Texas Military Volunteers, 4th Regiment, Company D

The Fourth Texas Infantry mustered on the San Marcos River in Hays County shortly before the outbreak of war at Fort Sumter.

This regiment served in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Company D, the Guadalupe Rangers from Guadalupe County, saw action with the regiment first at Eltham's Landing, followed by the battle of Gaines' Mill. The regiment was plagued with disease, like most units during this period, and took heavy casualties.

They took part in every major battle the Army of Northern Virginia was involved in and were only routed once during the siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the Battle of Wauhatchie, October 28, 1963.

The Texas unit returned to Virginia and filled a gap in the Confederate line at the battle of the Wilderness, May 7, 1864, and also took part in the famous "Lee to the rear!" cry, where the soldiers refused to fight in combat until General Lee retreated behind the line. This Texas unit quickly earned a reputation as one of the strongest, hardest fighting, and most reliable units in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Source:

Hunt, Jeffrey William. "Fourth Texas Infantry." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed June 1, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qkf01.

From the description of Texas Military Volunteers, 4th Regiment, Company D, Account Book, 1862 (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 749898914