Site of Mustering of a Unit of Hood's Texas Brigade, C.S.A.
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Co. I, Fifth Texas Infantry Regt., Army of Northern Virginia, was raised here Aug. 1861, as "The Texas Aides" by Capt. J.B. Robertson. Unit fought in many battles of Civil War--Gaines Mill, Second Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and the Wilderness. Robertson became brigadier general and succeeded Hood as Commander Oct. 1862. Replaced by brigadier general John Gregg, Jan. 1864. Col. R.M. Powell later held post until end of the war. The brigade surrendered at Appomatox, April 12, 1865, with 12% enlistees surviving. "Defeat could not dim their record." (1968)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On this spot in August 1861, Captain J.B. Robertson raised Company I of the Fifth Texas Infantry, known as "The Texas Aides," for what became Hood's Texas Brigade. The unit fought in many of the Civil War's fiercest eastern battles — Gaines' Mill, Second Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness — and Robertson rose to brigadier general, succeeding Hood in command. When the brigade surrendered at Appomattox in 1865, only about twelve percent of its enlistees remained.
Why it matters
Hood's Texas Brigade became one of the Confederacy's most storied fighting units, and this quiet crossroads sent its sons into the defining battles of the Civil War.
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Related people
- · J. B. Robertson
- · John Bell Hood
- · John Gregg
- · R. M. Powell
Related events
- · Battle of Gettysburg
- · Battle of Antietam
- · Surrender at Appomattox
Themes & tags
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