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The Exploits of Waul's Texas Legion Table of Contents.

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The exploits of Waul's Texas Legion

Waul's Texas Legion Cavalry / Willis' Battalion Texas Cavalry

[ Official C.S.A. correspondence] [ Actions & Engagements ] [ Roster for Company F ] [ Roster company C ]

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Leonidas Willis  Leonidas Willis is buried in Pioneer Cemetery, Salem, Marion County, Oregon. In August 1999 a Centennial Memorial was held in honor of Colonel Willis and his wife, Caroline Jane "Carrie" (Mooney) buried beside him. A wreath of the Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet, was be placed at the grave of Colonel and Mrs. Willis. A Yellow Rose of Texas rosebush was planted at their graves and watered with water from the Guadalupe River in Gonzales Co., TX, where Leonidas formed his cavalry unit. This river runs near the old family ranch. Soil was sprinkled over the graves - soil from the Brenham area at Washington-on-The-Brazos in Washington Co., Texas, where young Captain Leonidas Willis trained his cavalry unit in Waul's Texas Legion. Article from William Hobgood's List of Confederate cemeteries. Also visit : Camp SCV1799 Field Assignments for Willis' Battalion Texas Cavalry Aug-Sep 1862   Waul's Legion, District of Ark.Trans-Miss. Dep Later in 1862 with the The Third Texas Cavalry under Lieut.-Col J.S. Boggess in Mississippi April of 1863 : Under Lt. General John C. Pemberton with Maury's Division under Major General D.H Maury who commanded until April 15th then became Forney's Division under Major General John H. Forney. Listed under other forces of the division as Waul's Texas Legion, Lieut.-Col L. Willis. [ Ref 1 ] May-Sep 1863  Robert "Black Bob" McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, 5th Military District, Dept. of Miss. and East La. Sep-Oct 1863    Chalmers' Cavalry Brigade, 5th Military District Sep-Oct 1863    Chalmers' Cavalry Brigade, Second Regiment ( with Second Regiment Missouri Cavalry ) Dept. of Miss. and East La. Oct-Nov 1863   McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade Commanded by Col. Robert McCulloch( 2nd Missouri ), Chalmers' Cavalry Division, Dept. of Miss. and East La. Nov '63- Jan '64 McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade,Chalmers' Cavalry Dvision, Lee's Cavalry Corps, Dept. of Miss. and East La. Jan 1864 - McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, Chalmers' Cavalry Division, Forrest's Cavalry Corps Dept. of Miss. and East La. Jan-Sep 1864 McCulloch's/Wade's Brigade,Forrest's Cavalry Corps District of the Gulf, Dept. of Ala, Miss. and East La. Sep-Oct 1864  McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, Liddell's Division, District of the Gulf, Dept of Ala., Miss,. and East La. Oct-Nov 1864    McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, Liddell's Division, District of the Gulf, Dept. of Ala., Miss., and East La. Nov '64-Feb '65  McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, District of the Gulf, Dept. of Ala., Miss., and East La. Feb-May 1865    Ross' Brigade( Third Texas Cavalry), Jackson's Div. Forrest's Cavalry Corps, Dept. of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisia

Colonel Leonidas Willis entered the war in Texas in 1861, and became a cavalry battalion commanding officer for Waul's Texas Legion. The Legion was organized by Thomas N. Waul at Brenham, TX, during the summer of 1862, and consisted of a cavalry battalion ( Willis') an infantry regiment (Timmon's) and an artillery battery (Edgar's). The cavalry battalion of six companies as well as the artillery battery were quickly separated from the infantry however. The cavalry battalion, which became known as Willis' Battalion of Texas Cavalry, served in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana,reporting to Brigadier General W. H. Jackson at Grenada, Missisippi in January of 1863, they skirmished in Mississippi and was in May of 1863, assigned to and saw action with the Fifth military district ,First Brigade with Colonel Robert McCulloch of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. In September of 1863 assigned to Brigadier-General Chalmers, commanding Chalmers' cavalry brigade. On October 22, 1863, McCulloch reported that Willis' Battalion numbered 450 men. By May of 1864 Willis' Battalion was with Chalmers Division, second brigade commanded by Col. McCulloch assigned to Forrest's Cavalry . In 1864 they fought along with Gen. Nathan B. Forrest's Cavalry, Chalmers Division, second Brigade under Colonel Robert McCullogh in Western Tennessee and Kentucky. The unit returned to Mississippi, saw action in Hood's operations in Northern Georgia, and ended the war in Alabama. By the end of the war they were in Alabama, but only about 250 remained to be surrendered with the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. Also with McCulloch's/ Wade's Brigade,Forrest's Cavalry Corps District of the Gulf, Dept. of Ala, Miss. and East La. October of 1864 with McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, Liddell's Division, District of the Gulf, Dept of Ala., Miss,. and East La. Nov '64-Feb '65  with McCulloch's Cavalry Brigade, District of the Gulf, Dept. of Ala., Miss., and East La. Feb-May 1865   with  Ross' Brigade, Jackson's Div. Forrest's Cavalry Corps, Dept. of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. Willis' battalion was not inside the city of Vicksburg during the seige of the city by the Union Armies. It was Waul's Texas Legion Infantry, under T.N. Waul with a cavalry and artillery detachment that was at Vicksburg. According to the book Texas in the civil war by Marcus Wright.." Fitzhugh ( Lester N. Fitzhugh ) states that this battalion was organized as a component of Waul's Texas Legion in mid 1862. he also states that it was detached from Waul's command a year later and that it functioned east of the Mississippi river throughout the remainder of the war as an independent cavlary battalion." Companies commanded by Captain Stell's, and Captain Weeks' of Willis' Cavalry who were with with Bridge's cavalry battalion of Major H. W. Bridges, and with Waul's Legion at the defending of Fort Pemberton were ordered to stay and defend Fort Pemberton while units of Waul's Legion were sent to the defense of Vicksburg with General Pemberton's Army of Vicksburg. The legion fought at the seige. [Refer to Edwin Bearss' The Vicksburg Campaign, Volume III, page 1144.] ~~~~~~

 

Field Officers 

Colonel Thomas N. Waul 
( until October 1862 when he was transferred to Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Waul later became Brigadier General )

Major / Lt. Colonel Leonidas M. Willis ( From 1862-1865 )  Company (ies) F - FS    

Major Thomas M. Harwood :   Company F

Major B.J. Hogue  ( Listed as Second Lieutenant then Captain company B in Waul's Roster )

Major H.S. Parker  ( Listed as Private - Adjutant company (ies) D FS in Waul's Roster)

Major John R. Smith  : Company B

Major Benjamin F. Weeks : Listed as Captain - Major of company (ies) C FS in Wauls Roster

 

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This page was added to the Bowen family web site on October 6, 2003 and was updated on 11-28-2004.