2nd Regiment Texas State Troops

[rclipper]

Hello, I am trying to find information about the Second Regiment, Texas State Troops.
I can't seem to find anything meaningful. Lem is my 4th Great Uncle. He was a very colorful gentleman.

Lemuel was buried correctly as Confederate Co K 20th Tex In.

I am curious about the other military unit, and why it is on his application for a headstone.

Anyone here familiar with the Second Regiment, Texas State Troops?

Thanks
Rayburn Clipper

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

I found his records with the 20th Texas Inf. on fold 3, but I couldn't find him anywhere else.
He was 49 years old in 1862.

Is there a chance his rank of Colonel with the State Troops was service in a pre war unit ?

This link may help:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30174/tsl-30174.html

 

[lelliott19]

Welcome to CivilWarTalk @rclipper ! Happy to have you aboard! I ran a few quick searches and turned up the following for you.

George and Frederick Brautigam had come to Texas in 1856, only five years before the war began, but they quickly enlisted in the war effort. On July 22, 1861, George signed up with Captain Lem Clepper of the Montgomery County Rifle Brigade. Family historian Margie Walter notes, "This was a unit of poor men who could not leave their homes but a few weeks at a time without leaving their families destitute or in want but were willing to act as minute men in case their services should be deemed necessary." Though no verifying records can be found, family tradition states that Christoph, father of George and Friedrick, also fought in the war. https://www.kleinisd.net/default.aspx?name=hf.cwc

There are 74 mentions of Clepper in this document:

Be it remembered that on the 26th day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty Four at the Clerk's office in County of Montgomery and Republic of Texas, Wm. H. Fowler, Deputy Clerk of District Court, in and for said County and Republic and John B. Barton, Sheriff, in the presence of worshipful Lem G. Clepper, acting Justice of the Peace, to draw a Venire facias to serve at the Spring Term of said Court to be held on fourth Monday of March next, AD 1844. http://www.countygenweb.com/txmontgomery/Montgomery_County_DistCt_Bk2/Dist_Ct_bk2.pdf
​

According to a post resulting from a google search about the oldest bar in Houston- could be your post @rclipper ?:

In 1885, the Galveston paper wrote: "Colonel Lem G. Clepper, a planter from Grimes county, is in the city. Colonel Clepper first came to Houston when there was but one house, and that a tent, known as Kessler's Round Tent, where whisky was sold."

An even earlier - 1884 - article states: "Houston has not been much in tents since the days of the republic, when the famous Round Tent was the rendezvous for the founders of the government." http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/10189-oldest-bar-in-houston/?page=3 ​

Here he is in the OR:

https://books.google.com/books?id=kN53AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA837&lpg=PA837&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=MPZhMEHvhJ&sig=h8_Be6_Gf6WOwDBSKaES9JAEal4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIGjAA#v=onepage&q="captain clepper"&f=false

And again in the OR:

https://books.google.com/books?id=okpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=3Nyw7aIuEW&sig=pkvhmvMu9yKRFj6qmX-7SUm5pGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q="captain clepper"&f=false

And some more:

https://books.google.com/books?id=o...KHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q=clepper&f=false pp. 208

 

[AndyHall]

It looks like he was still a Captain in the 20th (Elmore's) at the very end of the war. Is it possible that "Colonel" was a courtesy title?

 

[AndyHall]

The NPS database lists two Second Texas State Troops, one an infantry unit, and one a cavalry unit. Both are shown as six-month regiments, active in 1863-64.

 

[AndyHall]

Weekly Houston Telegraph, 17 Nov 1858 p3:

 

[lelliott19]

There's half dozen or so more mentions of Captain Clepper's company (Elmores) here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=okpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=3Nyw7aIuEW&sig=pkvhmvMu9yKRFj6qmX-7SUm5pGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q=clepper&f=false

Just search for "Clepper" in the left margin "go" box and then choose your poison. This one is pretty interesting because he is instructed to "impress one-half of the male negroes passing through." Wonder why he wasnt ordered to impress all?

https://books.google.com/books?id=okpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=3Nyw7aIuEW&sig=pkvhmvMu9yKRFj6qmX-7SUm5pGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q=clepper&f=false ~ p. 272

Oh wow! There's mention of Captain Clepper here, but the story is a tragic one.....this is just an exert. Scroll down about 1/3 of page to find where the article starts off

The Battle of Sabine Pass.
Beaumont, Tex., Aug. 29.--The writer interviewed Lieutenant J. M. Chasten, an old veteran of the confederate side of the civil war, believing that he would be as correct in his statements as any man who had to depend on his memory could be. While he was not in the fort at the time, he was so nearly connected with the event that his testimony is of great value, which is as follows:
I was a commissioned officer in Griffin's battalion. I was second lieutenant in company F; my captain was Charles Bickley. While in Houston in 1863, about the latter part of August, we got orders to go to Arkansas post. .....[large amount of text excerpted but well worth the read]

http://exhibits.library.rice.edu/exhibits/show/dick-dowling/item/539

 

[AndyHall]

Compiled Service Record for Captain Clepper, 20th Texas Infantry. Notably, he was in charge of the detachment of Confederate soldiers aboard the captured U.S.S. Sachem at Sabine Pass in late 1863.

 

[lelliott19]

Compiled Service Record for Captain Clepper, 20th Texas Infantry. Notably, he was in charge of the detachment of Confederate soldiers aboard the captured U.S.S. Sachem at Sabine Pass in late 1863.

That's the last thing I posted above yours.....about the men on the boat that exploded. And the horses tied down on the ship to drown. Such a tragic story.

For anyone who is interested, read this account of Lieut J M Chasten. The account begins about 1/3 of the way down the page here http://exhibits.library.rice.edu/exhibits/show/dick-dowling/item/539

 

[AndyHall]

I'm uncertain about that story about the wreck of Roebuck with the prisoners. There is a contemporary news account that claims the prisoners from both Clifton and Sachem were put on Roebuck, and taken up from Sabine Pass to Beaumont, where they would presumably been put on trains for Houston and points inland, e.g., the PoW camp at Camp Groce.

In late October Roebuck was listed on a status report of Texas Marine Department transports as being "in very bad order; not in a condition to run without undergoing heavy repairs; heavy draft, say 3 feet" (ORN 20:835).

ETA: Found another source that says the boat that took the prisoners from Sabine Pass up to Beaumont was the steamer Uncle Ben. But I can't find Roebuck in any of the easy sources after the end of October 1863.

 

[rclipper]

I found his records with the 20th Texas Inf. on fold 3, but I couldn't find him anywhere else.
He was 49 years old in 1862.

Is there a chance his rank of Colonel with the State Troops was service in a pre war unit ?

This link may help:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30174/tsl-30174.html

Yeah, that's what I'm not certain of, but I knew someone here might know what the Texas state troops was all about. He was a very wealthy man, everything I find about him is just so off the wall. He owned a steamboat, He studied to be an attorney, He was a doctor and in that capacity he had correspondence with Sam Houston. I just don't know what the Texas State Troops are. I guess something like a national guard?

Thanks

 

[rclipper]

I'm uncertain about that story about the wreck of Roebuck with the prisoners. There is a contemporary news account that claims the prisoners from both Clifton and Sachem were put on Roebuck, and taken up from Sabine Pass to Beaumont, where they would presumably been put on trains for Houston and points inland, e.g., the PoW camp at Camp Groce.

View attachment 129399

Andy, what service are you using to search news papers?

 

[rclipper]

There's half dozen or so more mentions of Captain Clepper's company (Elmores) here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=okpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=3Nyw7aIuEW&sig=pkvhmvMu9yKRFj6qmX-7SUm5pGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q=clepper&f=false

Just search for "Clepper" in the left margin "go" box and then choose your poison. This one is pretty interesting because he is instructed to "impress one-half of the male negroes passing through." Wonder why he wasnt ordered to impress all?
View attachment 129390
View attachment 129392
https://books.google.com/books?id=okpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA415&lpg=PA415&dq="captain+clepper"&source=bl&ots=3Nyw7aIuEW&sig=pkvhmvMu9yKRFj6qmX-7SUm5pGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFlNO51__SAhUCQyYKHXETB-8Q6AEIIjAE#v=onepage&q=clepper&f=false ~ p. 272

Oh wow! There's mention of Captain Clepper here, but the story is a tragic one.....this is just an exert. Scroll down about 1/3 of page to find where the article starts off

The Battle of Sabine Pass.
Beaumont, Tex., Aug. 29.--The writer interviewed Lieutenant J. M. Chasten, an old veteran of the confederate side of the civil war, believing that he would be as correct in his statements as any man who had to depend on his memory could be. While he was not in the fort at the time, he was so nearly connected with the event that his testimony is of great value, which is as follows:
I was a commissioned officer in Griffin's battalion. I was second lieutenant in company F; my captain was Charles Bickley. While in Houston in 1863, about the latter part of August, we got orders to go to Arkansas post. .....[large amount of text excerpted but well worth the read]
View attachment 129395
http://exhibits.library.rice.edu/exhibits/show/dick-dowling/item/539

I have not seen that before lelliott

 

[rclipper]

It looks like he was still a Captain in the 20th (Elmore's) at the very end of the war. Is it possible that "Colonel" was a courtesy title?

View attachment 129384

Very possible, other that the headstone application, I have seen Colonel by his name one other time, on a website I was too dumb to print out, lol. It just didn't say how or why colonel was used.

 

[AndyHall]

Andy, what service are you using to search news papers?

Newspaperarchive.com and Genealogybank.com

 

[AndyHall]

Very possible, other that the headstone application, I have seen Colonel by his name one other time, on a website I was too dumb to print out, lol. It just didn't say how or why colonel was used.

It was common for prominent men in their communities to be addressed by military rank in the South, that may or may not reflect actual military service. I had such a "Colonel" in my family, who was never more than a buck private during the war, but was active in veterans groups in the decades after.

 

[lelliott19]

I have not seen that before lelliott

Glad I was able to provide you with some "new" material.

Laura

 

[AndyHall]

I just don't know what the Texas State Troops are. I guess something like a national guard?

Sounds like a home guard unit, which might be appropriate for a man his age. But his CSR looks like he was with the 20th Texas Infantry through the end of the war.

 

[lelliott19]

Was he Sheriff of Montgomery County from 1860-1862? If so here's a picture of him from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department history page - ID'd as Lemuel Gilliam Clepper

http://www.mctxsheriff.org/about_the_department/history.php

 

[rclipper]

Thank you AndyHall and lelliot19, you guys have given a few new pieces of information about one of my favorite ancestors.