2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (Arizona Brigade)

The 2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (Arizona Brigade) was a unit of mounted volunteers from Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. In May 1862, the Confederate States Army authorized John R. Baylor to organize five battalions of Partisan Rangers of six companies each. Their purpose was to recapture the southwestern territories lost during the New Mexico campaign, hence the name Arizona Brigade. One of the battalions was commanded by George Wythe Baylor, John Baylor's younger brother. Later, George Baylor's battalion was combined with a small battalion led by John W. Mullen and an additional company to form a regiment. In April 1863, the new regiment left Texas under George Baylor's command and marched to Louisiana. The regiment fought at Brashear City, Sterling's Plantation, and Bayou Bourbeux before wintering near Galveston in 1863–1864. The regiment was in action during the 1864 Red River Campaign, fighting at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Monett's Ferry, and Yellow Bayou. After campaigning in Arkansas in September 1864, the regiment returned to Texas near Houston in December. The regiment received orders to dismount which were resented by the soldiers. After an argument about the orders, Baylor shot his superior officer John A. Wharton to death. The unit disbanded after the surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department on 26 May 1865.[1]

2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (Arizona Brigade)
George W. Baylor was the regiment's original colonel.
Active29 May 1862 – 26 May 1865
Country Confederate States of America
Allegiance Confederate States of America,  Texas
Branch Confederate States Army
TypeCavalry
SizeRegiment
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
George Wythe Baylor

See also

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Notes

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References

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  • Boatner, Mark M. III (1959). The Civil War Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: David McKay Company Inc. ISBN 0-679-50013-8.
  • Brooksher, William Riley (1998). War Along the Bayous: The 1864 Red River Campaign in Louisiana. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-139-6.
  • Matthews, James T. (2011). "Second Texas Cavalry, Arizona Brigade". Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  • Oates, Stephen B. (1994) [1961]. Confederate Cavalry West of the River. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-71152-2.
  • Official Records (1891). "The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies' Series I, Volume XXXIV, Part I". U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 619. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  • Winters, John D. (1987) [1963]. The Civil War in Louisiana. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-0834-0.