| This study traces the history of the 19th Texas Infantry, C. S. A., in the American Civil War, using a traditional narrative style and limited quantitative analysis. The regiment was typical of those raised in East Texas in 1862. The men who volunteered for service in the regiment were typical of the population in general with the majority occupied as small farmers or farm labor. A minority consisted of prosperous large farmers, planters and merchants.; Richard Waterhouse, a prosperous merchant in Jefferson and veteran of the Mexican War, organized the regiment in northeast Texas from February through June 1862. The unit began service with virtually no arms or equipment and developed into one of the most dependable and hardest fighting infantry regiments in the Trans-Mississippi Department. The regiment participated in the skirmish at Perkins' Landing and the battles at Milliken's Bend, Fort De Russy, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins' Ferry. Colonel Waterhouse and the regiment were commended for their performance at Milliken's Bend and Pleasant Hill. The regiment served in one of the brigades of Major General John G. Walker's Texas Division. The 19th Texas disbanded at Hempstead, Texas, in May 1865. |
