LAST Review of the Confederacy - Chatfield, TX
N 32° 13.507 W 096° 25.016
14S E 743422 N 3568315
A Texas Historical Marker near a pasture fence at 4511 FM 1603, Chatfield, TX, indicates that the the last review of Confederate troops at the end of the Civil War took place in this area on June 2, 1865.
Waymark Code: WMN94F
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/22/2015
Views: 2
The historical marker provides some background of the last days of the last organized unit in any Confederate state:
General Joseph Orville "Jo" Shelby (1830-1897) led a cavalry force of Missourians known as the Iron Brigade and later, the Iron Division. From 1861-64, his troops rode with generals Thomas C. Hindman, John S. Marmaduke and Sterling Price in Missouri and Arkansas. During this time, Shelby earned praise for his command.
Shelby and his men wintered in Texas in 1864-65. In the spring, when word of Confederate surrenders in the east reached him, he was ordered to lead his men to Shreveport, Louisiana, to surrender. Instead, they planned an attack on the city to prevent collapse of the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy. Waylaid by severe weather, they decided to go to Mexico.
Shelby's soldiers stopped along the banks of Chambers Creek, south of Chatfield. Near here, they made their last bivouac as a Confederate unit. The next morning, June 2, 1865, the troops lined up for assembly and held what has been called "the last review of the Confederacy." By that time, they were the last organized unit in any Confederate state. Following the review of his troops, Shelby delivered his farewell, then asked his men to accompany him to Mexico. Hundreds reportedly answered his call. The next week, while his men gathered supplies from nearby Corsicana, Shelby visited the Hodge Oaks Plantation of Capt. Robert Hodge at Chatfield. Once prepared, the troops left for Mexico, where their offer of military service to Emperor Maximilian was diplomatically rejected. The men were offered land, though, and many, including Shelby, stayed. In 1867, Shelby returned to Missouri, where he farmed and served as U.S. Marshal. His dedication is celebrated there, as well as in Texas.
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Captain Hodge is buried here in Chatfield. One can park off of the shoulder near the marker, but please be careful to not stick out into the road.
Related links: [Web Link]
additional Related links: Not listed
parking coordinates: Not Listed
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