Horse Sweat and Powder Smoke: The First Texas Cavalry in the Civil War (Texas a & M University Military History Series)

The 1st Texas Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 1st Texas Mounted Rifles, was the first Confederate unit organized in Texas and the longest to serve, participating in Indian skirmishes on the frontier as well as in full battles against the Union. In Horse Sweat and Powder Smoke, Stanley S. McGowen describes and honors one of the most unusual and successful military units in Texas history. He provides the first complete history of the 1st Texas Cavalry Regiment, documenting its origins from the Confederate Committee on Public Safety's request for mounted units to the appointment of Henry McCulloch as colonel of cavalry. McCulloch, a former Texas Ranger, was swift and effective at motivating his fellow Texans, notably Captains James B. "Buck" Barry and Thomas C. Frost, to arms. He and later regimental commanders, Augustus Buchel and William Yager, were acknowledged for their emphasis on precise discipline and gentlemanly conduct. Their training methods taught soldiers the valuable lessons of cavalry and infantry maneuvers as well as saber fighting and the proper care of horses and equipment. Many commanders maintained lax rules of propriety and organization, but the 1st Texas Mounted Rifles remained a cohesive and loyal unit, disbanding only under the proper orders. Even as the Confederacy fell around them, the troops remained steadfastly loyal to their fellows. McGowen examines the regiment's experiences across the vast range of territory the unit covered, including the Louisiana swamps, the Red River Valley, along the Rio Grande, and the Gulf Coast. He discusses its involvement in the campaign known as the Battle of the Nueces, casting doubts on the common interpretation of theGerman immigrant as defenseless farmer. McGowen asserts that while there was bloodshed on both sides, the Germans were not the innocent victims that many historians have claimed and that the cavalry was not the bloodthirsty gang many thought it to be. Horse Sweat and Powder Smoke clearly portrays the heroism and individuality of Texas' first mounted unit in the Civil War. By combining the unit's history with profiles of the men who gave it its unique spirit and character, as well as giving accounts of the battles, raids, and skirmishes in which the unit participated, McGowen provides long-overdue recognition to those who defended others' homes, values, and ways of life.