6th TEXAS CAVALRY REGIMENT

CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

COMMANDERS:

B. WARREN STONE, COLONEL

LAWRENCE SULLIVAN "SUL" ROSS, BRIG. GEN.

JACK WHARTON, COLONEL

PETER F. ROSS, COLONEL

Gen. Sul Ross

JOHN SUMMERFIELD GRIFFITH, BRIG. GEN.

Called Ross', Stone's, Wharton's and Griffith's Regiment, this collection of Texas Horsemen earned a place in history. The regiment was organized in north Dallas at the fair grounds and trained in an area south of Dallas,  Texas called CampBartow. Many of the companies came already organized from Ranger or CountyMilitia, and others were filled out by enlistments. One of the most illustrious members enlisted as a private and rose to brigadier general. He was Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross a future governor of Texas and President of Texas A&M University. Two of the members made brigadier general and two became governors. When the unit was surrendered on May 4th,  1865, at Jackson,  Mississippi it only had about 200 men remaining.  The Muster rolls of the unit showed over 1150 soldiers in ten companies and a Field & Staff (headquarters) in 1861.  Records also show the unit was also called the 2ndTexas Cavalry but this error is probably related to Colonel B. Warren Stone who came back to Texas in the summer of 1862 and raised a second unit which also bore his name.

When B. Warren Stone led the regiment into Indian  Territory during the move to Arkansas in October 1861, and the units trained as they marched. Lt. Col. Griffith was given command of a detachment which fought Indians at ChustoTalasah. Stone commanded at Pea Ridge and Corinth I, but by May, Sul Ross had been elected Colonel and Stone was on the way back to Texas.  Ross commanded the regiment at Corinth II and Hatchie Bridge, Griffith was in command for Holly Springs, and by the time the unit moved into Tennessee in the spring of 1862, Jack Wharton was commanding and Ross was acting as brigade commander. After the unit went back to Mississippi in 1863, Wharton had morale problems and almost a mutiny. Finally he resigned command and Peter Ross commanded the regiment for the rest of the war.

Lt. Col. John Griffith engineered a brilliant raid to Holly Springs, Mississippi, in December 1862, and captured several million dollars of material and along with a raid General Nathan Bedford Forest in Tennessee cause General Grant to regroup at Memphis and added almost a year to the war. Following the raid Griffith's  health failed and he returned to Texas. Almost a year later he was promoted to brigadier general over a District in Texas by the governor.

Under Colonel Peter F. Ross the unit was in continuous contact for more than 100 days on the flank of General Joseph Johnston's Army in Sul Ross' Brigade and Walker's Division. Their opponents were cavalries of General Sherman's Army.

The unit fought bravely and on many occasions victoriously in a delaying action toward Atlanta. They were said to have been one of the most dependable regiments in the Army, but then lacked discipline and were extremely rough. This comment could have described any Ranger unit of that time frame.

. Master Roster 6th Texas Cavalry Regiment

.  Field & Staff           Recruited from all the units.

.  Company A             Recruited in Dallas, Collin, and Kaufman Counties.

.  Company B              Recruited in Collin, Limestone and Kaufman Counties.

.  Company C             Recruited in Collin and Dallas Counties.

.  Company D             Recruited in Dallas and Travis Counties.

.  Company E              Recruited in Van Zandt County.

.  Company F              Lancaster Guards, Dallas County.

.  Company G             Recruited in  McLennan County.

.  Company H             Recruited in Bell County.

.  Company I               Recruited in Dallas and Henderson Counties.

.  Company K             Recruited in Collin County returning from Ranger duty.

ENGAGEMENTS and BATTLES:

BATTLE SNAP SHOTS: These descriptions come from several sources and are subject to revisions.

REGIMENTAL OFFICIERS AND STAFF:

REGIMENTAL  HIGHER HEADQUARTERS DURING WAR:

FLAG LOCATIONS DURING WAR:

BIBLIOGRAPHY: