“Reminiscences of Civil War” - Private Ralph Smith - 2nd Texas Infantry

J. D. Stevens

Sergeant
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Location
Deep In The Heart of Texas
The following excerpts from are from a small 1911 book of 26 pagers titled, “Reminiscences of Civil War” written by Ralph J. Smith, a private of Company “K” Second Texas Infantry. It’s most interesting reading these old reminiscences by the veterans. Their home spun jargon, sense of humor, spelling, sentence structure, and events as seen through their eyes and remembered in later years can be most entertaining, but at the same time sad. Wounded and captured at Shiloh, Ralph had recently returned to the regiment in January 1863 while operating on the Yazoo River. I have selected a few of Ralph’s reminiscences of Colonel Ashbel Smith, Sergeant Bill, and conscripts.

Colonel Ashbel Smith was at this time, January 1863, in command of the Second Texas Regiment. Colonel Smith was an able officer, thoroughly educated and a diplomat of some note, having at one time represented the Republic of Texas at the court of France. He was quite an athlete and his temper was somewhat inflamatory (sic) and when enraged he cut such fantastic capers before high heaven as made the angels smile. These bursts of anger soon passed off but while they lasted the Colonel danced, swore, jingled his sword and denounced the object of his wrath in words that burned holes in the surrounding atmosphere. Passionate and eccentric though he was the Colonel's heart was full jeweled, twenty-four karats fine and devoted to his men, especially the old volunteers in the ranks, whom he loved like brothers.

Early In 1863 our regiment was recruited with conscripts, about one hundred of them being chased out of the brush and into our ranks. This I think was a mistake. Conscripts and volunteers being actuated by different motives interfere and hinder each other like a team composed of a lazy mule and a spirited horse, when combined in the same regiment. Our conscripts never amalgamated with the "boys" as the Colonel always called the remnant of the original volunteers, which was no doubt rather our fault than theirs, for we considered ourselves their superiors, an opinion even our officers shared, as the following occurence (sic) will illustrate.

Owing to his eccentric movements when he had a "spell" on we had given Colonel Smith the name of 'Jingle Box." Though, of course, we did not use that pet name when addressing him he was fully aware of it, having heard us use it in a thousand different indirect ways without taking notice but one day as he rode by, an unlucky conscript called out to another: "Here comes Jingle Box." The Colonel immediately charged and on the conscript taking to the brush, dismounted and soon ran him down. Seizing him by the ear and emphasizing every other word with a hearty kick he swore by the Olympic gods that no blank conscript should call him names. The Colonel was somewhat Irish when enraged.

I have often wondered since the dark days of our intestine strife at the cold-blooded indifference with which we at that times looked upon, death and the grave. They being hourly before our eyes in their various forms they soon ceased to inspire us with awe and became matters to joke about.

While out foraging one day with Sargeant (sic) Bill we discovered a pair of graves. At the head one of them a pine board upon which the following lines were written:

"The Yankee hords (sic) and thieving bands,

Came South to rob our houses and steal our lands;

But this narrow contracted spot,

Is all this poor Yankee ever got"

The other grave being unmarked Bill proceeded to set up a board at the head, of the unmarked grave inscribed thus:

"Here lies a monumental poet,

His neighbor's epitath (sic) will show it.”

Col. Smith had begged, bought or stolen a piece of a hog which he had concealed under his cot. During a night his dreams were disturbed by something apparently crawling under his cot. Seizing his sword in one hand while he made a quick grab with the other he grasped the hand of a conscript. Leading his prisoner out into the light of the campfire the Colonel minutely examined his crest-fallen countenance and exclaimed: "I knew that it was a blamed conscript. If it had been one of the old boys I never would have gotten my hands on him." Then giving him a kick he returned to his slumbers.


Ralph describes the following action during the siege of Vicksburg in the Texas Lunette defended by the Second Texas Infantry. A couple of his observations:

It was during one of these bloody assaults that a standard-bearer of the enemy reached our breastworks and planted his flag on top and jumped down among our boys unhurt. Sargeant (sic) Bill swore by the eternal that while it was an insult it was true bravery and we should do him the justice to acknowledge it.

Nearly all our conscripts and raw volunteers fired their first volley up into the air. Having their attention brought to the fact that the enemy were in front and not flying over-head they did fair execution.

On the morning of the Fourth of July we stacked our arms and marched about a mile to the rear. In charge of United States guards, many were the surmises as to what our fate would be. Visions of close confinement in Northern prisons floated before our eyes while the conscripts shook with fear of immediate execution, for Sargeant (sic) Bill had told them that Grant had all conscripts shot.


After their parole, most of the men of the Second Infantry returned to Texas. In October 1863, there paroles completed, they were called back into service in Houston. Colonel Smith, Sergeant Bill, Pvt Smith and about 250 men served the rest of the war at various locations on the Texas Gulf Coast. Although they suffered many casualties due to a Yellow Fever epidemic at Galveston, they saw no further action.
 
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