A MEMORIAL - HENRY HAYWOOD DANlEL, CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, Smith County, TX *********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net 3 March 2002 *********************************************************** East Texas Family Records, Volume II, Number Two, Summer 1978 Permission granted by the East Texas Genealogical Society to contribute this article to the Smith County TXGenWeb Archives. A MEMORIAL HENRY HAYWOOD DANlEL, CONFEDERATE SOLDIER H. H. Daniel lived in Smith County, Texas for about 12 years and applied for his pension there. He was poor and never owned land, but his family of ten girls and 2 boys would hire out to neighbors to pick strawberries. They were in great demand according to my grandmother, because H. H. was the kind of man that insisted on the job done right. Claire Kirk, P.O. Box 726, Waxahachie, TX 75165. Our Grandpaw Daniel was born on a plantation in Lowndes County, Alabama, July 3, 1840. He was the fourth child in a family of fourteen. At the age of 23, he enlisted in the 3rd Arkansas Infantry, Company "I", at Camden, Arkansas. The 3rd Ark. Regiment, along with 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas Regiments, made up the famous Hood's Texas Bricade; the only; Texas troops to serve under Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia. When Grandpaw enlisted, Hood's Brigade had sent recruiting teams back to their home counties in Texas and Arkansas in an endeavor to fill their depleted ranks. When this was done, their orders were to pin down the large Union gar­rison at Suffolk, Va. and go on foraging expeditions west and south of Suffolk to procure badly needed food and fodder for Lee's Army. Grandpaw traveled by train to join the troops in their winter headquarters at Falling Creek near Richmond, Va. In early April, the Brigade marched to Petersburg, bivouacked several days, resumed their march on the 8th of April, crossed Blackwater River at Franklin and arrived at Suffolk on April 11, 1863. The Union forces entrenched there numbered 25.000 to 30,000 Army and Navy. Longstreet's force, to which Hood's Brigade was attached, numbered 20,000. The two opposing Armies were entrenched from Nansemond River or the north to Dismal Swamp on the south. Hood's Brigade occupied the north flank on Nansemond River. The siege at Suffolk lasted 22 days. No major battle was fought there, but the men were under daily sniper and artillery fire, and often gunboat attack. The Arkansas and Texas boys tangled with these Federal gunboats more than once during the 22 days. Grandpaw's Company helped construct formidable Confederate battleworks that brought praise from the Federal Generals after the war. "In three weeks time, the Confederates were able to construct 10 miles of batteries, covered ways and rifle pits--artillery protected by embrasures-­parapits were 12 to 15 feet thick, well revetted. They ran from Nansemond to Great Dismal Swamp and were made with great skill and of great strength. Three, four and even five parallel lines of formidible works were formed with skill­fully laid abatis, thickly interwoven with p1ne saplings cut and sharpened, making a sortie by the Feds hopeless." The country was low, f1at and open pine woods. It rained several times during the seige and the men had to wade back and forth in the flooded pits and trenches from campsites to outpost duty stations and building assignients. In spite of these hardships, they sucessfully penned down the Federal forces. In late April, 125 men of the 3rd Ark. Regt. were engaged in two actions typical of the small-scale Confederate attacks at Suffolk. The men assaulted a Federal battery across the Nansemond, susrprised the Feds at dawn, swept their sentries aside, and after a brief melee, spiked six canon and took 100 prisoners. Not a man was lost. In the second encounter, 60 sharpshooters in groups of 10, cut down the Federals as they manned their pieces at daybreak. By noon the battery was silenced and the Arkansas boys withdrew to their lines by evening. There were a few fatalities in Co. F and Co. H that day. In compliance with their orders, the men of Longstreet's force foraged far and wide in South Virginia and northern North Carolina. The operation was called "The Great Foraging Expedition". Immense quantities of corn and fodder and 2 1/2 to 3 Million pounds of bacon were procured along with many horses and wagons. General Lee was heard to remark conerning the foraging and fighting abilities of the Texas and Arkansas boys of Hood's Brigade- "If you want a job done right, send Hood's boys, for they are purely hell on Yanks and chickens!' Longstreet received orders on May 2nd to move to the Rapidan- Rappahannock river area. Hood's Brigade was rear guard and skirmished with the Federal Cavalry until they boarded railroad cars bound for Petersburg and Richmond. They arrived May 16th in the vicinity of Sommerville on the Rapidan River where they camped in a grove of large chestnut trees on a low range of hills. Here, in May 1863, they rejoined Lee's Army of Northern VirgInia. DurIng this time after Suffolk, Grandpaw was sick with "debilitis" at the Episcopal Church hosoital in Williamsburg, and again for four days at Lynchburg; probably due to exposure in the flooded trenches and chasing chickens across North Carolina! At any rate, he rejoined his company in time to camp at Sommerville. June 6, 1863, Hood's Brigade was in excellent condition and were ordered to cook three days rations and prepare to move out early next morning into Pennsvlvania toward Washington. They left at dawn in a heavy rain and dragged through mud until 10 that night. They slept under dripping trees on the wet ground, then marched back to their original campsite! Orders had been received during the night to return to the camp at Summerv11e until further orders. Finally on June 13th, new orders came and they moved from Culpepper Station to Cedar Run where they spent the night Next day, under a burning sun, they headed up the Blue Ridge Mountains toward Ashby's Gap. The hot, sticky march, conducted by "that unmerciful driver, our beloved General Hood, who simply strikes a trot and is satisfied that the Texas Brigade at least will camp with him at night fall", was 25 miles to Gaines' Cross Roads. The rapid pace cost 200 men who collapsed from sunstroke and sheer exhaustion--some died. Next day, they marched 20 miles to Markham Station the next day a 14 mile march and then into the Shenandoah Valley, where they camped near Millwood. They finally crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, Md. The bridge was clogged with artillery, so the Arkansans and Texans stripped off shoes, socks, pants and underwear, and with clothes, guns and ammun1tion held overhead, they started wading across. Just then a buggy load of young Maryland ladies forded from the other side. There was no turning back! Col. Van Manning, the commander of the 3rd Ark. remarked later "50,000 men without their trousers cannot be passed in review everyday in the week!! Needless to say, the men moved across the river as quickly as possible and the young ladies did the same. The Confederate Army moved further into Yankee territory, confiscating food, clothes and whiskey as they went. After a long, hot march on an empty stomach, Lee allotted the troops a ration cf whiskey. No one ever saw so any drunk men at any one time! Van MannIng dunked his men in a nearby icy stream until they were sober. Grandpaw never did like to take a cold bath after that! This episode set a record unbroken by anyone. Never had anyone been in 5 states in less than 24 hours-- breakfast in the state of Virginia, lunch in the state of Maryland supper in the state of Pennsylvania and sleeping in the state of intoxification! By this time, the Brigade was a queer lot to look at. Many of them had discarded their shoes in the mud and all were ragged and dirty, but full of good humor and confidence in themselves. They were in the Yankee's back door and getting closer all the time. As they marched through a small Northern town where all the ladies were out in the yards waving Union flags and making derogatory remarks at "Hood's Ragged Jacks", one particularly buxom lady had a red, white and blue banner across her chest. A voice from the ranks was heard to say in a definate Southern drawl, "Take care, Madam, for Hood's boys are great at storming breastworks when the Yankee colors is on them." The lady beat a hasty retreat amid much guffaws. Lee's Army left Chambersburg on June 30, and after a slow march, moved into the valley of Willoughby Run behind Seminary Ridge on July 2nd. They cooked breakfast, then marched to position on Lee's right. Thus began the Battle of Gettysburg. Hood's Brigade formed their line of battle in a large clearing 200 yerd hehind a timbered area fronting on Emmitsburg Pike. The 3rd Arkansas on the left, the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas in that order on the right. At 4 P.M. on July 2nd, a Confederate cannon sounded a single shot, and Hood's Brigade advanced at the double-quick with bayonets affixed and the Rebel Yell sounding along the entire line. As they approached the shallow valley of Plum Run in front of the Round Tops, they came under the heavy fire from the Federals posted at Devil's Den. Men buckled, staggered and fell, but without faltering, Grandpaw and the rest of the brigade pressed on and flushed the sharpshooters. Robertson, in command of Hood's boys, started to shift his men to the right to support Law's hardpressed forces when a strong Federal force attacked the 3rd Arakansas on his left flank. The 1st Texas was ordered to their assistance, thus deviding the Brigade about equally between Law and in the smoke and chaos of battle, he joined Robertson on the left. Therefore the 15th Georgia Regiment under Bennington was intermingled with the 3rd Arkansas and the 1st Texas. The casualties were terrible, especially among the officers. General Hood was dangerously wounded. General Robertson and Col. Van Manning were also wounded. Regardless of the losses "the Texas Brigade, at Gettysburg, gave one of its greatest exhibitations of courageous fighting." The 1st Texas and the 3rd Arkansas fought desperately through and north of the Devil's Den - an unusual outcropping of granite boulders west of the Round Tops. During the first half-mile of their advance they were exposed to federal long-range artillery barrage and shapshooters' miniballs. Col. Van Manning's 3rd Arkansas was locked in battle with the 6th New Jersey and the 40th New York. The Arkansans were suddenly assailed on their left and rear by a superior Federal force just as they were in the act of driving the two Union regiments from the field. They were ordered to fall back and establish a line of defence and await reinforcement. The 1st Texas was sent to their aid. Rejoined by their Texas comrades, Grandpaw and the rest of the 3rd Arkansas engaged the Federals in bitter battle that lasted more than an hour. They finally drove the enemy through the boulder-strewn Devil's Den and back to a patch of timber north of Rocky Ridge. The fighting was so desperate that the men soon exhausted their original supply of ammunition and had to strip the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded to keep firing. Officers in some case threw down their swords, siezed rifles, and fought in the ranks. Gen. Robertson wrote later, "For an hour and upward, these two regiments maintained one of the hottest contests against 5 or 6 times their number that I have ever witnessed." Reinforcements to both sides made the fighting heavy, but with little change in positions. At dusk, Robertson's regiments fell back to a shallow ravine below Little Round Top and reformed in line of battle. Here they were exposed to a terrific fire of artillery that killed and wounded many men, some losing their heads, and others so horribly mangled that their identity could scarsely be established. There was little sleep the night of the 2nd for the moans and cries of the wounded lying among the rocks and crevices made it nearly impossible. During the night, there was only spasmodic firing while both sides worked feverishly to construct barricades in anticipation of the next day. Then, before dawn, the 1st Texas and the 3rd Arkansas were moved to the right through Devil's Den, to join the 4th and 5th Texas. Law reported that on July 2nd, one-fourth of Hood's Brigade were casualties. On July 3rd, Lee made his ill-fated attack on the center of Hancock's stout 2nd Army Corps. Longstreet's battle-weary forces were ordered to hold fast on the right. They saw little fighting that day on the 4th of July, withdrew to the Emmitsburg Pike from which they had started at dawn on the 2nd. The battle of Gettysburg was over. The 3rd Arkansas had a total of 597 men killed, wounded, or missing. The Texas Brigade moved south during the night of the 4th, slowed by heavy rain, high wind, and rutted roads. They finally camped on the 6th at Hagerstown. Grandpaw Daniel later told how the men would drive the hogs out of their wallows so they could curl up in their warm holes for a few hours sleep on that terrible march back to Virginia after Gettysburg. The wounded suffered horribly in the hard wagon beds on the muddy rutted roads. Their moans could be heard all up and down the line of march. When they reached the Potomac, it was at flood and they would have been in a bad position if General Meade had pressed after them. But the overcau­tious Meade waited, and the Confederates were safe until the river subsided and the bridge rebuilt. On the night of July 13th, Lee's battered Confederate Army crossed safely into Virginia. As Hood's men crossed over, Lee, aside Traveler, watched as they passed - each soldier bared his head. No salute, no cheer, no word was spoken as they marched by. The great invasion was over and the Confederate Army badly damaged. After crossing the Potomac, they marched until they reached Bunker Hill. Here they remained for a much needed four days rest, then on to Culpepper by July 24th. They drew supplies and equipment, wrote home, etc. until the 31st. Ordered east to Fredericksburg to counter a Federal move, the Texas Brigade led the advance - leisurely. They remained a month at Fredericksburg. The 3rd Arkansas, along with the rest of the Brigade, picketed a 12 mile stretch of the Rappahannoch River, the men ate well, were in fine spirits, and many got new uniforms and shoes. They wrote home of the "lovely days during Aug­ust '63." New orders came and the Brigade was attached to Longstreet again to join Bragg in Tennessee. September 2nd they moved some twenty miles below Fredericks­burg near Port Royal. September 7th, they marched to Milford Station where they boarded trains for Richmond and Westward Ho to join Bragg. The 3rd Arkansas was routed through Wilmington, Florence, Kingsville, Augusta and Atlanta- 900 miles on eight different lines! The move took nine days. They were greeted with speeches, spreads of food and cheering crowds all along the way. Pass­ing through Georgia, a passenger train was shunted to a siding to let them pass. The citizens all poked their heads out of the cars to wave and cheer and get a look at Hood's boys. The Texas and Arkansas boys, never passing up an opportunity to add to their gear, snatched every hat and headgear in reach as they passed close by the cheering passengers. September 19, 1863, only three brigades- Robertson's Texas, Bennington's Georgians, and Law's Carolinians- arrived in time to fight at Chickamauga with Bragg. Hood's Brigade acted as reserve or support force to Bragg's forces. General Hood arrived in time to command the crossing of the river and you never saw such happy men to have their beloved commander back with them. The battle­ground was thick woods, dense underbrush and marshy ground. The only way to fight was a blind, head-long, short-range battle against the enemy immedi­ately in front. So was the fighting of the bloody Chickamauga, "the Gettys­burg of the West." Hood's Brigade was deployed as they were at Gettysburg-3rd Arkansas on the left, 1st Texas on the right followed by the 4th and 5th Texas. The mid-morning fight was desperate both sides, firing volleys, stood their ground. Artillery was firing canister at short range and in the swampy river valley the heat was oppressive and the smoke suffocating. There was no wind and the black, acrid smoke of battle hung low, so dense it was impossible to see your file leaders. Grandpaw's company and the Texas Regiments advanced past stragglers from Bragg's forces, met the enemy and were stung heavily by their fire. They yelled and sprang forward to hand-to-hand combat with bayo­nets and clubbed muskets until the Federals fled. The gallant veterans of Hood's Brigade won many victories all up and down their lines that day with their savage fighting, but Law was ordered back across the road after dark. Without artillery support, they could not hold their gains. On the 20th, Hood's Brigade pushed in so fast across the same ground they had taken the day before that they were ahead of the rest of the troops and nearly got cut off. They had no retreat back to their main lines. Hood was wounded in the leg and it later had to be amputated. The men of the Bri­gade took up a collection to buy him a wooden one. This was the last time the Brigade saw General Hood until after the War. The Brigade remained on the alert in the front lines until the Union forces retreated to Chatanooga. The Confederates won the Battle of Chickamauga, but out of 1300 men in Hood's Brigade, 570 were dead, wounded, or missing. After burying their dead and collecting the spoils of war, the Brigade moved north to Lookout Mountain and then on to assigned positions south of Chatanooga. The 3rd Arkansas was stationed on the left flank, a mile and a half east of Lookout Mountain. Here they built breastworks, trenches and rifle pits. They remained there over a month engaged in picketing, card playing, sightseeing and scouting. It was here while on picket, October 18, 1863, Grandpaw Daniel was hit in the hand by a miniball and sent back to the hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he remained until discharged and the war over. Grandpaw joined his older brother, Wells, in Sparta, Louisiana after the war. He met and married Eliza Koonce in 1868. They migrated to Texas and raised twelve children. Grandpaw died June 25, 1926, at the home of his daughter, Maggie York. He had a modest funeral and buried in City Cemetery at Waxahachie. A stone was never erected at she site, but after many months of visiting and searching through the older section of the cemetery, Eva, Bob, Helen and I have located a grave that we feel must be Grandpaw's. I ordered a government stone and it has been placed on the spot. Grandpaw Daniel was very proud of his part in the war and I know he would be pleased that his descendents have marked his last resting place Information for the above memorial taken from: Clvil War Muster Rolls, Company "I", 3rd Arkansas Infantry, Henry H. Daniel. Washington, D.C. Civil War Pension Application, Henry H. Daniel. Texas State Archives. Simpson, Harold B. HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE LEE'S GRENADIER GUARD. Texian Press Waco, Texas. 1970. Collier, Calvin L. THEY'LL DO TO TIE TO: 3rd ARKANSAS INFANTRY REGIMENT, CSA. Little Rick: James D. Warren, 1959.