“The only Confederate division comprised entirely of units from one state was Walker’s Texas Division.” That’s what I wrote in my last posting. Dr. Richard Lowe wrote along similar lines in Walker’s Texas Division, C. S. A. :Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi by stating “Walker’s Texas Division, the only one on either side to consist during its entire existence of regiments from a single state, was the largest single body of Texans to fight in the Civil War” (p. xi). The Handbook of Texas Online says of Walker’s Texas Division that it was “The only division in Confederate service composed, throughout its existence, of troops from a single state….”
But are these statements correct? An alert reader, Jim McGhee, noted that Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons commanded an all Missouri division. After receiving his comment I started looking through my home library and found that Brigadier General Francis A. Shoup commanded an Arkansas division at the battle of Prairie Grove, and Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke commanded a Missouri cavalry division at the battle of Helena. These are all examples from the Trans-Mississippi department, but there is also the example of Major General George E. Pickett’s Virginia division at the battle of Gettysburg.
Well, it’s pretty obvious that my comment on the last posting is inaccurate as there were other Confederate single-State divisions. But was Walker’s Texas Division “the only one on either side to consist during its entire existence [emphasis added] of regiments from a single state” as Dr. Lowe contends? My suspicion (unproven at this point) is that the real distinction for Walker’s Texas division is that it was a single-State division for the longest period of time; the division was created in November 1862 and remained an all Texas division until it disbanded in April and May of 1865.
My challenge to you is to find examples of Confederate divisions made up entirely of units from a single State for their entire existence. Also, determine how long they endured as single-State divisions. Send me your comments about your discoveries, and I’ll compile the findings for a future posting. To the books!
