University of Texas at San Antonio Civil War Diaries

laurels of victory. But ask them now if their fond hopes have been realized, and if they have yet met hand to hand in bloody encounter their countrys enemy and with a tear trickling slowly down their check. They will point with emotion of sorrow to the man. g green marches run from "El thams Landing" to "Gettysburg" where departed Texans lie. Whose lives have been sacrificed upon a [strn -ger?] soil in a noble cause. The 20 companies had a diffi -cult trip across the Calcasieu, a swampy country in LA, from Sabine River to Bayou Teche. They left Texas in August 61 for Virginia in detachments of 5

whose music, though sweet, is more dangerous than that of mos -quitoes." Several were wounded & Capt Denny, commisary of the 5th who was riding at the head of the regt, fell dead, as a matter of course our first consternation for the moment, possessed the soul of each, and as we had time, to collect our nerves, the deep and heavy [smell?] of muskatry, the long, loud and terrible crash of the "cannon ball," as it came whining by us, told us we were about to fight our first fight. That the hopes of meeting the "enemy" which we had so often expressed, were about to be realized in the battle of "Elthams Landing"

our camp, which we occupied before the battle, and till dark the camp reminded one of the noise made in a pond by frogs, every individ -ual giving in his experience, the emotions he had, and the part he played in his first battle. This being our first fight, we of course thought it a "Waterloo." In the year 64, it would rank as a slight skimish. Major Genl G. W. Smith of the "Virginia Army" Thus speaks of us. "The Texans have won immortal honors for themselves, their State, and their commander, Genl Hood, at the bat -tle of "Elthams Landing," but in praise of The "Texas Brigade," I could talk a week, and then not say half they deserve."