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What was the name of the soldier from Newton County that served as an unlicensed medic in the Civil War?By Jonnie miller
History Center volunteer
Robison Bean, eldest son of John and Jane Bean, appeared on the 1860 Jasper County census as a farmer. He was then 37 years old and was married to Jerusha Reese of Georgia. They had nine children, four boys and five girls.
In 1864 he bought 500 acres of land in Newton County from Emily Conn for $310.00. Robison served in Company 1 of the 24th Regiment Texas Cavalry in 1865.
The 24th Texas Cavalry, also known as the Second Texas Lancers, was organized from members of the 21st Texas Cavalry Regiment at Camp Carter near Hempstead on April 26, 1862. The unit consisted of 900 men from Brazos, Comanche, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Jasper, Karnes, Lavaca, Live Oak, McCulloch, Milam, Montgomery, Nueces, San Saba, Tyler, Waller and Washington Counties. On April, 1865, the unit was consolidated with the 6th, 7th, and 10th Texas Infantry. The 24th participated in more than 35 engagements during the war. While at Arkansas Post the unit lost 54 men and nearly 300 at Chickamauga. In 1864 the 24th Texas Cavalry fought in numerous battles in Georgia. By the time they surrendered on April 26, 1865 there were less than 50 men.
It has been told that Robison, as a member of the 24th, served as a medic although he did not have a license to practice medicine. After the war, in 1870 he was still listed in Jasper County as a farmer. This had been the era of the cotton farmer in Texas before the war. However, afterwards there were fewer hands to work the fields so cotton farming became less profitable. In the 1880 census Robison was listed in Orange County as a blacksmith. The logging industry was booming on the Sabine River and logs were being moved down the Sabine River to Orange, Texas. The logs were harvested on either side of the river for more than 100 miles upstream. Wagons and carts were used to move the logs to the river's edge and both had to be made and repaired locally. Blacksmithing became a more desirable means of earning a living than cotton farming.
No one knows for sure where Robison and Jerusha are buried. However, one of the Bean's sons, William, is buried in Trout Creek Cemetery. Beside his grave are two unmarked graves thought to be those of Robison and Jerusha.