Context
.~*~.¸¸.~*~.¸¸.~*~.¸¸.~*~.
The battle of Valverde in New Mexico in February 1862, was the only engagement during the Civil War where lances were used, and it proved a disaster.
A lance, as you probably know, is essentially a sturdy wooden pole up to ten feet long with a steel tip. Its primary purpose is as a shock weapon during a massed cavalry charge. The aim (pun intended) was to use the momentum of the horse to deliver a powerful blow to enemy infantry and break their formations.
Believing their Union counterparts – basically a pieced-together militia of cowboys and hunters – would scatter at the terrifying sight of mounted Confederate warriors with long spears. The overconfident 5th Texas Mounted Cavalry was stunned by a heavy volley of well-aimed rifle fire from the Union lines. A second volley almost finished them off. Casualties were heavy as you might imagine. The lesson was obvious. Spears are no match for rifles.
Apparently, unaware of this debacle, a Methodist minister-turned-soldier named George Washington Carter was busy organizing another lancer cavalry regiment in Texas. Fancifully named, the Texas Lancers, the response from a sentimental, horse-loving public was so overwhelming that two additional regiments were organized.
Soon after, the Texas Lancers were redesignated the 21st Texas Cavalry regiment, and sensibly armed with weapons more effective than long poles, probably the result of unsettling news from New Mexico. The regiment was sent east to contend with Yankee intrusions.
At that time, the Confederate territory west of the Mississippi River, including Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana, was a jurisdictional mess, hastily organized under Major General Thomas C. Hindman, who was attempting to stabilize a vast and poorly supplied region from his distant headquarters. The last thing he needed was a complaint from Louisiana governor, Thomas Moore, concerning a wayward Texas cavalry captain.
Whether the designation, Texas Lancers, was still in effect at the time this letter was written is unknown, but the captain identified himself as a member. His actions proved to be as effective as the disastrous charge at Valverde.
Valverde, Don Troiani, artist
Authority
The American Civil War rages across a fractured country. Yet, the conflict isn’t fought only on grand battlefields; it’s a daily struggle for control, resources, and the very definition of authority. This letter offers a visceral glimpse into one of the messier moments of that era.
Imagine the tension in a small Southern town—a place where the lines between military necessity, civilian rights, and outright opportunism are blurred.
What you are about to read is not a story of strategic planning or grand troop movements. Instead, it captures the outrage of a sitting southern governor. The subject? A rogue Texan and officer, and his apparent brazen abuse of power.
This narrative speaks of an alleged felony committed not by the Yankee foe, but by a supposed ally. It addresses the chronic desperation that plagued every corner of the conflict, and the lengths desperate men will go in trying times.
The Governor’s language is measured yet firm, a careful dance of respect and implicit warning, and an enduring example of the drama that has played out through history—a confrontation over jurisdiction, character, and the moral compromises of war that threaten to undermine the very ideals civilized societies are sworn to protect.
Louisiana Gov. Thomas O. Moore, author
General Thomas C. Hindman
Executive Office, Headquarters
Alexandria, Louisiana, June 25, 1862
Major General Hindman,
Commanding Dept. of Arkansas
Sir,
One Captain Taylor of the Texas Lancers has recently come to Alexandria, in the Parish of Rapides, south of the Red River, and has seized salt, provisions, and other property belonging to private citizens and to the Confederacy. This Captain assumes to act under orders from you, and commits these outrages, IN YOUR NAME.
When asked his authority, he answers, “What a Texan always carries – his Bowie knife and pistols”, and with this bullying, swaggering air and these threatening words, he has committed acts which deserve very severe punishment.
I am not insensible, General, to the probability that your troops may be in want of stores [supplies], and if they are, whatever can be done by me to relieve them shall be promptly and cheerfully done; but you will not expect me to stand quietly by and witness conduct of an officer, which I am sure is not approved or countenanced [tolerated] by you.
I am only 78 miles from Alexandria and could have been communicated with by this Captain had he been so disposed [willing]. I happened (?) in Alexandria when he was there and had no communication from you – nor do I believe he had any. Until the arrival of the Confederate General, who is to command in Louisiana, I shall continue to supervise the military operations here.
The language mentioned by me above was not used by Captain Taylor to me in my interview with him, but to several prominent citizens, who will forward you a more detailed statement of his conduct.
Thomas O. Moore,
Governor of Louisiana
letter from Gov. Thomas O. Moore to General Thomas Hindman, June 25, 1862, courtesy, Gilder-Lehrman Collection, New York, New York
Why Historify?
I discovered the power of story as a history teacher, and the singular privilege of working at a Texas state archive filled with letters penned by people whose thoughts, attitudes, and experiences reflect the times in which they lived.
This simple website was created as a free, uncomplicated, and time-saving introduction to the richness and value of historical sources.
Please join me as we study the past through the words of those who lived it, one life at a time, and thank you for being here.
Buck
Why Historify?
I discovered the power of story as a history teacher, and the singular privilege of working at a Texas state archive filled with letters penned by people whose thoughts, attitudes, and experiences reflect the times in which they lived.
This simple website was created as a free, uncomplicated, and time-saving introduction to the richness and value of historical sources.
Please join me as we study the past through the words of those who lived it, one life at a time, and thank you for being here.
Buck