Re: Willis' Battalion Texas Cavalry
By:Ben Bowen
Date: Wednesday, 15 June 2011, 5:17 pm
In Response To: Re: Willis's Battalaion Teas Cavalry (ed miller)
I have been researching Willis' for some time, here is some information that may be helpful. Good Luck in your research.
December 8, 1864; McCulloch’s Brigade and Maury’s Cavalry were sent North to Leaksville and Buckatunna, Mississippi to protect telegraph lines and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad which was being threatened by Federal troops
[ OR series 1 Vol 45 ptII pages 632&634 ]
[ Southern Boots and Saddles: The Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry CSA by Arthur E.Green ]
BATTLE: ( December 10, 1864 ) [ SIFAKIS] Chickasawha Bridge
Action at Mobile Alabama / Mobile and Ohio river / Chickasawha River, Pascagoula River and Mississippi Sound.[ Official Records / Correspondence ]
..as the preparations were underway for the Federal advance movement against Mobile, a column of Cavalry was sent Northward from Baton Rouge....A detachment which crossed Chickasawha river to destroy the railroad was met and repulsed by the Second Missouri and Willis’ Battalion on December 10th [ Confederate Military History Volume XII - Alabama and Mississippi : Mississippi, page 209 By Colonel Charles E. Hooker ]
Official report of General Maury place Willis’ and McCulloch’s taking action in the Union’s Pascagoula Mississippi Raid on December 1864.
..... a column of enemy's cavalry (4,000 men, with eight guns) marched from Baton Rouge through East Louisiana and Mississippi to a point just beyond Pascagoula River. The avowed object of the expedition was to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and to surprise Mobile. Troops were in position in time to defeat these objects. On Saturday, the 10th instant,( Dec. 1864 ) McCulloch's (Second Missouri) regiment and Willis' (Texas) battalion met a detachment from the main body of the enemy which was sent across Chickasawha River to destroy the railroad. The enemy charged with spirit, but were repulsed with some loss. Their main force then crossed pascagoula river and was advancing on the direct road to Mobile, by during Sunday recrossed to west side of Pascagoula and marched rapidly down toward Mississippi Sound.
From the Book :
The Story of a Cavalry Regiment :
“Scott’s 900” - Eleventh New York Cavalry
by Thomas West Smith : Private Troop F
Chapter 16 page 199
It was a long hard ride before we overtook the column, which had about 15 hours’ start, but we came up to them about 9 o’clock at night. The country through which we passed was almost uninhabited, the plantations being nearly ten miles apart, but sufficiently near to furnish us with an abundance of sweet potatoes for ourselves and corn stalks for the horses. The column crossed the Black and Wolf Rivers, arriving at Enon, a small place on the Leaf River, on the 7th. There was plenty of food at this time for man and beast. The First Texas Cavalry composed mostly of Comanche Indians was detailed as foragers and kept the command well supplied with fresh beef; these indians all carried lassoes of horsehair and could catch any animal that came within reach of the rope.
Augusta, at the junction of the Tallahoma and Leaf Rivers, was reached on the afternoon of the 7th; we captured at this place several Jayhawkers, some horses and mules, and quite a large mail.
On the 8th it commenced to rain, and the men, who had terrible experiences in the swamp east of Augusta, were soon soaked with the water; the roads were covered with mud the depth of twelve inches and the progress of the march was slow. Food was plenty
and at every camp fire beef, sweet, potatoes and honey were in abundance.
When the column reached the Leaf River the Second New York veteran Cavalry, under Col. Gurney and a detachment of “Scott’s 900”, under Lieut. Littleworth, numbering in all 250 men, were sent to destroy a bridge on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad at State Line on the border of Alabama. Two companies of the Second Veterans were supplied with canteens of turpentine to help in the work of destruction. This detachment had a fight at Leaf River but drove the enemy away and effected a crossing. On the night of the 9th they reached the Chickasawa River; the following morning the river was crossed and the march continued. In a few hours they met the advance guard of a rebel force sent to protect the bridge, consisting of about 1,500 men of the Second Missouri and Willis’ Texan Regiments, Confederate States Army of General Dick Taylor’s command.
The rebel advance guard was driven back on the main body, which was in turn charged three times by the Union Cavalry, when it was discovered that the rebel force far outnumbered the Unionists and the object of the expedition had to be abandoned.
In this engagement fourteen of the enemy were killed; our loss was three killed, all of the second veterans, one of whom was Lieut. westinghouse, a gallant officer who fell while leading the advance. Fortunately for this detachment the rebels did not immediately pursue them, and taking the body of the lieutenant with them and several prisoners they had captured, they began their return march towards the main column, burning the bridges behind them; they escaped from the force of confederates who did not show any desire of again meeting the “Yanks” and they narrowly escaped another rebel force which had crossed a road in advance of them; after innumerable hardships the detachment joined the main column several days later.
The main column continued its march along the left bank of the Leaf River. On the 9th of the month the storm increased, streams became swollen and were crossed with difficulty; the clothing of the men were saturated with the rain and the forlorn and weary column proceeded slowly on its way. From prisoners recently taken it was learned that a large force of confederate infantry, cavalry and artillery was in our front and that reinforcements were hourly arriving to oppose us; our column was many days behind the specified time we were all painfully aware of the impossibility of surprising anybody or anything. On the 10th the column crossed the west bank of the Pascagoula River and all attempts to destroy the railroad were abandoned and with good reason, as will appear from the following letter of the Confederate General, Dick Taylor, to the Governor of Mississippi:
“ The greater portion of Davidson’s ( Federal) cavalry which made the recent raid through Eastern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, is near West Pascagoula. The threatening attitude assumed by the enemy renders it necessary that all the troops which can possibly be concentrated should be placed in position to enable them to co-operate with the forces in Mobile and protect the line of communication with that city, on which depends not only the safety of Mobile but the maintenance of Gen Hood’s army in Tennessee. I have therefore been compelled to withdraw the forces from Southern and Central Mississippi and Est Louisiana and the section of your state bordering on the Mississippi river will for the present be left with no adequate protection against raiding parties which the enemy may send into that section”
From the time of leaving Columbia the route of the march was through forests of lofty pine trees with occasional clearings where there ere plantations with rude buildings but usually with plenty of sweet potatoes; in fact when it was learned that we were to go no farther toward Mobile, many of the lads called the expedition the “Sweet Potato Raid” and said that the object of the expedition was to clear the country of that vegetable.
In these pine forests were manufactories of tar and turpentine, and thousands of trees had been stripped of their bark on one side, in places five or six feet feet long and one or two feet wide, where masses of resin were collected. Beneath the trees were great pine knots, remnants of trees of past ages; these when burned emitted a dense smoke which blackened the man and horses, and the thousand fires from these pine knots and fires of the resin of thousands of trees in this great turpentine orchard gave to the encampment or the marching column weird appearance. From the 10 to the 13th of the month the column moved down the west bank of the Pascagoula, crossing Black River and Red Creek and marching through the immense forest; provisions were gone habitations were few, and men and horses suffered for want of food and from the hardships of the march in the long, cold rain. On the 13th we came into sight of the Gulf of Mexico and camped in a marsh without shelter of any kind, and suffered intensely from the cold and the raw sea air.
The following is from the report of the Confederate Maj. Gen. Maury :
(NOTE : The report was dated December 15th, 1864 - See the complete report in the Book Exploits of Willis’ Battalion Texas Cavalry : Correspondence 1864- Ben )
”... a column of enemy's cavalry (4,000 men, with eight guns) marched from Baton Rouge through East Louisiana and Mississippi to a point just beyond Pascagoula River. The avowed object of the expedition was to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and to surprise Mobile. Troops were in position in time to defeat these objects. On Saturday, the 10th instant, McCulloch's (Second Missouri) regiment and Willis' (Texas) battalion met a detachment from the main body of the enemy which was sent across Chickasawha River to destroy the railroad. The enemy charged with spirit, but were repulsed with some loss. Their main force then crossed Pascagoula river and was advancing on the direct road to Mobile, by during Sunday recrossed to west side of Pascagoula and marched rapidly down toward Mississippi Sound.”
The following is from General Davidsons report:
“ The bad weather and horrible condition of the roads impeded our march. We had to lay our pontoons four times over the Amite, Pearl and Black Rivers and Red Creek; repaired and rebuilt fifteen bridges and laid miles of corduroy over the swamps of Louisiana and Mississippi through a country so poor as to render the transportation of subsistence a matter of necessity.” “ The day after my arrival at Augusta I found Mobile papers containing full accounts of strength and design and our daily progress and marches were telegraphed to Meridian where Gen. R. Taylor had his headquarters and to Mobile.” “ On the 9th of December the rain fell in such torrents as to render the roads almost impassable. The rear division ( Davis’) was unable to make any progress and the streams rose so between the head and rear of his column as to sweep out an ammunition wagon which could not be saved. I found from all information on the Pascagoula and Guerney’s reports ( who met the enemy cavalry at Leaksville) that the head of a force of 2,500 cavalry and artillery, consisting of McCulloch brigade of Forrest’s command and the fifteenth Confederate and Eighth Mississippi had been sent to watch and impede our progress to the road at the different crossings while they would have time to concentrate several thousand infantry from Meridian and Mobile. On account of the state of the roads and swollen conditions of the streams and their perfect knowledge of our movements, celebrity and surprise were impossibilities.” “ for the last seventy miles my rear had no forage.” “Our losses are one officer and two men killed, eight men wounded and thirteen men missing; stragglers captured by the enemy.”
here is the 2nd New york soldier letter
Colleen
Morgania Dec 28th/64
Dear Friend
It is with great pleasure & a blessing to which I owe many thanks that my life is spared & in good health and back safe in our old tent once more. And now I suppose you want to know the particulars. We started from Baton Rouge Nov 27th a Northeast course the road was miserable the land was low and it was soft and that left plenty of mud. Our army consisted of about 7 thousand cav 8 pieces of artillery then the waggon train consited of about 40 waggons with six mules to a waggon and by the time that went over aroad mixed up the mud 2 ft deep then some bayou's so when we was on our horses we was very apt to get wet feet if we did not old them up. We crossed the Comite river a french name it was about 5 ft deep went on an average about 15 miles
28th we started the next morning about 10 oclock and there was not much to be seen for the whole route was nothing but pine woods a very few old buildings and families fewer still. sometimes we would ride all day and not see even a log Negro shanty. I suppose you want to know what we had to live on. In the first place there was a few rations in the waggons and as fast ast they were emptied they wer burnt. when we came to a shanty if any corn feed our horses shell enought to feed again strap it to the saddle for next time of need. Sweet Potatoes ha ha take what we could carry had plenty of them all the way through for meat a detail was made to drive up all the cattle and at night they would kill or rather slaz? and eat. we did not want for food. on the night of the 28th we encamped in a burrying ground did not see the spirit move
We started about 8 in the morning crossed the Amit river on the Pontoon Bridges arrived at night at a small place called Greensburgh it being about 50 miles from Baton Rouge, went on picket that night. Co's A & B
30th We started about 7 a.m. lost the correct road went about 8 miles out of the way. arrived at another small place called Langspoho? station on the New Orleans & Jackson Rail Road about 3 p.m. We stoped to feed and make coffee about 8 in the evening laid about 2 hours then we started on waiding the Langspoho Bayou it was a swift current it took some of Co A's horses down stream the men swum ashore they got out safe only lost one carbine and there guide flag our Co came next the lieut happened to strike through and but few of our boys got there feet wet I put on a pair of new boots so was quite lucky we trveled through woods & mud until 4 oclock the next morning
Dec 1st We stoped on a Plantation where there was plenty of corn & potatoes laid down for 2 hours the Bugle sounded Boots & Saddles so we had to start rode until 10 am laid about 2 hours then started crossed the Tyokapham? River arrived at a small place called Franklinton? encamped for the night
Dec 2nd 7am started on, about noon we captured 2 waggons, one with cotton cloth, one with salt. it was all issued to the men, at night, we encamped in the woods, had no grain only what we carried withus as for fire, we did not lack for we had plenty of fat pine wood to burn all the time through
3rd It rained nearly all day, about 7 am we started, found some corn about noon went within 7 miles of Pearl river encamp for the night.
4th crossed the river about noon on the Pontoon bridge then we was in the state of Mississippi encamped 4 miles of a place called Columbia. (those places looked very desolute now but in time of peace I presume was very pleasant. They were about the size of Fonder's? Bush Benedict's corner or wrin? mills, flea Hill and the like of such) that night we was for picket again
5th set out about 6 a.m. traveled until about 4 p.m. unsaddled for about an hour then no saddled up trebled? until nearly 9 in the evening encampted in the woods. (As I said before we would not average only from 15 to 20 miles aday, but we would be in and out of the saddle all day for the waggons could not keep up to the cav)
6th we started about 6 a.m. nothing particular to mention encamped for the night, plenty of corn, potatoes, and what no it isn't what but honey yes a few words about honey most every shanty would be from 5 to 15 hives and it was nice I could get my sufficientcy fill. Yes and a little more in my fingers or get the tail of a bee in my mouth all is well for the bees was as cross at the yankees as the jonny reb
Dec 7th We started about 5 in the morning got to Leaf river about 10 a.m. (there was a regt of Mounted Infantry the 118th N.Y. was on the advance they got there about 3 oclock in the morning and the rebs was on the other side to keep them from crossing on a flat boat drawn acrossed by a rope fastened on both sides of the river. There was only a few to keep fireing it was the first fireing we had heard. at noon they was all disappeared and at 3 p.m. Co A was sent to the bank for reserve Co B. was sent a crossed dismounted no rebs to be seen they came back at sundown fetched some hogs chickens bacon & salt
8 th The regt moved on with the army except B & C they were left in charge of Major Van Voast. to destroy a bridge that was on the other side and the flat boat. The boat had some water in it and Co C's men got in got nearly half way crossed the boat went down the men came out a little much wet lost one Carbine they cut down the ropes then built up a fire to dry themselves for it was rainy and quite chilly got corn, honey, Potatoes for dinner and started travled down the river until about 12 at night encamped in the woods
9 th A detail was made from our regt in command of Lieut Col Guerney? to take another road numbering 250 & more about 10 officers & Major Van Voast. We came to Leaf river and went to crossed on a flat boat instructed the same as the one above. it would carry about 15 men horses and equipments there was a squad of rebs probably about 15 began to pop lead pills at us as we was loading the boat it was about 12 or 15 rods wide did not hurt any of us hit one horse in the knee stood within 2 ft of me on my right had to leave him after the first load went acrossed they Schedaddled we captured one private one Lieut Col we got acrossed safe and started on went until we came to Chickahsaha river then encamped for the night
10th We commenced crossing the river about 7 a.m. did not have any trouble destroyed the flat boat and started towards the Mobile & Ohio Railroad there we was sent to tear up the track and burn a bridge as we carried about 75 canteens of Turpentine to sprinkle it with did we get there Ha. No. about noon rebs began there fireing again Co. C was on the advance and they made quite a noise Major Van Voast was in command of the front he gave us orders to sling Carbine and load then Co's A & B front into line as they formed the first Squadron and forward by this time we was insight of them there was ? as we could judge from 100 to 150 and the lead flew faster than I had seen it before they keep fallen back and they had support to fall in with them as they fell Back We kept them going back about 2 miles the major told our Lieut (Westinghouse) he was in command of the first squadron to draw sabre and charge on them & Capt Dolan to support us. at the word draw sabre we pulled the bright steel blade for the first time in a fight at the word charge we put spurrs to our horses and our 1st Lieut says boys follow me swinging his sabre at arms length above his head the smartest horses got into there rear and the last blow our Lieut made struck a reb in the back which fetched him to the ground another reb was in the front of our Lieut drawed his revolver shot the Lieut through about half way from the pit of his stomache to the hollow of his neck he dismounted his horse took his hat in his hand started back when I met him he said go on boys I'm shot he soon died we drove them until we seen there line of infantry we was ordered by Capt Dolan to return when we came back Charley & myself with two others took up the Lieut carried him back with us a 1/4 of a mile laid him down he was to heavy the most of our men that was there at the end of the charge was Co A & B and a few from other Co's dont think we numbered over 40 men in all the rest was back over a mile in the rear we captured 4 rebs one ambulance and two mules took the ambulance and got the Lieut Took him withus and we marched back took another road down the river road some 25 or 30 miles and very still I can tell you and encamped for the remainder of the night. Those captured men said that they knew that we were a coming & they were sent to stop us from the Railroad. They were one Brigade of about 1500 that we run upon in the front of us then there was an other Brigade sent down another road to come up in the rear as they expecting the whole army was there if we fell back to quick for them to get in behind us and our loss was of Co A 2 privates killed, one missing Co. B our 1st Lieut Westinghouse killed, 1 private David Bennett wounded the Doct said he would not live until the next morning, 1 private Co K. Killed what we could see of the rebs that was killed was about 15. We had a guide with us use to be a rebel Col and he said he never saw a bolder and better chargemade in all his time of service and those that we captured said that they had heard of the 2nd Vets & they never wanted to come in contact with them again for they was never drove so before and by so few men as we had in the charge. The guide said that regt was called the best regt. they had in there service it is the 2nd Missouri. we could captured 23 easy enugh they would surrender but had not men enough to keep up the charge and stay with them so they could cut for the woods Damaris it put me in mind of what we see to Saratoga fair into those glasses pictures of the battle field seeing the men in all shapes. The wounded man we left - to James Hillmans's - his father came from South Carolina his name was James so the citizen told me that lived near by. The name of the place we gave it the Battle at Clouds mill creek we past the mill while on the charge. There was a man with us taken down all the sketches to put in Frank leslies paper write to Abby to get it if she can if I had it out plain on picture would give a five dollar bill
Dec 11th We burried the Lieut and heard by the women that lived there said our men was near there yesterday driving cattle so the Col sent out a guard of men soon found that we was on one direct road to the army about noon we started got to Paschaglia (Pascagoula) river crossed on a flat boat a Louisiana regt was waiting for us. We encamped there for the night
12th We travled about 15 miles came to Black river and time we got over it was midnight as the boat would carry but 7 men and horses at a time
13th the next morning we joined the rest of our regt which lay about 5 miles by red Creek they had to take an old building and make a raft to take the men and saddles a crossed drove the horses in and make them swim acrossed encamped for the night
14th nothing special occured encamped about 15 miles from Paschagolia (Pascagoula) Bay? the main column had been there about 2 days a head of us
15th we got a feed of oats for our horses the horses ahead of us devoured all they could get by the way so ours did not get anything for two days We arrived at the Bay about sundown
16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd laid in camp while the rest of the army took the boat for New Orleans. We was about 60 miles from Mobile 120 from New Orleans
23rd we took the boat came down the Bay into Mississippi sound then into Lake Poncha train landed at lake Port? about 11 oclock at night it being 5 miles from New Orleans
24th we got off the boat mounted our horses got to Carlton near New Orleans at noon fed our horses they had no grain in four days. laid there until the
26th got on the boat 6 oclock evening Got in our old shanty the
27th 10 oclock at night. What did I find 6 letters 3 papers the writing paper and the old tent mates ready to get supper
28th and today I have spent my leisure moments in writing to you cannot mention much about your letters 5 was from you & fathers letter it is near nine oclock at night my eyes begin to glimmer otherwise I feel just as well as if I had been all the while in camp. I suppose you got the letter I wrote at Baton Rouge hope you did not worry about me but I have seen some good times and some not quite so good. But ready to take another trip when needed hope these will reach you if so let our folks read them dont loose them for a farm in the Mississippi pine woods I will write another letter as soon as I can get my equipments cleaned up so good night - contunued until the next opportunity (end of letter)
here is the former slaves letter
Copied from the Slave narratives on the ancestry.com page.
Juda Dantzler
AUNT JUDA DANTZLER OF MCLAIN, MISSISSIPPI
Aunt Juda was Mr. Tyra Roberts' slave. Her exact age is not known, but she
can remember much that happened during the Civil War. She acted as mail
carrier for her master when she was only eleven years of age. She now lives
in McLain and is in fairly good health.
Interview with Juda Dantzler---------Her Early Life
When I was eleven years of age I acted as mail carrier, and as a spy for my
master, Mr. Tyra Roberts and the soldiers of the Civil War while they were
in camp near Mr. Roberts home on the Chickasawhay River near what is known
as the Roberts ferry. The mail was carried by horse back from State Line,
Alabama to Augusta, Mississippi (which is the present old Augusta in Perry
County) by a Mr. McSwain. One of the post offices on the route was at Mr.
McInnis's near Leakesville. It was from there that I carried the mail for
two years to Mr. Roberts place where Mrs. Roberts checked it over, then I
would deliver it to one thousand soldiers every Monday, sometimes a number
of them would come running to meet me, so very anxious to hear from friends
at home.
(Page 2 Juda Dantzler from SOURCE MATERIAL... Greene County)
There was an Indian Camp near Boggy branch and sometimes we would go over
and listen to them sing and see them dance and jump, which was their form of
amusement. Master Roberts was gone a greater part of the time. They would
bring the men that they picked up to Master Roberts home and guard them on
the porch, they had no chains, or handcuffs, but used small ropes for tieing
their arms and hands, then they would drive them away towards Washington
(which is now known as Neely). It was a very sad time. The men's wives were
crying and even Mistress Roberts, Ma, and all. Ma was cook and helper at the
place, sometimes she would run the ferry when no men were at home. We slaves
had to tend four places, it worked us very hard. This was about the second
year of the war.
Then came a raid. A great number of northern men came riding in on horseback
to raid the homes of the southerners. They went in and fed their horses and
the corn they did not use, they were determined to destroy, so they set fire
to the cribs and burned the remainder, while part of them raided the house,
turning over beds and searching everywhere for money. They ask where Master
Roberts was, said they wanted to kill him for he was the greatest
secessioner. They broke into his
(Page 3 Juda Dantzler from SOURCE MATERIAL... Greene County)
safe and got the money and papers. He said there was about $400. in all. One
man took the money in charge and another took the papers and threw them in
the fire. I snatched them out, he jerked them from my hands and threw them
in again. I snatched them out again, and he pulled his bayonet from his belt
and said, "I'll cut your head off, you devilish bratt". The boss man said,
"Let that kid alone".
By this time some were firing the beds that were on the floor. A man was
stationed at each corner of the house ready to set fire to it. Ma begged the
boss not to burn the house for that was all that she had left, so he was
kind enough to ask his men to stop and not burn any more. I put the fire out
that was on the beds. They killed all the livestock that was at home except
two or three chickens that were hidden under the house, destroyed all the
potatoes and all the bee hives, and when they left they took the prettiest
and choicest quilts and made flags of them, went down to the river and
destroyed the river flat and the boats, then went to Sandy Branch where they
met the 1000 southern men who were in camp and had a little skirmish near
Rhoderick McLeod's in which they lost three men, two were killed and one
wounded. The two that were killed, one was a seargent, the other a
doctor
You can see pages 4,5,and 6 of this letter on our camp facebook page, it wont let me copy and paste it here. this is the link
https://www.facebook.com/groups/186142528155772/
in edition we found this also
O.R.--SERIES I--VOLUME XLV/2 [S# 94]
CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN KENTUCKY, SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE, MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, AND NORTH GEORGIA, FROM DECEMBER 1, 1864, TO JANUARY 23, 1865.--#2
MOBILE, December 8, 1864.
Colonel COLVIN,
At Shubuta or Meridian:
Your best position will be at or near Bucatunna. I think McCulloch's brigade will be at Leakesville to-night, probably near Bucatunna to-morrow night. Communicate and co-operate with him. Take every means you can to guard telegraph line. There are some negro dogs in your vicinity, use them to trail who ever may cut it, and deal summarily.
D. H. MAURY,
Major-General, Commanding.