150 years ago today

[ohpkirk]

The Battle of Adam's Hill, Texas:

From the Handbook of Texas:
The confrontation took place on the military road between San Antonio and El Paso, about fifteen miles west of downtown San Antonio. Under the terms of the surrender of the Department of Texas, Reeve proceeded from Fort Bliss to the Texas coast to join other federal troops in the evacuation of Texas. His force consisted of companies B, E, F, H, I, and K and a detachment of Company G, Eighth United States Infantry, which represented the garrisons of Fort Bliss, Fort Quitman, and Fort Davis. Reeve reported the total strength of his command at 320 men, including two hospital stewards, twelve musicians, and ten officers. Col. James V. Bomford of the Sixth United States Infantry also accompanied the column.

Upon arriving at Fort Clark, Reeve became aware of the Confederate internment of paroled federal troops in Texas and of concern by Confederate officials in San Antonio that Reeve's force was, in fact, hostile. He nevertheless resolved to continue his march to the coast to evacuate his command in compliance with former Department of Texas commander David Twiggs's terms of surrender. On May 8 Reeve camped his command on the east side of the Medina River opposite Castroville. At midnight, having received further word of Van Dorn's advance from San Antonio with the purpose of confronting the column, Reeve resolved again to push forward to San Antonio.

Upon the advice of Lt. Zenas Randall Bliss, Reeve halted his column on a high hill a few hundred yards from San Lucas Springs. There was a small collection of buildings and corrals, which Reeve supplemented with his wagons for defense purposes. At around nine that morning, two officers representing Colonel Van Dorn arrived under a white flag with the Confederates' demand that Reeve surrender unconditionally. With no actual hostile force in sight and his position a strong one, Reeve declined.

Van Dorn, on the march, soon arrived in full force. His command, which consisted of six companies of Col. Henry E. McCulloch's cavalry regiment, a squadron of Col. John S. Ford's State Troops (under the command of Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor,) Capt. William Edgar's battery of light artillery, and a battalion of infantry under Lt. Col. James Duff, comprised nearly 1,370 men and six pieces of artillery. Van Dorn's representative now offered Reeve an opportunity to inspect the Confederate force. Lieutenant Bliss was sent forward and examined it, then quickly reported the strength of the force to Reeve. Inasmuch as the federals' effective strength had been reduced to 270 by sickness, desertion, and stragglers, Reeve resolved that resistance would be futile and surrendered his command to Van Dorn. The Confederates, satisfied with this turn of events, retired, allowing Reeve to continue his march, under arms, at his own leisure. The federals arrived at San Antonio on May 10, and the next day a Confederate officer was sent to recover all arms and public property.

These Federal soldiers would remain in Texas as prisoners of war for the next two and a half years.

Below are some images of a surviving copy of the declaration issued by Col. Earl Van Dorn after this battle.

[western reb]

Re: 150 years ago today

Nice Cody, appreciate you sharing that.

[maillemaker]

Re: 150 years ago today

An interesting read and event.

I'm not a strong student of the Civil War; So I gather here that the State of Texas, and the Confederacy, were allowing Federal troops to withdraw (evacuate) from Texas? Or were they trying to withdraw and Reeve got caught before he could make the coast?

Steve

[ohpkirk]

Re: 150 years ago today

While the articles of secession were being drawn up, ranger companies under the command of Darlmaple and Ford camped outside the frontier posts waiting for news of the convention. After news reached them, the rangers and state troops sent letters to the camp commanders and demanded unconditional and immediate surrender of the posts and informing them that all of the former property of the United States Army was now public property of the State of Texas.

It was at this time that the Federals were ordered to take a line of march to the coast to Indianola where ships were waiting for them. The 8th US and 1st US were given a deadline of the first week of May 1861 to vacate the state completely, once the deadline was passed Col. McCulloch's men and those returning from Baylor's "Buffalo Hunt" (which resulted in the capture of San Antonio and the surrender of the Military Department of Texas by Twiggs), joined Van Dorn's troops north of San Antonio.

[ohpkirk]

Re: 150 years ago today

Excerpt from "Twenty-Two Months a Prisoner of War" by Stephan Schwartz describing what happened in San Antonio shortly after the surrender of the Federal soldiers at Adam's Hill.


"A PATRIOTIC SPEECH FROM THE CITY MAYOR.

I will mention a few patriotic remarks from his speech:

"The war has begun, we have taken Fort Sumter, and likewise this day the victory of Adams' Hill will be inscribed in the annals of history."

"My fellow-citizens and Confederate soldiers, you are all aware that it takes twenty-five cents to make a quarter of a dollar, and in comparison, it takes fully twenty-five Yankees to whip one Southerner!"

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" (long intervals of cheers) in which he stretched himself like a turkey gobbler, with his fist clenched, bringing it down like a sledge hammer.

"And I feel strong enough to slay a thousand myself," he said, or more properly, shouted; thus he annihilated the whole Yankee race, in one night, the vain braggart.

At this point the Federal POWs were being kept in a temporary camp named "Camp Van Dorn" on the edge of Salado Creek, seven miles from the city of San Antonio. This temporary camp was to be their home for the next four months.