COMPANY I, 6TH TEXAS CAVALRY REGIMENT, CSA

Sharpshooter Company

Company I, was recruited in Dallas and HendersonCounties by Henry W. Bridges.  During the first few weeks, this company operated along side its sister companies and trained as a cavalry company.  The company mustered on September 12, 1861 and before October had moved with the regiment to McKinney in Collin County.  Next they started the trek to Ft Smith, Arkansas.  The Regiment had been detailed to the IndianTerritories.  Before reaching Arkansas, they were to strip down for fast march to Fort Gibson, I.T. The remainder of the company wagons and trains followed.  The detachment from the Sixth reached Fort Gibson and immediately prepared for a campaign against the Indians.  On December 26, 1861, several units fought the Indians at ChustoTalasah, I.T. and again on December 29, through January  4, 1862 they engaged in a running battle against Hopo-eith-le-yo-ho-la in the IndianTerritories.  They won a decisive battle against Union led Indians.

Then they moved to Flat   Rock Creek, Missouri, their winter camp, bringing with them, the measles which caused deaths daily until the spring came. The next battle occurred March 4-5, 1862 at Elkhorn, Tavern.  Though involved in the first skirmish, they received no farther orders thus missed the remainder of the battle.  Two senior commanders had been killed and a division commander captured, thus creating problems in command and control.  They assisted in the rear guard during the retreat from Elkhorn Tavern. Next they were part of the first battle at Corinth on April 29 and 30. Though more of an artillery battle, and retreat by the Union forces, than a real battle it showed the 6th what some of the future battles would be like. They persued the retreating Union forces to Boonsville, MS until May 12, 1862 when they ran up against superior forces and were told to return to Corinth.

Next the unit reorganized and selected leaders for the upcoming battles.  Captain Bridges was re-elected, two Lieutenants were dropped from rolls and one returned to the enlisted ranks.  Then the unit was reorganized to fight as Infantry and their horses were sent back to Texas. Next, they were designated as a sharpshooter company, and their training continued throughout the summer, with Capt. Bridges in charge of a small battalion while the unit moved across Arkansas toward Iuka. He was also appointed to Major.  In July they received several replacements from other companies of the regiment.  On August 1, 1862 the Company was attached with Company H, 9thTexas, to Col RasStirman's Arkansas Sharpshooter Regiment and Bridges was promoted to Lt. Col. Second in command. Though expecting to fight Phifer's Brigade was not close enough to help General Gates Division when it ran head on into the Union forces at Iuka.  Van Dorn's Corps moved away to the south and west and returned to his original goal of Corinth.  To throw the Union forces off he planned to attack from the Northwest.  On October 3rd, Stirman's Regiment was almost in the middle of the Confederate line as Infantry.  They should have been employed across the front as skirmishers.  As it was they attacked the artillery battery to their front manned by the 10th Ohio and captured it and continued to move forward.  They had started with almost 60 troops and had lost a great number of that when they reached the center of town.  They did not know that they had forced Gen. Rosecrans out of his headquarters. Reinforcement and a strong push might have captured Rosecrans, but reinforcement did not come and the sharpshooters had to retreat.

The next morning the Corps moved slowly, but eventually made HatchieBridge.  The 1st Texas Legion and Moore's Brigade had crossed when they came under heavy fire.  Quickly they realized that they had run up against a stronger force.  Both units were being cut to pieces.  Stirman's Sharpshooters followed by the 6th were crossing the bridge, when Gen. Maury came running back from the front saying to Ras Stirman and Lawrence Ross to get back across the bridge.  Suddenly fire began to come from the flank and everyone but those around Ross began to rush back.  Some jumped into the river and drowned. Pvt. Robert A. Nolan of Company I had his arm broke and was captured. Within a few days he was paroled and caught up with Company I.  Many of the Sixth and Sterman's Regiment made it back across the bridge and began to set up covering fire from the bank.  Finally Ross fighting a delaying battle withdrew across the bridge and joined the defense.  Then the 9thTexas came up along with Cabell's Brigade and an artillery battery to provide additional support.  Now it was the Union's time for receiving the battle.  As the ruminants of Whitfield and Moore's Brigades came back, the large force that had dug in on the bluff over looking the river and bridge, and began to mow down the Union forces as they came forward. The Union commander sent three regiments into this meat grinder before he went forward and was killed.  The next Union commander chose to stand and shoot and not cross the bridge, thus allowing Van Dorn to move west and cross a mill dam that was to serve as the corps bridge.  The defense by the 6th and Sharpshooters was costly, but it allowed the corps to fight another day. Company I went into this battle with thirty three present for duty, qnd returned with twelve. Twenty one were killed, wounded or missing.

When the companies returned to Holly Springs and then Grenada, they began a period of rest and drill. The horses were brought back from Texas and all companies prepared for a raid on HollySprings.  Company I returned to the 6th and was part of the raid, but little is known of it's actually accomplishments.  It is known that the 6th charged into town with Lt. Col. Griffith leading the way. The Regiment traveled light, and left wounded behind with the wagons.  The size of the regiment and Company I, are facts to be found, and more than likely, Company I was fairly small. Company H of the 9th took forty men to fight at Corinth and came out with 1 killed, 16 wounded and 8 missing after HatchieBridge.  That left 15 fully capable to fight. Normally some of the missing returned in a day or so, or were paroled when well enough to travel.  If Company I faired somewhat worse as they took thirty three  and had twenty one killed, wounded or loss.  They may have had 50 men available for the raid. Company H of the 9th may have had 50.  The return of the horses also brought some new recruits who were sorely needed. Also the men who had taken the horses returned. The total bigade strength for the raid was about 1800.  The Texas brigade went on with Gen. Van Dorn into Tennessee and destroyed railroad's and infrastructure with the Yankee's Cavalry looking for them every foot of the way.

After Holly Springs the Regiment moved into Tennessee to Spring Hill.  Here they trained, skirmished and in March they were at Spring Hill and Thompson Station a great win for the Ross's Texas Brigade, with the 6th  in the middle of the battle.

In April 1863, Major White with a detachment fought against Union Naval forces on the Duck River Island engagement.  Major White was killed April the26th. The same Robert Nolan listed above at HatchieBridge has several notations with detached service with Major White. It is likely that other members of Company I were there also.

Next the unit was sent back to Mississippi to help in the relief of the siege of Vicksburg. On July 16th, 1863, Companies G and I were skirmishing with enemy cavalry near Clinton,  MS, and on the 20th.  Within days the 6th was moving against a Union Cavalry corps raid from MemphisTennessee down the railroad toward Alabama.  Ross's took part of the 6th Texas and the 3rd Mississippi Cavalry and so harassed this Corps raid, that the corps returned to Memphis thinking it had run up against a Division.  These units and Ross received great praise.

A report by Major General Stephen D. Lee said Major Henry F.(W) Bridges was killed commanding a detachment of two companies providing security for General Lee near Yazoo City, MS, on February 4, 1864. A write up of this report is found in the Southern Historical Society documents.

The unit?s list of field location after March of 63, are few with only a listing of in the field for May and June 1864.  The only reason that can be found for this is that units were growing smaller and were beginning to operate together. Through out the Atlanta campaign in 1864, the regiment continually got smaller.  After Atlanta fell the strength was about 218 men.  This is about 2 companies.  Eight companies of men were left behind as killed, wounded, sick from disease or dying from disease, or captured and a few had just gave up and gone home.  Some quit and stayed were they were at the time and never went home.  A recon conducted by several officers who no longer had enough men to consider a company included Captain H. W. Bridges.  Lt. Morrison of Company I was made a Captain in early 1865.

The company was paroled.  The Sixth Texas Cavalry Regiment, CSA was included among the forces in the Department of Alabama,  Mississippi and East Louisiana surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama, on May 4, 1865.  Records indicate that the Sixth Texas Cavalry Regiment was paroled at Jackson,  MS in mid-May 1865.

Some soldiers went home. Others like the Nolan brothers went back to where they fought.  Robert married a girl in north Mississippi in 1865.  His brother, Tyre married in Elkton,  Tennessee south of Spring Hill also in 1865.  We don?t know whether they were there before the parole, but they were on the parole list.

Muster Roster

FIELD LOCATIONS:

September 12, 1861.                                    Stationed at Dallas, Dallas County, TX.

September 12, 1861                            Muster-in roll of Captain Henry W. Bridges's Company  I, in the ___ Regiment (___ Brigade) of Texas Cavalry Volunteers, commanded by Colonel B. Warren Stone, Called into the service of the Confederate States in the Provisional Army under the provisions of the Act of Congress passed February ___, 1861 by the Secretary of War from September 12, 1861 (date of this muster) For a term of twelvemonths, unless sooner discharged.   SIGNED       R. R. GARLAND, Captain, Confederate States Army, Mustering Officer.

October 31, 1861                                           Stationed at Flat   Rock Creek, Missouri.

November - December 1861                      Stationed at FortGibson, Cherokee Nation, I.T.

January ? February 1862                            Station at camp on Lee's Creek, AK. Received orders a C. Washington at one o'clock                                                                          a.m. on 17th (February) inst, to march immediately to Fayetteville , com?cd march at 10                                                                          a.m., 17th, arrived at Fayetteville at 6 o?clock p.m., 18th, arrived at cross Hollows at 12                                                                          o?clock p.m., 18th. Distance 70 miles of the worst road in the world. (Returned to Lee's                                                                          Creek.) (23rd Marched toward enemy. Met enemy near Elkhorn Tavern on March 4th and                                                                          March 7th and participated in battle. Fm Co F notes.)

March -  April 1862                                       Stationed at Camp McIntosh, Ak.

May - June 1862                                          Stationed at Camp   Maury, MS.

May 9, 1862                                                  Formed a portion of the reserve at Farmington in the engagement.  Was actively engaged                                                                         in the subsequent movement of the Army until the evacuation of Corinth, MS.  Changed                                                                        Camp by successive marches from Corinth to Camp Maury near Moorville, Etahwamba                                                                        County, Mississippi, a distance of about seventy or eighty miles.

Corinth evacuated 28 May 1862.

Arrived Baldwin 1 June

Marched from Baldwin 7 June

Arrived present camp 9 June (Probably near Tupelo, Mississippi, and attached to Col.                                                                      Ras Stirman's Sharpshooter Regiment)

July -  August 1862                                   Stationed was not stated. (Vicinity of Tupelo training.

September - October 1862                    Stationed at Camp   Rogers, MS.

September 11, 1862                               Marched from Saltillo, MS on September 11, 1862, upon Iuka, making a circuitous route,                                                                      which made the distance nearly sixty miles.  We were actively employed as skirmishers                                                                      during the subsequent time.  While there and in the vicinity, the reiment to which we were                                                                      attached, being sharpshooters of General Phifer's Brigade, formed part of the Army in the                                                                      advance on Corinth,  MS.

October 3, 1862                                        We drove in the enemy at Corinth; killing, wounding and taking prisoners a great many?lay                                                                      in bivouac during the night with 300 yards of the enemy's fortifications which we attacked                                                                      in a line of battle the next morning, and from which we drove the enemy, holding                                                                      possession of his outer works for the space of fifteen or twenty men, when he forced us to                                                                      retire being largely reinforced,  leaving our wounded on the field.  Participated in the action                                                                      at the bridge across Hatchie River on the 5th. We have no means of knowing what has                                                                      become of some of our men, as the prisoners which were taken in the enemy's breast                                                                      works were not allowed to see the battlefield after the engagement.  The Company went                                                                      into the action with an aggregate strength of thirty three. Twenty one were killed wounded                                                                      or missing.

November -  December 1862              Stationed at Camp, MS.

January - February 1863                      Stationed at Spring Hill, TN.

March - April 1863                                 Stationed at Spring Hill, TN.

May - June 1863                                   Stationed near Birdsong,  MS.

July - August 1863                               Station near Richland, MS.

July 14, 1863                                         Left Jackson on July 14 with regiment to scout to the rear of the enemy at Clinton, MS.                                                                   Continued to march to Clinton.

July 16, 1863                                        Encountered the enemy on July 16.  Slight skirmishing between Companies G and I and the                                                                 enemy., resulting in no loss on our side.  The company has been on active duty with the                                                                 brigade under Colonel Ross since then to the present.  Supposed to have marched nearly                                                                 500 miles since last muster on scouts, etc.

May ? June 1864                                 Stationed in the field.

The following is data extracted from the official regimental muster rolls.

BRIDGES, Henry W., Co. I,  Captain

MORRISON, Henry M., Co. I, Captain

MORRISON, J. M., Co. I, Captain

GUARIN, W. M., Co. I, 1st Lt.

GUERIN, Walter M., Co. I, 1st Lt.

LAPRAD, James M., Co. I, 1st Lt.

LAYPRAD, James, Co. I, 1st Lt.

LEPRAD, James M., Co. I, 1st Lt.

CARROLL, Elias A. Jr., Co. I,  2nd Lt.

COLTHARP, Abel B., Co. I

MACNEILL, Washington L., Co. I, 2nd Lt.

McNEIL, Washington L., Co. I, 2nd Lt.,

MORRISON, William J., Co. I, 3rd Lt.

ROIL, R. H., Co. I, 2nd Lt.

ROYAL, Richard H., Co. I, 2nd Lt.

ROYALL, Richard H., Co. I, 2nd Lt.

SCOTT, William C., Co. I, 2nd Lt.

JONES, James C., Co. I, 1st Sgt.