The 1st Texas Infantry was one of the core regiments in the "Texas Brigade", arguably the most celebrated infantry brigade in the Confederate Army. It was the only Texas unit in General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The 1st Texas was recruited largely from East Texas in April 1861 after the opening shots of the War Between The States, and was the only regiment in the Confederate Army comprised of twelve companies. Regulations at that time called for ten. All of the companies made their way piecemeal to Virginia in the spring and summer of 1861.
The 1st Texas Infantry, nicknamed the "Ragged Old First," experienced its day of glory in the "Corn Field" at Antietam, Maryland on September 17, 1862, suffering 82% casualties, 186 out of 226 men were lost - the highest of any regiment North or South during the war.
On May 20, 1863, a Private West penned a letter to his wife in Texas and remarked, "We can not be whipped, though they may kill us all," a statement which nearly came true. Only 149 soldiers of the 1st Texas lived to surrender on April 12, 1865 at Appomattox, Virginia.
The war record of the Texas Brigade was a gallant and glorious one, written in blood, smoke and bandages. General Lee knew of no better troops upon which he could depend. He referred to them as "My Texans," stating "I rely upon them in all tight places" and "Texans always move them." |
