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Preface
Preface
The purpose of this narrative is to hand down to my children, and to present to my friends, an intimate, personal account of a life which has not been without interesting episodes, and which has been lived during the most eventful period that this Nation will, in all probability, ever know. Though a large portion of my story will deal with incidents which occurred during the great sectional strife of the sixties, it is not intended as a history of that great calamity, but is meant, simply, to be
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CHAPTER I
CHAPTER I
I was born in the city of Bremen, Germany, on the 18th day of May, 1841. My father was a native of Prussia, and my mother of the Kingdom of Hanover. They were married in the city of Bremen in 1839. There were five children born unto them; a daughter, the oldest of the family, died in Bremen; the others moved with the family to Texas. I was educated at a private school, starting at six years old, up to the time of our removal to Texas in 1853. In connection with the ordinary literary course, the
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CHAPTER II I Abandon the Printer’s Trade and Take Up Surveying.
CHAPTER II I Abandon the Printer’s Trade and Take Up Surveying.
After two years in Waxahachie, I decided to move back to Houston, where I concluded to learn the printer’s trade, and for this purpose secured a position in the office of the Houston Telegraph, which, at that time, perhaps, had the largest circulation and was the leading paper in the State. It was published by Allen & Brockett. Soon after entering this office and acting as printer’s devil for a while, they promoted me to the job office, where I became expert in doing fancy work, such as
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CHAPTER III Indian Troubles—My First Venture in Business.
CHAPTER III Indian Troubles—My First Venture in Business.
This bold raid of these Indians stirred up General Tarrant and he determined to raise about five hundred volunteers in the frontier counties, to break up a big Indian camp, under a celebrated chief, Buffalo Hump, that was known to exist on the North Canadian, and for this purpose he canvassed the frontier counties and had no trouble in having volunteers sign to go out on the expedition. He fixed the time of departure from Fort Belknap on the fourth day of July, which was most unfortunate, as the
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CHAPTER IV My First Military Experiences.
CHAPTER IV My First Military Experiences.
R. P. Faddis was a native of Minnesota, raised and educated there, and was about nine years my senior. He was more familiar with the true conditions in the North than I was. When war was threatened, before Sumter was fired on, minute companies were organized in many of the important towns of Texas; forts and arsenals on our frontiers were taken possession of by the State, and the garrisons shipped North. A Captain Stoneman collected about five hundred picked troops at Fort Brown and refused to s
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CHAPTER V Our First Engagement
CHAPTER V Our First Engagement
We now took up our line of march for Ritters, a point on the Louisville & Nashville Pike, between Cave City and Woodsonville, with Hindman’s Brigade of infantry and a battery of four pieces, camped at Cave City, a few miles in our rear, and established our permanent camp, for the purpose of scouting and picketing. This camp at Ritters in winter proved to be a very trying one to us, raised in Texas in a mild and genial climate. We had a great deal of snow and rain and the exposure on scou
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CHAPTER VI An Accidental Injury—Shiloh—The “Mark-time” Major.
CHAPTER VI An Accidental Injury—Shiloh—The “Mark-time” Major.
Our regiment, one night, was ordered out to report at daylight to some point up the Tennessee River, the night being very dark—one of the darkest nights we ever traveled in—and branches and small streams very boggy. Colonel Wharton, at the head of the regiment, was riding a very fast walking horse. We struck many places in these branches where it was only possible for one horse to cross at a time, and Wharton, as soon as across, would strike out in his fast walk, leaving the rest of his command
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CHAPTER VII I Am Wounded and Captured.
CHAPTER VII I Am Wounded and Captured.
The Rangers now felt that they were commanded by somebody who meant business and that there was plenty of work in store for them. After remaining in this camp another day, we started for Lebanon, in the night, where it was understood a considerable cavalry force of the enemy were camped. Reaching the town about daylight, we formed fours and charged in, being greeted by ladies, through their windows, waving handkerchiefs and cheering, with no Federal cavalry in town, they having moved to Murfrees
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CHAPTER VIII The Escape of Major Ousley.
CHAPTER VIII The Escape of Major Ousley.
A court martial to try Major Kit Ousley was soon organized and his trial resulted easily in conviction, as he occupied the position of a spy, being captured in citizen’s clothes. Very soon his sentence was returned from General Burnside, and approved by him, General Burnside being in command of Kentucky and Ohio, with his headquarters at Cincinnati. Major Ousley, while recruiting up in the Blue Grass region near Lexington, married a very wealthy and beautiful young lady, who as soon as she heard
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CHAPTER IX In Prison at Louisville, Where I Was Honored With Handcuffs.
CHAPTER IX In Prison at Louisville, Where I Was Honored With Handcuffs.
Referring to Bowling Green prison, where Major Ousley had left us: Four hours after Ousley’s escape, our friends in the prison boosted Clark and me up into the attic, when we found out to our dismay that the weather had cleared and the moon had risen sufficiently high to light up the front of our building, disclosing the hole in the gable. The general’s headquarters being diagonally across the street with a guard’s beat immediately in front, I whispered to Clark, “We had better wait until the co
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CHAPTER X. Camp Chase—Fort Delaware—I Change My Name for the First Time and Am Finally Exchanged.
CHAPTER X. Camp Chase—Fort Delaware—I Change My Name for the First Time and Am Finally Exchanged.
After remaining in this prison about a month, a roll was called and the prisoners whose names were called, were ordered to get ready for exchange. We started next morning for City Point, as we were told, but when we reached Columbus, Ohio, we were ordered to march to Camp Chase, where we were quartered in barracks, partitioned into mess rooms of twenty-four in a mess. While here I was very uneasy, expecting to be called for at any time, to be returned to Louisville, as several of the prisoners h
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CHAPTER XI The Inhumanity of the Federal Government.
CHAPTER XI The Inhumanity of the Federal Government.
In reviewing my prison experience and observation, I find that I omitted to mention a case at Bowling Green, which will give the reader a fair idea of the danger of capture in territory occupied by the Federal Army and now take occasion to recall the case of John R. Lisle, a sergeant in Morgan’s command, who was permitted to visit his home near Russellville, Kentucky, on a short furlough and was shot down in his own home, in the bosom of his family, by some Tory neighbors, the ball striking him
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CHAPTER XII. I Rejoin My Command.
CHAPTER XII. I Rejoin My Command.
Recurring to the meeting of my comrades at Greenville, Tennessee, where I found them camped in a deep snow, when they had me relate my prison experience, etc.: They had just received orders to move to Dalton, Georgia, where I, having no horse, proceeded by rail. On my arrival at Dalton I found the largest, best equipped army I had ever seen in the Confederacy, mostly quartered in tents. Our advance line occupied the top of a range of mountains, presenting precipitous fronts towards the enemy. Th
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CHAPTER XIII. Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.
CHAPTER XIII. Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.
On reflection, I find that I omitted about a year’s service in Tennessee and Kentucky, before my capture near Bowling Green and will insert this now. After destroying trestles and bridges between La Vergne and Nashville, under General Forrest, and capturing a railroad train at La Vergne, on which Colonel Fordyce was captured, we were ordered back across the mountain to Chattanooga, where we commenced scouting and picketing on the Tennessee River. We frequently extended our scouts almost to Gunte
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CHAPTER XIV. Bardstown Engagement—I “Swap” Horses With a Federal.
CHAPTER XIV. Bardstown Engagement—I “Swap” Horses With a Federal.
The object of General Bragg’s advance into Kentucky was to form a nucleus for Kentuckians to rally around, our War Department having been importuned by leading Kentuckians to do this, claiming they would have a hundred thousand men to join us as soon as we could reclaim their territory. On this point, however, they were mistaken, as we gathered only about six thousand recruits and they all wanted to serve in cavalry. They joined us largely about half equipped for cavalry service, many of them wi
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CHAPTER XV. The Battle of Perryville.
CHAPTER XV. The Battle of Perryville.
Referring back to the balance of the brigade we left formed on the pike, nine miles from town: Couriers were sent them and to our little battery, to follow us and catch up as fast as they could, which they tried to do. When near the Fair Grounds they fell into the enemy’s infantry and artillery support, but successfully moved around them, losing only a few killed and wounded and taken prisoners; our loss in killed and wounded was very small. The cause of our being cut off was through General Whe
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CHAPTER XVI. I Refuse to Become a Teamster.
CHAPTER XVI. I Refuse to Become a Teamster.
While at Corinth, immediately after the battle of Shiloh, we were ordered to furnish two wagon drivers and called for volunteers, having two wagons to the company. There was not a man in the company that would agree to drive wagons and we were instructed to draw lots, when, with my usual luck, I drew lots to drive wagons, which was a four-mule team; and I had never done any driving before. The other party was Jared Gross, who also objected to driving mules. I told General Wharton that I didn’t l
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CHAPTER XVII. Omissions in Preceding Chapters
CHAPTER XVII. Omissions in Preceding Chapters
After leaving Cumberland Gap our army again moved into Middle Tennessee, with headquarters at Murfreesboro. Our cavalry in the advance camped near La Vergne, at Nolandsville and Triune. The enemy concentrated at Nashville, from whence they sent out foraging parties, supported by large infantry forces with which we had daily engagements, restricting their foraging within a small area of country. At Nolandsville, where General Wharton made his headquarters, we camped nearly a month, when Lieutenan
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CHAPTER XVIII General Johnston’s Failure to Strike—Sherman
CHAPTER XVIII General Johnston’s Failure to Strike—Sherman
Recurring to my service in Captain Britton’s company, acting as escort to General Hood at Dalton, Georgia, where I described the meeting of the several generals with General Hood at his headquarters in the rear of Railroad Gap: On our return to camp that night after supper, Captain Britton suggested he should go up to headquarters and pump Major Sellars on the meaning of the meeting that morning. He reported on his return from a visit to headquarters that General Mower, commanding Hooker’s old c
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CHAPTER XIX Georgia Service—A Negro’s Preference—A Hazardous Undertaking.
CHAPTER XIX Georgia Service—A Negro’s Preference—A Hazardous Undertaking.
At this time General Wheeler would detail a fresh brigade every morning to take the advance and move on the enemy. When a few miles from Buck Head Creek, Harrison’s Brigade was placed in advance. Striking the first line of works, we formed a line and prepared to charge, when General Felix Robertson was seen immediately to the right of our line on a magnificent horse. At the time, he was acting as chief of staff to General Wheeler, and he gave the order to forward, waving his hat and led the char
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CHAPTER XX I Sell a Ten Dollar Gold Piece for Fifteen Hundred Dollars.
CHAPTER XX I Sell a Ten Dollar Gold Piece for Fifteen Hundred Dollars.
I will recite an incident occurring while we were camped about six miles on a plank road from Fayetteville, North Carolina, which place was also a manufacturing point for war munitions on a small scale, also had a large cotton factory: The enemy were moving on two roads, converging into Fayetteville, one road opposed by Rhett’s Brigade of South Carolinians (General Rhett having been captured a few days before). General McLaws sent for me about daylight and instructed me to take one or two member
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CHAPTER XXI My Service With Captain Shannon.
CHAPTER XXI My Service With Captain Shannon.
It was our custom, when on these scouts inside of the enemy’s lines, to rest for a part of the night out of sight and hearing of the road, turning in when away from any settlement or house, so we would not be seen and spend the balance of the night in sleep in perfect safety, without having a guard. After spending that night in the woods, we returned to the road and found a large number of fresh horse tracks leading towards Little River. We construed these to mean that a Federal scout had passed
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CHAPTER XXII We Receive Notice of Johnston’s Surrender—I Decline to be Paroled and Resolve to Make My Way Out.
CHAPTER XXII We Receive Notice of Johnston’s Surrender—I Decline to be Paroled and Resolve to Make My Way Out.
After leaving Bentonville our army continued its retreat, the main part of the army finally moving in the direction of Greensboro, where it surrendered. Our little party continued to operate on Sherman’s flank, when we heard that there was a large amount of meat collected by the Federal cavalry at a little place called Marlboro, and we decided to get a wagonload of this meat and carry it with us to our army. For this purpose we impressed a wagon and team and loaded up with hams, which proved a g
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PREFACE
PREFACE
For the unpleasant facts recorded in this, I am not responsible, but only the powers that were then. I would much prefer to forget as I have forgiven, and not reopen old wounds, but a sacred duty I owe my family forces me to submit the unvarnished truth and use expressions, though harsh, to properly represent conditions as they existed, to protect my lifetime fair name and character, which I must leave my family untarnished, and also to redeem my promise to them and my many interested friends, w
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CHAPTER XXIII Upon My Return From the Army I Find My Business Affairs in Bad Shape.
CHAPTER XXIII Upon My Return From the Army I Find My Business Affairs in Bad Shape.
I returned from Johnston’s army, surrendered in North Carolina in the summer of 1865, to my home town, Hempstead, Texas, where I found my brother, six years younger than myself, who had also just returned from the army, and a younger sister, who had been boarding at a friend’s house during my absence in the army. We were orphan children. On my return I found the business of Faddis & Graber, which I left in charge of R. P. Faddis, the senior partner, totally vanished. I had not even a cha
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CHAPTER XXIV The Affair at Hempstead.
CHAPTER XXIV The Affair at Hempstead.
One Sunday morning Thorn and I rode into town, and met on the road going towards the river, eleven Federal soldiers. We thought nothing of it as they had never before crossed the river. Captain Thorn stopped at the place where his wife was boarding and I started across the square to where my little family were stopping. I noticed a group of our solid citizens armed, talking excitedly, and rode up and asked them the news, when they told me that a band of soldiers had raided the town the night bef
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CHAPTER XXV I Narrowly Escape Capture.
CHAPTER XXV I Narrowly Escape Capture.
Before parting with Thorn at Waxahachie, he told me if ever I happened to be in the upper part of Grimes County, to hunt for a man by the name of Camp, who was an old California friend of his father, having gone there with him in 1848. “You only need to tell him who you are, that you are associated with me in this trouble and he will do all he can for you.” I had nearly forgotten Thorn’s mentioning this, when I rode up to a house late in the evening, that seemed to me perhaps a stage stand. I de
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CHAPTER XXVI I Save the Life of an Enemy
CHAPTER XXVI I Save the Life of an Enemy
After probably six weeks or nearly two months, getting acquainted with nearly all the county officials and leading citizens of the town, I found it a most charming community, and with few exceptions, Southern in sentiment. One day Goalder came to me, stating that there was a position open in a large dry goods establishment, the firm of Amberg & Company, two Jew brothers. The oldest one seemed to be quite a gentleman, but the younger, a black Radical, so stated by Goalder. We immediately
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CHAPTER XXVII I Get Back Into the Business World.
CHAPTER XXVII I Get Back Into the Business World.
During the first month of our stay there, I visited the business part of town occasionally and made a few purchases at the house of Boyd, Frazer & Parks, a firm composed of John A. Boyd, who thought he was a merchant; Dr. Frazer, a practicing physician, who tried to be the bookkeeper, and M. M. Parks, who was a farmer, living out in the country, who furnished the money for the business. Boyd knew nothing about keeping or showing off his stock. In appearance it was one of the most conglom
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CHAPTER XXVIII I Assist in Establishing the Masonic Institute.
CHAPTER XXVIII I Assist in Establishing the Masonic Institute.
In conjunction with some members of the Masonic Lodge, we conceived the idea of creating a Masonic Institute, a school of high grade, which was very much needed. I was appointed chairman of the building committee. I went to work actively, in conjunction with the committee, and raised means by private subscription, which enabled us to go to work, building at once. When trustees were elected I was made a member of the Board of Trustees and on the organization of the faculty, we elected a Scotchman
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CHAPTER XXIX I Remove to Waxahachie and Go Into Business There.
CHAPTER XXIX I Remove to Waxahachie and Go Into Business There.
As heretofore stated, I had spent several years of my boyhood in Waxahachie, during the fifties, and became attached to its people because of their great interest in me, on account of my being an orphan. I felt ever grateful. Furthermore I recognized the value of the rich lands of Ellis County and territory tributary thereto, and I decided to make Waxahachie my permanent home. Arriving at Ennis, one of its shipping depots, I took stage for Waxahachie, where I rented a storehouse belonging to Jud
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CHAPTER XXX The Tap Railroad.
CHAPTER XXX The Tap Railroad.
Concerning the “Tap” Railroad just referred to, I cannot better explain the trials and difficulties of that time than by reprinting an article which I wrote, some years ago, at the request of one of the Waxahachie papers, which was anxious to clear up the seeming mystery which enshrouded the building of the “Tap.” Dallas, Texas, Sept. 4th, 1912. Editor Ellis County Herald, Waxahachie, Texas. My Dear Sir—Your valued favor of the 26th ult., requesting a history of the Waxahachie Tap Railroad is at
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CHAPTER XXXI Business Troubles.
CHAPTER XXXI Business Troubles.
The second year of my labors in building the Waxahachie Tap Road required all of my time, and, in consequence, a neglect of my business. This, coupled with the fact that many good farmers seemed to shun my business, fearing I would tackle them for a railroad stock subscription and the further fact that jealous competitors, joined by a man representing P. J. Willis & Brother of Galveston, a house I was dealing with most extensively and with whom I had a credit and a running account of abo
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CHAPTER XXXII I Start Anew.
CHAPTER XXXII I Start Anew.
Immediately after my failure in the general mercantile business, I went to Dallas to try to make some commission deal to sell farm machinery, and called on Mitchell & Scruggs, who had just opened business with one of the best lines of machinery in Dallas and had the State agencies on these lines. I succeeded in making a contract with them to handle these goods in Ellis, Navarro, Hill and Johnson Counties on a basis of five and ten per cent. I knew nothing about machinery and had to post
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CHAPTER XXXIII The Methodist School at Waxahachie.
CHAPTER XXXIII The Methodist School at Waxahachie.
I forgot to mention, soon after entering the commission machinery business, I met a friend by the name of Meeks who was the owner of the Marvin College property at Waxahachie, established and built up by the Methodist Church of Texas, and governed by a Board of Trustees who had permitted the school to go down, after having been in operation for perhaps two or three years. They borrowed ten thousand dollars in gold from my friend, Meeks, giving him a first mortgage on the property, which mortgage
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CHAPTER XXXIV My Later Business Experiences.
CHAPTER XXXIV My Later Business Experiences.
The Rev. Charles E. Brown had the business management of this college from the beginning to the end and displayed business capacity and indomitable persistence that impressed me with the idea that he would make a good business man. He came to me, asking for employment, saying that he wanted to enter commerce, that he had a number of children to educate and the pulpit did not support his family as he wished. He wanted to give his children as good an education as anybody else’s children, and for t
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CHAPTER XXXV The Confederate Veterans’ Home.
CHAPTER XXXV The Confederate Veterans’ Home.
In connection with my personal history I will take the liberty of referring to my connection with the organization and work in behalf of the United Confederate Veterans’ Association. I realized that only by a combined effort of the old soldiers could we perpetuate our true history and especially take care of the indigent and needy old comrades, when sick and in distress. While associated with the Keating house, the Confederate Home at Austin was started by John B. Hood Camp of Austin and maintai
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CHAPTER XXXVI My Appointments in the U. C. V.
CHAPTER XXXVI My Appointments in the U. C. V.
On the organization of the U. C. V. in 1892, I received the appointment by Lieutenant-General Cabell, who was elected Commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, of Quartermaster-General of the Trans-Mississippi Department, with the rank of Brigadier-General. On receipt of my commission, issued by General John B. Gordon, one morning, while opening the package, Mr. C. A. Keating was looking on and on my being surprised at such promotion, never having had notice of General Cabell’s appointment,
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CHAPTER XXXVII The Terry Rangers’ Flag.
CHAPTER XXXVII The Terry Rangers’ Flag.
One most remarkable incident I must not fail to add: As stated heretofore, the Terry Rangers of which I was a member, lost a beautiful flag sent us by a couple of young ladies of Nashville, made of their dresses, which after the first engagement wherein it was displayed, near Rome, Georgia, we lost in a stampede and it was found by a scout of the enemy the next day. This flag had worked in beautiful silk letters, the name of Terry’s Texas Rangers, beside some Latin, which I do not remember. Afte
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CHAPTER XXXVIII Roosevelt’s Visit to Texas
CHAPTER XXXVIII Roosevelt’s Visit to Texas
A few years after this incident Dallas was making great preparations to receive and entertain President Roosevelt, on an invitation extended him by Colonel John N. Simpson of the National Exchange Bank. Colonel Simpson and Roosevelt were neighbors, on adjoining ranches in the great Northwest and were great friends. When Colonel Roosevelt raised his regiment of Rough Riders at San Antonio, Colonel Simpson’s son, Sloan Simpson, quit Harvard College and joined the regiment at San Antonio and was wi
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CHAPTER XXXIX My Family.
CHAPTER XXXIX My Family.
Our married life was blessed with seven children—four girls and three boys—five of whom are living and happily married. Our oldest, Henrietta Louise, married Doctor Frank M. Dannelly at Waxahachie, and they are now living on a large farm about seven miles from Dallas. Dr. Dannelly is a native of Georgia, in which State his father was a prominent physician, and his mother the gifted poetess, Elizabeth O. Dannelly, who published “Cactus” immediately after the close of the war, embracing a number o
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CHAPTER XL In Conclusion.
CHAPTER XL In Conclusion.
This is my story, a record of what I think the reader will agree has been an eventful life. I have lived long—I have seen much, both of what was good and of what was bad; and now when my allotted span of years must, in the nature of things, be nearly concluded, I look back and realize that all of what has happened has been for the best. There is no bitterness in my heart as I indite these closing lines. What has passed is past, and the future, as I see it, holds for the people of the Southland a
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