The Junior Historian, Volume 11, Number 6, May 1951 Page: 1
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* THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
*A
VOL. XI, No. 6 AUSTIN, TEXAS MAY, 1951
INTERWOVEN FIBER
by CARIE JANE FARR
Arlington Heights High School, Fort WorthD OWN the dusty, cabin-lined
street, past the stables, and into
the square of the thriving little
village on the forks of the Trinity,
which was Fort Worth in 1872, galloped
a confident young man on horseback.
Dismounting in the square, he threaded
his way through the gingham- and
buckskin-clad groups, until he reached
Major K. M. Van Zandt's weather-
beaten general store. There he intro-
duced himself as Captain Buckley
Boardman Paddock and declared his
intention of making his home in Fort
Worth. When Van Zandt asked about
his occupation, the twenty-eight-year-
old newcomer replied, "I should like to
run a newspaper, sir." Responded the
major, "Well, we have one here if you
will operate it."
Could Paddock operate it? His life
to that date could well have been com-
pared to that of Marco Polo who, when
he picked up a pen, always had ad-
ventures to relate in a forceful style.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1844, Pad-
dock was the son of Boardman Pad-
dock, a native of Vermont, and Mar-
garet Buckley Paddock, of Ireland. In
1845 Paddock's family moved by ox-
cart to the Territory of Wisconsin,
During this period the youth lived an
where he lived until he was fifteen.
adventurous life, roaming as far west
as Washington Territory and as far
north as Hudson Bay. While living in
Indian camps he learned much about
nature and developed a keen sense of
observation. In lumber camps, around
flickering fires, he listened, to the folk
tales of the lumberjacks and learned
how to tell an amusing story. Having a
romantic nature, Paddock was influ-
enced by the stories he had heard ofthe idyllic life of aristocratic southern
planters and thought that this life was
good enough to be preserved.
Soon afterwards, hearing that a war
had begun between the North and the
South, he journeyed south and joined
the Confederate Army. Under the com-
mand of Colonel Wirt Adams, the
sixteen-year-old adventurer proved him-
self so daring in battle that, early in
July, 1862, he became the youngest
commissioned officer on the Confederate
roster. When Paddock faced for the
first time the company which he was
to command, he saw only forty-eight
men. Dissatisfied with such a small
company, he set himself to the task of
recruiting and raised his company's
number to 11o.
Through battle after battle, Paddock
led his company from Alabama to
Tennessee; both he and his men showed
exceptional courage. It seemed as
though a magic charm made them in-
vulnerable. Once, while he and his com-
pany were marching through the valley
of the Yazoo River, he was notified by
scouts that Union men near by were
demolishing a rail fence to refuel their
ship, a member of the famous "Mosquito
Fleet." Capitalizing on the element of
surprise, Paddock's men plunged into
the water, swam to the boat, boarded
it, and captured the enemy crew with-
out an injury to either side. Captain
Paddock later ordered the boat to be
dismantled and burned; its twelve Na-
poleon guns and one thousand small
arms were salvaged.
From the Battle of the Yazoo, Pad-
dock and his bold fighters fought
bravely through the battles of Mums-
fordville, Shiloh, Corinth, and Vicks-
burg. In spite of the deathblow to the
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 11, Number 6, May 1951, periodical, May 1951; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391577/m1/3/?q=%22mex-tex%22: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.