Waul's Legion was a combined arms force from Texas that fought for the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Raised in the spring of 1862 at the

Glenblythe Plantation The Glenblythe Plantation is a former Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plantation in Gay Hill, Washington County, Texas. Before the American Civil War, it was cultivated with slave labor. The plantation home is no longer standin ...

near

Gay Hill, Washington County, Texas Gay Hill is an unincorporated area and a ghost town in Washington County, Texas. Location Gay Hill is located on Farm to Market Road 390, twelve miles North-West of Brenham in Washington County. History The settlement was first known as the Chri ...

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Thomas Neville Waul Thomas Neville Waul (January 5, 1813 – July 28, 1903) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War (Civil War). Before the Civil War, he was a teacher, lawyer, judge and planter. He served for a year in the P ...

, the legion originally consisted of twelve

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

companies, six

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

companies, and a six-gun battery of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. Waul's Legion participated in the Battle of Vicksburg as part of Lt. Gen.

John C. Pemberton John Clifford Pemberton (August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars and with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He resigned his commission to serve as a Confederate Stat ...

's Army of Mississippi.

Waul's Legion at Vicksburg

Waul's Texas Legion is known for repelling the Union Army breach of Confederate lines during

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

's largest and final organized assault on the "Fortress City" of Vicksburg, on May 22, 1863. After Union troops, most notably the 77th Illinois, under the command of John Alexander McClernand, successfully penetrated the Confederate defenses, McClernand urged Grant to follow with his own assault. Unsure of the accuracy of the message, Grant failed to act. Waul's Legion, seeing the Union breach, rushed in. After hours of intense hand-to-hand combat, the Legion put the Union troops to flight and captured two Union banners which had been placed on the fortress parapets. By the time Grant realized there had been a definitive breach of the enemy fortifications, it was too late; Waul's Texas Legion had saved the day. The angered Grant, believing McClernand had recklessly chased glory and thus caused an unnecessary loss of Union soldiers, relieved the politician-general from his post. As this was the second failed assault to capture Vicksburg by storm, Grant decided to starve the Army of Mississippi into submission. After 47 days cut off from food and supplies, the defenders of Vicksburg were forced to surrender to Grant's Army of the Tennessee on July 4, 1863. Composition of Waul's Legion at Vicksburg: * 1st Infantry Battalion: Maj. Eugene S. Bolling * 2nd Infantry Battalion: Lt. Col. James Wrigley * The

Zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

Battalion: Capt. J.B. Fleitas * Artillery Battery: Capt. John Q. Wall * Cavalry Detachment: Lt. Thomas J. Cleveland * Attached companies: **Company C, 1st Tennessee Cavalry: Capt. Richard S. Vandyke **Botetourt Virginia Artillery: Capt. John W. Johnston, Lt. Francis G. Obenchain **Signal Corps Detachment: Lt. C.H. Barrott

References

*Confederate Military History, Vol. 7, Chapter IX (Waul's Legion at Vicksburg) *U.S. Civil War Regimental Histories, Library of Congress (Composition of Waul's Legion at Vicksburg)

External links

Entry for Thomas Neville Waul
from th
''Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas''
published 1880, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History.

{{Texas Confederate units navbox Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Texas Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War Legions of the American Civil War 1862 establishments in Texas Military units and formations established in 1862

Waul's Legion at Vicksburg

See also

References

External links