- Joined
- Oct 17, 2012
- Location
- Middle Tennessee
"To do, or die:" Actions of the 4th Texas Infantry at Gaines’ Mill
By Jason C. Spellman
“I feel no hesitation in predicting that you, at least, will discharge your duties, and when the struggle does come, that proud banner you bear . . . will ever be found in the thickest of the fray – Fellow-soldiers – Texans – let us stand or fall together."
–Col. John B. Hood, March 8, 1862
Even after serving over a year in the field, the men of the Fourth Texas were eager for a definitive fight. One soldier in Co. F gave up his furlough at the chance of being in a fight, exclaiming, “I was so anxious to witness grand events that I determined to risk being compelled to take an active and perilous part in any battle necessary for their accomplishment.”1From what were then the westernmost counties of Texas, they had fervently responded to the Confederate government’s levies issued in 1861.2 By October, nearly all of the Texans had completed the journey east and were designated companies in Richmond, Va. Company officers were elected within the ranks but higher officials were authorized to appoint the regimental staff. Among the selections was a stranger to the regiment: John Bell Hood, a native Kentuckian who replaced the disliked former colonel. The regiment established a base (“Camp Texas”) outside of Richmond and drilled and re-supplied themselves in preparation for the on-coming months of action. But the winter concluded and spring arrived with little distinction other than routine patrolling, rear-guard assignments with the brigade along the Potomac River, devastating bouts of disease, and the monotony of camp life.
More: http://www.libertyrifles.org/research/4thtx-gainesmill-history.html
By Jason C. Spellman
“I feel no hesitation in predicting that you, at least, will discharge your duties, and when the struggle does come, that proud banner you bear . . . will ever be found in the thickest of the fray – Fellow-soldiers – Texans – let us stand or fall together."
–Col. John B. Hood, March 8, 1862
Even after serving over a year in the field, the men of the Fourth Texas were eager for a definitive fight. One soldier in Co. F gave up his furlough at the chance of being in a fight, exclaiming, “I was so anxious to witness grand events that I determined to risk being compelled to take an active and perilous part in any battle necessary for their accomplishment.”1From what were then the westernmost counties of Texas, they had fervently responded to the Confederate government’s levies issued in 1861.2 By October, nearly all of the Texans had completed the journey east and were designated companies in Richmond, Va. Company officers were elected within the ranks but higher officials were authorized to appoint the regimental staff. Among the selections was a stranger to the regiment: John Bell Hood, a native Kentuckian who replaced the disliked former colonel. The regiment established a base (“Camp Texas”) outside of Richmond and drilled and re-supplied themselves in preparation for the on-coming months of action. But the winter concluded and spring arrived with little distinction other than routine patrolling, rear-guard assignments with the brigade along the Potomac River, devastating bouts of disease, and the monotony of camp life.
More: http://www.libertyrifles.org/research/4thtx-gainesmill-history.html