a short history of their first year

The 17th Texas Cavalry was organized in February/March, 1862 and was immediately ordered to Corinth, Mississippi. They left home with a bare minimum of training.

Sources say that they never got to the east side of the Mississippi ...

because by July their horses were played out and most of the men under eighteen and over thirty-five were discharged and sent back to Texas with the remaining mounts. They fought as infantry for the rest of the war.

In the late summer and fall of 1862 the regiment was beset with outbreaks of measles, typhoid and dysentery.

On January 10-11, 1863, their mettle was tested at Arkansas Post (also known as Fort Hindman), when a Union army commanded by Major General John McClernand launched an attack. When the smoke cleared, the 17th Texas Cav. were among the nine Texas regiments captured.

Some were shipped far to the north, to Illinois and the infamous Camp Douglas where many died.