Walker's Greyhounds

Walker's Greyhounds was the name given to a division of the Confederate States Army composed exclusively of regiments from Texas. It fought exclusively in the Western Theater and gained a reputation as a solid fighting force.

Organization

Organized at Camp Nelson, Arkansas, in July 1862, the Greyhounds were placed under the command of Maj. Gen. John George Walker in November 1862, and remained under his command until the end of the war. The division served exclusively in the Trans-Mississippi Department.

Major engagements

Vicksburg Campaign

The Greyhounds fought at the Battle of Milliken's Bend and the Battle of Young's Point, incidental engagements of the Vicksburg Campaign, in June 1863. They remained in northern Louisiana for several months, and then returned to Arkansas in late 1863.

Red River Campaign

Sent from Arkansas to Louisiana again in April 1864, they served as part of Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor's Army at the significant Confederate victories at the Battle of Mansfield (April 8, 1864), and the Battle of Pleasant Hill (April 9, 1864), critical engagements in the Red River Campaign.

Camden Expedition

Rushed back to Arkansas by Tran-Mississippi Department Commander Edmund Kirby Smith, they fought at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on April 30, 1864, the last engagement of the Camden Expedition.

Nickname

The division was well trained, and well respected as a fighting force. It earned its nickname because the men were able to move long distances rapidly on foot. The Greyhounds' ferocity at the Battle of Mansfield, particularly by its 12th Texas Infantry Regiment, is considered by many military historianswho to have turned the tide in that engagement.

Mustered out

With the war over and the main Confederate armies having surrendered, the remnants of the much depleted division were mustered out at Hemphill, Texas, in May 1865.

References

* Lowe, Richard G., "Walker's Texas Division", Louisiana State University Press, 2004.