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season!! See you in 2010.

A Confederate Christmas

What was Christmas like for Confederates in the trans-Mississippi? The first selection is from the civilian perspective, and the others are primary accounts written by Confederate soldiers stationed in Arkansas. Taken altogether, the Union and Confederate Christmas accounts show an interesting blend of revelry, illness, homesickness, loneliness, boredom, and, fittingly, the birth of a child.

Mrs. M. C. Marshall to Theophilus Perry:
“3 oclock December 24 1862
[Marshall, Texas]

Mr. Perry

I write to say to you that Mrs Perry is the mother of another babe—a fine boy weighing 8 ½ pounds which we have named Theophilus. both mother and child are doing well, and I trust that in a short time Mrs Perry will be up. she wishes me to say to you that she did not have the Doctor with her. the babe was born at twelve oclock to day. your aunt and myself will remain with her until she is able to be out of bed. Sugar lumpy as you would say is delighted with her little brother and we have to coax her from the bed she begs to kiss him and to nurse him all the time. she is much improved in health since you saw her and is as fat almost as can be. Hoping that you may pass unharmed through this miserable war and be permitted to return to your family and enjoy a long life is the prayer of

Your friend
M C Marshall

The babes hair is as black as can be[.] We send a piece also some of Mothers[.]”

From M. Jane Johansson, ed., Widows by the Thousand: The Civil War Letters of Theophilus and Harriet Perry, 1862-1864 (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000), 76.

W. W. Heartsill, near Arkansas Post, Arkansas:
“Dec. 25^th [1862]. Christmas and a nice one it is for me; for I awake this morning with a ‘first class’ case of mumps, my neck and jaws are too sore to eat, and Ben Bayless is also sick, so as there is to be a detail made to take the prisoners to camp, Ben and I will just fill the bill. We make a hard days march and reach the Post in the night, I find the mumps quite fashionable in camps; about one dozen of the boys have their jaws tied up.”

From Bell Irvin Wiley, ed., Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days in the Confederate Army: A Journal Kept by W. W. Heartsill, Or Camp Life; Day By Day, of the W. P. Rangers From April 19, 1861 To May 20, 1865 (reprint ed., Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1992), 89.

Dr. William M. McPheeters, Camp Bragg, Ouachita County, Arkansas:
“December 25^th. Christmas. Dr. Haden spent the night with us. Maj. Cabell and I bundled together in my bed and Dr. Haden in the major’s, all on the floor. Commenced the morning by making a big big bucket of egg nog of which the General and most of his staff and others partook and seemed to enjoy hugely for it was good and good cheer prevailed. At eleven o’clock Gen. Drayton and myself started off on horseback. First we went to Mr. Blake’s to call on his family, here we took egg nog also then rode 2 miles across to Mr. Moore’s where partook of a good Christmas dinner….Remained an hour after dinner and then returned to camp. After dark quite a fuss was heard in Gen. Drayton’s Brigade with the fire of one piece of artillery in which the General ordered out his staff and body guard and we all rode over to quell any disturbance that might be brewing, which fortunately did not occur and with a reprimand for the unauthorized shot we all returned….A merry Christmas to my dear wife and children—God bless them. How my heart yearns towards them tonight and how I long to be with them….”

From Cynthia Dehaven Pitcock and Bill J. Gurley, eds., I Acted From Principle: The Civil War Diary of Dr. William M. McPheeters, Confederate Surgeon in the Trans-Mississippi (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2002), 93.

Eathan Allen Pinnell, Camp Bragg, Ouachita County, Arkansas:
“December 25, 1863:
Christmas—In camp—Once more the ceaseless march of time brought us Christmas, but with it, to me nothing of the pleasures or enjoyments, over or above other days, nothing extra except in the way of hard duty.
Last night the mess commenced firing guns, hollowing and yelling etc. immediately after dark and kept it up until 9 P.M. I run myself constantly until after mid-night trying to keep order in camp. Succeeded about 9 P.M. in getting the camp quiet, and by close watching kept is to until reveille. I went to bed at 3 A.M. and got two hours sleep. Last night was undoubtedly the hardest night’s service I have had to perform in camp since in the army. I was relieved this morning. I anticipate a happy time tonight for my successor.
Day clear and warm—I have spent all the A.M. after 9 sleeping. Got up at two and eat my Christmas dinner of hog and hominy….”

From Michael E. Banasik, ed. Serving With Honor: The Diary of Captain Eathan Allen Pinnell of the Eighth Missouri Infantry (Confederate) (Iowa City: Camp Pope Bookshop, 1999), 128-129.

Union Soldiers and the Christmas Season

Have you ever wondered what the Christmas season was like for Civil War soldiers? I perused my bookshelves and located some quotes about the day from the perspective of Union soldiers posted in various parts of the trans-Mississippi.

August Scherneckau, near Van Buren, Missouri:
“Wednesday, December 24 [1862]—….Christmas Eve, surrounded by the loveliest evergreen trees, provided many opportunities to obtain a Christmas tree, but for whom? And with whom? I felt lonesome in the middle of thousands of comrades, almost had some sort of homesickness. It was, of course, the first Christmas Eve I had to spend without having some friends or relatives around who like myself—and we North Germans in general—were accustomed to observing this evening. The pine branches that we brought into camp tonight reminded me very vividly of our homeland….

Thursday, December 25—Christmas Day. The most miserable I have ever spent….We had to clean the whole camp, each company its tent alley and also around the tents of its officers. All bushes had to be cut down, the leaves swept away and burned. The rocks, with which the ground is covered, had to be thrown onto piles, etc. I was busy with this work when I was ordered to report to the quartermaster. There I received the assignment, with about twenty more men, to chop wood for burning charcoal….This pleasant work kept us going until evening….”

From James E. Potter and Edith Robbins, eds., Marching With The First Nebraska: A Civil War Diary (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007), 50-51.

Robert T. McMahan, Rhea’s Mills, Arkansas:
“December 25 1862:
Nothing unusual in camp today save the extra chicken fixens etc. for Christmas. Heard that our Reg. camped in Leavenworth the evening of the 6^th on their way to Ohio. Arrived in Leavenworth from Ft. Scott in mule wagons and on foot. Horses played out and turned over at Ft. Scott.”

From Michael E. Banasik, ed., Reluctant Cannoneer: The Diary of Robert T. McMahan of the Twenty-fifth Independent Ohio Light Artillery (Iowa City: Camp Pope Bookshop, 2000), 94.

Henry O. Gusley, Galveston, Texas:
“December 26, 1862
Christmas is over—gone—past; nor was it in any respect dissimilar to other days. Even the quiet of Sunday was not ours; and the same ration which a common day would have brought, we thankfully received. Well, its novelty may after all be of some benefit; and at some future Christmas, if we are spared to spend another in civil life, the remembrance of this and the last one may add a greater zest to the roast fowl, pies, puddings and bonbons in which we may then be indulging. We hope so….”

From Edward T. Cotham, Jr., ed., The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine: The Illustrated Note-Book of Henry O. Gusley (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006), 126.

Sergeant George Hand, Fort McRae, New Mexico:
“Dec. 25. [1863] Christmas passed off very dull, but towards night whiskey was found where soldiers always find it, and Co. ‘G’ was nearly all drunk and noisy until morning, when a cold snowstorm dr0ve them all to bed.”

From Neil B. Carmony, ed., The Civil War in Apacheland: Sergeant George Hand’s Diary: California, Arizona, West Texas, New Mexico, 1861-1864 (Silver City, NM: High-Lonesome Books, 1996), 151.

John O. Casler was an Oklahoman

John O. Casler’s book, Four Years In The Stonewall Brigade, is considered a classic in part because of his honesty; few other Confederate memoirs mentioned going on “French leave” or stealing from the dead. Not many readers, though, realize that Casler, a native Virginian, became an Oklahoman. According to James I. Robertson, Jr., in his foreword to the 1971 edition published by Morningside Bookshop, Casler participated in the 1889 Land Run that opened to white settlement parts of Oklahoma Territory. Casler wrote his delightfully honest memoir in Oklahoma City, and the first edition was printed in Guthrie. Casler was active in the United Confederate Veterans and lived at the Confederate Soldiers’ Home in Ardmore for many years. He died in 1926 and was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

This past weekend I traveled to Oklahoma City with a friend, and I determined to visit Casler’s grave site. Thanks to detailed and accurate directions from blog reader, Dan McCown, my friend and I easily located Casler’s headstone in Fairlawn Cemetery. Here is a photograph of Casler’s headstone with my copy of Four Years In The Stonewall Brigade.

The GPS coordinates of his gravesite are N 35 degrees 29.826 and W 097 degrees 31.698. For those who prefer more traditional directions, here are the ones provided by Dan:

“Enter Fairlawn through the main gate on the south side of the cemetery. You will enter on Shartel street. Turn left once you pass the gate and then take your first right and then the first left. Drive a short distance on the cemetery road to you come to an intersection where you have to turn either left or right. Stop your car and get out. To your immediate right is a large oak tree. Walk approximately twenty-five yards due west from the tree and you will see a small white stone much like they use at Arlington. The stone is somewhat isolated, has a pointed top and is leaning forward. This is John Casler’s grave.”

In spite of the chilly and blustery conditions, my friend and I were fascinated by this old and large cemetery and enjoyed looking at some of the other headstones such as this one marking the resting place of another ‘89er.

One of the notables buried at Fairlawn is Thomas Pryor Gore who served as one of Oklahoma’s first U. S. Senators. Gore Vidal and Al Gore are two of Thomas P. Gore’s family connections.

Dismounted Cavalrymen

Horace Randal’s horse soldiers were dismounted in the fall of 1862, only a few months after their organization. A surplus of cavalrymen plus a lack of forage for the animals contributed to the decision to dismount the 28^th Texas along with several other cavalry units. Rather than label themselves as “infantry,” the regiment was now known as the 28^th Texas Cavalry (dismounted). Much to their distress, the unit was never remounted, and the men plodded along as foot soldiers for the remainder of the war. Their fate was ironic in some ways as they were one of the units that made up the often footsore Walker’s Texas Division; this division developed a fine reputation for their marching prowess and was even dubbed “Walker’s Greyhounds” by the enemy.

Deaths from disease in the 28th Texas Cavalry

Civil War units typically suffered more deaths from disease than from bullets. The 28^th Texas Cavalry suffered most of its deaths from disease during the period of July to December 1862. The table below is based on a list dated 19 December 1862 that was sent to R. D. Loughery, Esq. from Adjutant William Neal Ramey of the 28^th Texas Cavalry. Loughery published the list in the 22 January 1863 issue of the Texas Republican, (Marshall, TX). The table is not an exact transcription. The 1860 census and the Compiled Service Records were used to correct some of the names that appeared in the newspaper list. The men listed served as privates unless otherwise noted. The place of death refers to a location in Arkansas unless otherwise noted. In the period listed above, 77 soldiers of the 28^th Texas died, far more than any battle that they fought in. Company I, mostly comprised of men from Houston County, suffered the most deaths in the period with fifteen.

Name and Company	Death Date	Place of Death
Adams, W. J. [G]	12/1/62	Camp Nelson
Adkins, D. R. [H]	10/23/62	Camp Holmes
Beavers, R. C.[1] [D]	8/9/62	Wood County, TX
Bennett, Thomas G. [F]	11/5/62	Camp Nelson
Bigger, J. H. [H]	12/7/62	Camp Nelson
Biggar, Benjamin F.[2] [A]	9/12/62	Arkadelphia
Bowlin, Jeremiah C. [A]	11/17/62	Camp Nelson
Buckalow, James M.[3] [E]	8/18/62	Lewisville
Burns, J. B.[4] [A]	10/5/62	Camp Holmes
Burns, J. M.[5][F]	12/1/62	Camp Nelson
Busby, Jacob [I]	11/30/62	Little Rock
Calloway, Jesse M.[6] [G]	11/29/62	Camp Nelson
Coggins, Richard E. [F]	12/2/62	Camp Nelson
Cox, W. B. [F]		Arkadelphia
Cramer, Henry M.[7] [B]	11/21/62	Camp Nelson
Crander, Henry[8] [I]	11/7/62	Camp Nelson
Davis, B. W. [G]	11/23/62	Camp Nelson
Davis, Thomas [D]	8/19/62	Lewisville
Day, John F. [G]	8/15/62	Anderson, TX
Douthit, James M. [G]	10/15/62	Duval’s Bluff
Dillard, A. J.[9] [E]	8/3/62	Lewisville
Douglas, Joseph A. [H]	11/19/62	Camp Nelson
Dunbar, Henry [A]	9/15/62	Benton
Finley, David S. [A]	10/12/62	Camp Holmes
Forbes, John H. [A]	7/29/62	Lewisville, Ark
Glenn, T. J.[10] [G]	11/3/62	Camp Nelson
Goins, J. V.[11] [K]	11/5/62	Hickory Plains
Gordon, John D. [I]	11/5/62	Camp Nelson
Gregg, John J. [I]	11/24/62	Little Rock
Halleman, C. D. [G]	11/30/62	Camp Nelson
Hallmark, John S. [I]	12/15/62	Little Rock
Hammett, S. G. [G]	11/21/62	Camp Nelson
Hardoway, William [B]	11/21/62	Camp Nelson
Harrison, Charles W. [H]	11/23/62	Camp Nelson
Hughes, Albert H. [G]	11/28/62	Camp Nelson
Irbey, William[12] [I]	11/28/62	Little Rock
Isaacs, Sampson [H]	11/12/62	Camp Nelson
Johnston, George [G]	10/14/62	Des Arc
Johnston, Newton J. [A]	10/11/62	Little Rock
King, Daniel E. [K]	9/5/62	Lewisville
Loden, J. T. [B]	11/21/62	Camp Bayou Meto, near Brownsville
Lowe, Robert [B]	10/3/62	Camp Holmes
Luce, Abner [I]	11/2/62	Camp Nelson
Martin, Pat H.[13] [K]	10/23/62	Camp Nelson
Matthews, Lewis P.[14] [A]	10/23/62	Rockport
Matthews, Nathan W. [A]	12/2/62	Camp Nelson
McHenry, Joseph W. [I]	12/5/62	Little Rock
Mills, S. H. [I]	12/8/62	Camp Nelson
Parish, W. P.[15] [K]	11/20/62	Camp Nelson
Parker, John [E]	8/12/62	Lewisville
Phariss, Thomas B. [H]	9/6/62	Camp Holmes
Potts, Francis M. [K]	7/31/62	Collinsburgh, La
Pryor, George W. [K]	10/17/62	Arkadelphia
Pyle, Jeremiah M. [K]	8/16/62	Lewisville
Richards, Stephen M. [H]	9/17/62	Arkadelphia
Risinger, Tilman Layfayette [A]	12/2/62	Camp Nelson
Sansom, Samuel F. [I]	11/9/62	Camp Nelson
Sikes, Henry[16] [I]	11/5/62	Camp Nelson
Simpson, J. M. [E]	11/25/62	Camp Nelson
Simpson, Thomas L. [I]	11/29/62	Little Rock
Stephens, A. J. [H]	11/19/62	Camp Nelson
Streety, W. L. [H]	12/8/62	Camp Bayou Meto near Brownsville
Tamplin, Henry H. [A]	10/29/62	Camp Nelson[17]
Taylor, Thomas. L. [I]	12/7/62	Camp Nelson
Taylor, L. H. P. [F]	10/12/62	Arkadelphia
Thompson, L. W. [H]	11/30/62	Camp Nelson
Timmons, Eli [B]	8/19/62	Lewisville
Turner, Marion [I]	7/27/62	Lewisville
Turner, W. J. [G]	10/7/62	Rockport
Vaughan, William S. [I]	11/4/62	Camp Nelson
Wagstaff, William W. [A]	11/30/62	Camp Nelson
Watson, J. A. [D]	10/19/62	Camp Holmes
Williams, Robert [E]	8/19/62	Lewisville
Wilson, G. R. [G]	9/17/62	Camp Holmes
Worley, Stephen [H]	9/8/62	Rockport
Wright, John M. [A]	8/29/62	Arkadelphia
Yates, Alonzo C. [K]	10/19/62	Camp Holmes

---

[1] Corporal

[2] Corporal

[3] Corporal

[4] Not listed in the Compiled Service Records. An Isaac E. Burns and a William P. Burns served in Company A. William P. Burns was wounded later in the war.

[5] Listed as M. J. Burns in the Compiled Service Records.

[6] Compiled Service Records note that he was discharged from the service.

[7] Compiled Service Records lists a Henry M. Cramer in Company I.

[8] Possibly the same man as Henry M. Cramer.

[9] There is no A. J. Dillard listed in the Compiled Service Records. May refer to N. L. Dilliard who served in Company E or to Thomas J. Dilliard. Thomas J. was initially a corporal and later became a Second Lieutenant. His service record needs to be examined again.

[10] “Brigade Commanding Sargent”

[11] There is no J. V. Goins listed in the Compiled Service Records. May refer to John V. Gwin who is listed as a member of Company C in the Compiled Service Records.

[12] Name is difficult to read in the newspaper list. The Compiled Service Records do not list a William Irbey.

[13] Captain of Company K

[14] “Forage Master”

[15] Probably refers to William F. Parish who was originally a member of Company A.

[16] Listed as Henry Sykes in the Compiled Service Records.

[17] “(formerly Camp Holmes)”