Stephen F. Austin State University

Those Who Served 1861 - 1865 (November 2011)

Those Who Served 1861-1865
By Elaine Bay


Wood County wasn't extensively settled until after the Texas Revolution. In 1850 Wood County was formed from Van Zandt County. Upon its organization, Quitman was chosen to serve as the county seat. George T. Wood, Texas Governor 1847 - 1849, was the namesake of the newly created county.

The area was primarily settled by people from the southern United States, who brought their slaves with them and began to establish a slaveholding, cotton production society similar to their past homes

At its formation, Wood County had 17 slaves; by 1860 there were 923 slaves, approximately 20% of the county's population. By this time, the possibility of war between the northern and southern states was growing rapidly. But in order to secede from the Union and become a part of the Confederate States, Governor Sam Houston had to call a special legislature meeting for the specific purpose of considering and voting on the secession of Texas from the United States. Pressure was placed on the governor in October 1860 when it became evident that Abraham Lincoln was likely to be elected President. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the United States in mid-December 1860.

Since Governor Houston refused to act, Oran B. Roberts, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, John S. Ford and other prominent Texas residents printed calls for election on January 8, 1861with the election to take place January 28 and supervised by county judges. On January 29th John H. Wharton made the motion that Texas secede from the Union; the motion was seconded by George M. Flournoy with a final vote of 152-6.

However, the public held to the 1845 referendum of joining the Union and insisted on a public vote concerning leaving the Union. On February 23, 1861 Texans ratified secession by a vote of 44,317 to 13,020 with approximately 34% of the male citizens of Texas voting against secession. On March 23, 1861 the secession Convention adjourned, with the final act of removing Texas from the United States and voting it to become a part of the Confederate States of America.

The two Wood County delegates to the Secession Convention, John D. Rains and A.P. Shuford both signed in opposition to secession. Emory Rains, state representative for Wood County, signed the public address, asking Texas citizens to vote against secession. Despite the efforts of these men, Wood County voted by 70% to secede from the Union during the popular election. Consequently, Wood County supported the Civil War with men and materials.

One of the communities in western Wood County was Springville. A post office was established 19 May 1859 with James C. Wright as the first postmaster.


Companies from Wood County
Companies Comprising the Twelfth Brigade, Texas Militia (reserve), Showing Composition:
Company Captain
 		Officers Privates
 		Post Office
 		Precinct
First Wm. D. Mcknight
 11 63 Webster 8
Second D.W. McNabb
 13 76 Springville
Third J.C. Calhoun
 5 41 Quitman
Fourth H.W. Hester
 13 12 Perryville
Sixth T.Y. Logan
 15 48 Lake Fork
Seventh John Benton, Sr.
 12 64 Webster
Eighth J.J. Montgomery
 9 61 Springville
Ninth W. R. Thorne
 12 48 Holly Springs
Total 90 413 Grand Total: 503


The first body of troops from old Wood County was raised by Captain C.D. McKnight in 1861 with a small number of residents from Springville joining the company.

Company A, 10th Texas cavalry, Ector Brigade
Captain Wm. C. McKnight
J.J.T. Wright, 2nd Lt.

Privates
John Allred
Tom Allred - later in Capt. McNabb's Co.
T. Calvin Bain - later in Capt McNabb's Co.
Alex Cook - later in Capt McNabb's Co.
Will Carr - later in Capt McNabb's 2nd Co.
Jeff Car - later in Capt. J.J. Montgomery's Co.
Tom Dement
John Dement
A. Miller
John M. O'Kelley
P.P. Raines - later enrolled as Captain in McNabb's 2nd Co.
Will Raines - later enrolled in McNabb's 2nd Co.
John Rushing
Wesley Tollett - possibly killed in the war
Jim Truesdale
Joe Wright - later in Capt Montgomery's Co.
In August 1861 Brigadier General Samuel Martin Flournoy organized a brigade of nine companies, known as the 12th Brigade; two of the companies in the Brigade were made up of men from Springville and its vicinity.
The regular company from Springville was the 2nd company, commanded by Captain David W. McNabb:

12th Brigade, T.M.
Commissioned 9th September 1861
S. M. Flournoy Brig. Gen.


COMPANY NO. 2 ACTIVE:
D. W. McNabb, Captain
R. W. Spalding, 1st Lieutenant
E. F. Taylor, 2nd Lieutenant
A. Danly, 3rd Lieutenant
R. J. Tomlinson, Orderly Sargent
J. C. Rushing, 2nd Sargent
M. L. Taylor, 3rd Sargent
J. M. Vincent, 4th Sargent
J. C. Ray, 1st Corporal
D. C. Jones, 2nd Corporal
J. D. Woodbury, 3rd Corporal
A. C. Gee, 4th Corporal
J. L. Gill, Ensign

PRIVATES
1. R. Kinnengham
2. J. C. Byers
3. G. C. Ivey
4. J. R. Stephens
5. W. H. Nunn
6. J. D. Raines
7. L. W. Green
8. T. W. Pinson
9. J. A. Williams
10. J. J. Sheckleworth
11. Joseph Hannen
12. Sam'l Cook
13. Wm. P. Hannin
14. Phillip Riggs
15. Wm. McKee
16. G. A. Cook
17. A. H. Shepheard
18. T. C. Baine
19. Alex. Cook
20. W. C. Haven
21. B. M. Reed
22. L. T. O'Kelly
23. C. N. Cox
24. Caleb Linsey
25. W. B. Linsey
26. W. B. Linsey
27. J. M. Linsey
28. W. A. Cooper
29. A. H. Reeder
30. L. C. Taylor
31. J. C. Fikes
32. Wm. G Cook
33. B. L. Kerr
34. J. C. Alexander
35. W. P. Rushing
36. W. L. Magee
37. J. T. Strother
38. M. B. Ivey
39. E. L. Trimble
40. N. D. Wooten
41. R. Tate
42. Jo Crawford
43. N. N. Nunn
44. Albert Reeder
45. A. N. Reeder
46. W. H. Maloney
47. W. S. Mann
48. Malory Waifer
49. John Loiles (Loiler)
50. A. P. Freeman
51. J. P. Dougherty
52. R. J. Dougherty
53. T. Cresvin (Curvin)
54. Isaac Gunter
55. H. Marshall
56. Jno. Tutt
57. Jno. Wrenn
58. Harvey Turner
59. Jno. Linsey
60. R. P. Reed
61. Wm. Shumate
62. Jno. Robbins
63. J. A. Segar
64. J. A. Gee
65. H. H. Fatheree
66. J. Y. Carter
67. Sam Rice
68. Jno. Monasco
69. Jno. Childress
70. S. W. Bearden
71. Josiah Fisher
72. Wm. Trimble
73. Wm. Johnson
74. T. M. Alread
75. Z. R. Nunn
76. Wm. Raines
77. W. P. Raines
78. Jno. Burnes


PRECINCT NO. : POST OFFICE: SPRINGVILLE, TEXAS.

STATE OF TEXAS)
COUNTY OF WOOD) I hereby that . . . that the within members roll was
made in pursuance of the authority of Brig. Gen. S. M. Flournoy of
the 12th Brigade of the Texas Militia and that the officers above
named was duly elected according to law.

R. W. SPRADLING, Enrolling Officer
Pr. No. . . . Wood Co., Tx.
________________________________________

Also a reserve company, composed of older men from Springville, composed the 8th Company, commanded by Captain Jesse J. Montgomery.

Company No. 8 Reserves
J. J. Montgomery, Captain

Ira B. Dement, 3rd Sargeant

Richard Magee, 1st Lieut

R. J. Pinson, 4th Sargeant

J. A. Sorge, 2nd Lieut

T. J. Kerr, 1st Corporal

R. H. Fowler, 3rd Lieut

S. Casey, 2nd Corporal

W. M. Yarbrough, OrderlySargeant

A. J. Waldrope, 3rd Corporal

Willis Parker, 2d Sargeant

T. M. Mitchell, 4th Corporal

S. W. Byers, Ensign

1. R. T. Conklin
2. W. D. Leggett
3. P. T. Woodburry
4. E. H. Brown
5. S. L. Fitzgerald
6. J. S. O'Kelly
7. Wm. Parker
8. A. B. Self
9. C. McKen
10. W. L. Pouncy
11. W. B. Miller
12. B. Y. Ratcliff
13. W. H. Reid
14. J. O. Spicer
15. J. E. Neill
16. E. L. Trimble
17. T. M. Bivens
18. Tyre Buckley
19. Wm. Dove
20. R. Coots (Coats)
21. Jab. Raines
22. Tho. Dove
23. Wm. Parker
24. A. L. Phillips
25. E. C. Trimble
26. M. Johnson
27. W. P. Maloney
28. W. B. Maloney
29. S. M. Lyson
30. J. J. Austin
31. White Watson
32. Isaac Alread
33. G. H. Hill
34. J. A. Biddy (Bidby)
35. Elisha Cook
36. J. O. Pinson
37. Wm. Rice
38. Wright Norton
39. Rich'd Crawford
40. S. Miller
41. Calloway Reed
42. Boyd Pinson
43. Jefferson Bass
44. Alex Robertson
45. David Pinson
46. G. B. Yarbrie
47. Wright Cox
48. Wm. Case
49. D. Calhoun
50. M. Rushing
51. Jno. Stephens
52. Wm. Saterwhite
53. Jacob Freeze
54. E. G. Kendrick
55. S. Waskom
56. J. D. Mills
57. J. O. Wright
58. F. D. O'Kelly
59. Jno. Thrasher
60. Marion O'Kelley
61. John Spradling
62. (blank)
63. Post Office:
64. Springville, Wood Co., Texas

THE STATE OF TEXAS )
COUNTY OF WOOD ) I hereby . . . that the above
named officers were duly elected . . . ac. .vie Company at
Springville, Wood Co., July 10th, 1861, and that the above company
was enrolled by me under the authority of the Brig. General S. M.
Flournoy of Texas Militia in pursuance . . . instructions of the Ad-
jutant General of the State aforesaid, as a Reserve Company.
R. W. Spradling, Enrolling Officer
July 25th, 1861

There were approximately 150 men who served the Confederacy from Springville. These companies are known to have organized and gone off to war under the Wood County banner but may have been broken up and formed into other companies or even been absorbed into other companies.

Springville, one of the communities in western Wood County, was named for one of the numerous springs running through the area now known as Rains County, with the largest being Springville Springs that now runs through the Emory City Park. A town plat of Springville shows that by 1857 there was a store, a tannery, a gin, and a number of houses. When Rains County was organized Springville became the county seat, with its name being changed to Emory, in honor of Emory Rains.


Sources :
Claudia Hazlewood, "EMORY, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hle19), accessed September 26, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

David W. Gilbreath, "WOOD COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcw15), accessed September 26, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Walter L. Buenger, "SECESSION CONVENTION," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjs01), accessed September 25, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Wood County Genealogical Society, "12th Brigade Texas Militia" (http://www.txgenweb2.org/txwood/brig12.htm#comp), assessed September 26, 1922, Published by the Wood County Texas GenWeb.

Toney, Benjamin C.: The Lost Confederates of Springville. Springtown, TX : Benjamin C. Toney, c1993

"Confederate Clip Art and Graphics", (http://www.bonniebluepublishing.com/Free%20Confederate%20Clip%20Art%20and%20Graphics-Page%201.htm), assessed October 13, 2011, Courtesy of Bonnie Blue Publishing