"At Piney Bayou, Gen Holmes met Hindman’s army and on Jan 11, he ordered the Texas brigade through Ft Smith to reinforce Steele, the new commander of the Indian Territory.
Back trudged the Texans in varying degrees of cold winter rain and snow, short of wagons, across a country already stripped…
Speight went ahead to meet Steele as the brigade neared Ft Smith. In his absence on Jan 13, a band of Union guerillas struck the supply train by surprise, disarmed its small guard detail, and captured much needed corn and some of the better wagon stock. Most of the corn was quickly recaptured, and LtCol Harrison of the 15th Texas pursued with 10 mounted men and a company of infantry on Jan 14, covering 30 miles through the snow. He located the raiders but couldn’t close with them because they were mounted. Texas Cavalry under Lt Col Crump solved that problem soon after their arrival the next day by capturing the guerillas including their Captain, Martin D. Hart, a Unionist and former state senator from North Texas, who was hanged on Jan 20 for the brutal acts of his men against civilians in western Arkansas.
Speight’s brigade camped near Ft Smith on Jan 15, in terrible condition from their grueling march."