Over the years I’ve seen quite a few people who should know better, try to claim that Quantrill and his men were not a legitimate part of the Confederate forces. I came across this some time back and wanted to share it with you.
“February 9, 1864, Bonham, Tex.,
Brigadier General H. E. McCulloch to Brigadier General H. P. Bee
HEADQUARTERS NORTHERN SUB-DISTRICT,
Bonham, Tex., February 9, 1864,
Brig. Gen. H. P. BEE,
Commanding Division on Coast:
GENERAL: Captain Quantrill has been ordered to the coast and will send report to General Magruder. His company could not have been moved to that point if I had not promised to use my influence to keep them in the independent partisan service to which he is entitled by his commission from the President. I have written to General Magruder and asked him to continue them in that service on the coast, and have advised Quantrill to ask for service west of Corpus Christi, where I think he will do us great good.
There is no doubt about their being true Southern men, and, no odds what happens, will fight only on our side. They have been bad behaved in some instances, but have not been guilty of a fourth of what has been charged against them. They are in a country filled with the very worst character of men, numbers of whom are hid in the brush and come out at night and rob and steal; and there are plenty of enemies to the country who would have been glad to get up a conflict by telling bad tales upon them besides those that were true, and I really think the people are to a great extent unnecessarily uneasy about them…..”
This was signed by,
H. E. McCULLOCH,
Brigadier-General, Commanding Northern Sub-District.
Read More here: http://www.pddoc.com/skedaddle/010/0187.htm
The Outlaw Jesse James 