During August, 1863, four companies of the battalion, all of whom were from the Northwest Texas frontier, were on the verge of mutiny. Apparently, the transfer was Magruder's effort to placate Griffin's troops. The general reported that the cause of the mutiny stemmed from Comanche Indian depredations near the soldiers' homes, but it is probable that the underlying reason was Colonel Griffin's extreme and harsh disciplinary measures. Both Captain Keith and Sgt. H. N. Connor were highly critical of Col. Griffin. Keith described him as being "very egotistical and overbearing. He soon got the guardhouse full of men under petty offenses. Court martial became the order of the day." (Following the Battle of Calcasieu Pass, La., in 1864, Connor recorded that Griffin "put seven of the boys in the guardhouse for confiscating" a captured Union ham.)