The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 432
672 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
the railroadl26 to Lecompte, the destination named in the first order.
One would think from the appearance of the locomotive and other
stock of this road ,that its manufacture dated back very near the
time of Fulton's application of steam power, as it is the slowest and
most ancient and odd constructed apparatus of the kind that I
have ever met up with. At first after several ineffectual attempts to
move the train (a negro conductor and engineer being in charge),
all the men got off and it ran back to town and returned to us
with a white man in charge. He bade us get on, which we did, but
our speed was about as before until Co. E got off and took it on
foot, when we got under way and ran ahead of the Co. about 2
miles and stopped for them on the top of an upgrade, after which we
proceeded slowly but without further difficulty or accident, arriving
at Lecompte depot at about 7 P.M. The field and staff came down
on horseback arriving a little after us except Maj. Irvine, who having
gotten a furlough made direct for Texas.
Dec. 21 Monday-After obtaining the necessary supplies of our
old Vermillionville acquaintance (Capt. Butler), we took up the line
of march by Lloyd's Bridge,127 and marching about 16 miles with-
out any incident of importance, camped in the piney woods. (It was
about 20 miles from Alexandria to Lecompte)
Dec. 22 Tuesday-Marched about 20 miles and camped in the
rain in the piney woods. Spread our tent and made our bed on
the wet earth with wet pine straw. After supper called around at
Headquarters and saw Col. Spaight in reference to permitting the
men of the Batn. to pass by their homes. Left him with the under-
standing that Cos. C & D would cross at some of the upper ferries
and go by home to procure the necessary clothing, while Co. E
would go directly to Beaumont and report to Maj. Irvine on the 12th
of January.
Dec. 23 Wednesday-Marched about io miles and arriving at
the fork of the road to Burr's ferry128 the conclusion of the Lt. Col.
128Known locally as the "Red River Railroad," it ran from Alexandria to
Cheneyville, was built in the 1840's, and was owned by Ralph Smith. J. W. Dorr
(Walter Prichard, ed.), "A Tourist's Description of Louisiana in 186o," Louisiana
Historical Quarterly, XXI, ix xo, 1157; Walter Prichard (ed.), "A Forgotten
Louisiana Engineer: G.W.R. Bayley and His History of the Railroads of Louisi-
ana," ibid., XXX, 1127.
127Lloyd's Bridge was in Rapides Parish on Bayou Boeuf in Section 6, Town-
ship 1 North, Range 1 East, about three miles southeast of Meeker.
128For many years Burr's Ferry was a renowned crossing of the Sabine River be-
tween Newton County and Vernon Parish, now on Texas Highway 63 and Louisiana
Highway 8. The ferry was originally established in the 182o's by Dr. Timothy
Burr and his son, Bryant Burr, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, reputed to have been
cousins of Aaron Burr. Breastworks still visible today were thrown up on the
Louisiana side by the Confederates in 1863 and 1864 as Banks invaded Louisiana
on his way, so he thought, to Texas. Timber was cleared on the Texas side so
as to provide fields of fire for the Confederate artillery.432
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/494/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.