CONFEDERATE BIOGRAPHY: J. M. Seagle - Smith County, TX

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Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net
7 June 2002 
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TEXANS WHO WORE THE GRAY by Sid S. Johnson, page 189-190 

J. M. SEAGLE.

James M. Seagle, of Tyler, was born in the city of Lin­colnton, North 
Carolina, Oct. 26th, 1836, and in 1848 remov­ed to the State of 
Alabama and in 1850 again removed to Henderson, Tex., and in 1852 
settled in Tyler.  He was en­gaged for a number of years in the 
lumber business and sup­plied some of the material in building the 
present court house of Smith county,  He built the first corn and 
wheat mill in Tyler, and installed the first machinery that ever 
turned a wheel in that city,  In 1860 and 1861 he built and 
established a large tan yard that was run by the Confeder­ate 
government by a partner.  He entered the Confederate service in 
June 1861, joining fifty men at Tyler and fifty men at Dallas, 
commanded the first year of the war by Capt. Good.  This battery 
was afterwards known as Doug­las Texas Battery in the Army of 
Tennessee, and became famous under the leadership of Capt. Jas. P. 
Douglas. This battery first saw fighting at Elk Horn Tavern,  
and thence east participated in the campaign of the army of 
Tennessee.  Confederate history mentions this battery for their 
gallantry and fine service. Mr. Seagle was one of the gunners that 
helped to give the Douglas battery its fame for markmanship and 
the success it attained for excellent work, and no Confederate 
soldier performed his duty better than the subject of this sketch. 
Cool, brave and calculating he made a fine soldier.  The last gun 
fired by this command was at Mobile, Alabama when that city was 
surrendered to the Federal forces. The gun exploded before the 
shell had passed from its mouth.  After the end of the war and 
being paroled he went to North Carolina and remained there for 
about one year, and then returned to Texas in 1866.  He was soon 
em­ployed in building a cotton factory in Tyler, which after be­ing
run successfully for several years, was destroyed by fire in 1869.  
He was married in 1867 to Miss Cameron, of Hen­derson, Tex., a 
daughter of of Maj. Ben Cameron of Rusk county.  Mr. Seagle and 
his excellet wife are now living a few miles south of Tyler.  He 
has been an Odd Fellow since 1852, and is in high standing with 
that great order.  His life has been a useful one and he has ever 
been an honored and respected citizen, and as a Confederate 
soldier, his record stands without a blemish.  Being a man of fine 
in­telligence, he discusses the issues of bygone days in a sensi­ble, 
attractive way that makes the subject most inter­esting.