Granbury's Texas Brigade, C.S.A.: the color brigade of the Army

Abstract

Granbury's Texas Brigade C.S.A. chronicles the history of Granbury's Texas Brigade in the American Civil War while advancing the thesis that loyalty to the Confederacy could not override the local circumstances experienced by these Texans. It also seeks to answer the question of what role common soldiers played in the Confederate war effort by exploring Granbury's Brigade as a microcosm of the war effort. "Granbury's Brigade" also explores the socioeconomic context of the soldiers of Granbury's Texas Brigade in an effort to understand their behavior. Perhaps most importantly, "Granbury's Brigade" examines the issue of Confederate desertion in the context of these Texas regiments in an effort to better understand Confederate desertion across a broad spectrum. Despite the early difficulties and desertion, the leadership of Hiram Granbury and Patrick Cleburne helped turn the small remnant of Texans into Granbury's Texas Brigade, a crack fighting unit. This small band then became "The Color Brigade of the Army," from November, 1863 to November, 1864, until the Battle of Franklin destroyed them.