William Polk Hardeman
Encyclopedia
William Polk Hardeman was a Confederate States Army
brigadier general during the American Civil War
. He had fought in the Texas War of Independence
in 1836. He was a member of the Texas Rangers
and fought in the Mexican-American War in 1846-1847. During the Civil War, he participated in Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley's
New Mexico Campaign
and in the Red River Campaign
. He had a variety of occupations after the war, including superintendent of public buildings and grounds at Austin, Texas.
. He moved to Texas in 1835 and fought in the Texas War of Independence. He joined the Texas Rangers and fought in the Mexican-American War in 1846-1847 under Ben McCulloch, who was later a Confederate Army general.
and defeat and retreat after the Battle of Glorieta Pass
. Lieutenant Colonel William Read Scurry
, in command at Valverde, praised Hardeman for leading the last, successful charge of the battle.
Hardeman was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment on March 28, 1862, the date of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, and to colonel in January 1863. In December 1863, he briefly took command of a brigade in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department
and again commanded a brigade beginning in September 1864. Hardeman led his regiment during the Red River Campaign, including the Battle of Mansfield
and the Battle of Pleasant Hill
on April 8 and 9, 1864, and during the subsequent pursuit of the retreating Union Army under Major General
Nathaniel P. Banks after those battles. Upon the recommendation of Trans-Mississippi Department commander General E. Kirby Smith on October 28, 1864, Hardeman was appointed a brigadier general to rank from March 17, 1865. He commanded a mounted brigade in Texas and Louisiana during the final eight months of the war, until May 1865. No record of his parole has been found.
. This job included supervision of the Texas Confederate Soldiers' Home.
William Polk Hardeman died April 8, 1898 at Austin, Texas and is buried in the State Cemetery at Austin.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
brigadier general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He had fought in the Texas War of Independence
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
in 1836. He was a member of the Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
and fought in the Mexican-American War in 1846-1847. During the Civil War, he participated in Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley's
Henry Hopkins Sibley
Henry Hopkins Sibley was a brigadier general during the American Civil War, leading the Confederate States Army in the New Mexico Territory. His attempt to gain control of trails to California was defeated at the Battle of Glorieta Pass...
New Mexico Campaign
New Mexico Campaign
The New Mexico Campaign was a military operation of the American Civil War from February to April 1862 in which Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley invaded the northern New Mexico Territory in an attempt to gain control of the Southwest, including the gold fields of Colorado and the...
and in the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
. He had a variety of occupations after the war, including superintendent of public buildings and grounds at Austin, Texas.
Early life
William Polk "Gotch" Hardeman was born on November 4, 1816 in Williamson County, TennesseeWilliamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
. He moved to Texas in 1835 and fought in the Texas War of Independence. He joined the Texas Rangers and fought in the Mexican-American War in 1846-1847 under Ben McCulloch, who was later a Confederate Army general.
American Civil War
Hardeman began his Confederate service in May 1861 as a captain of the 4th Texas Cavalry Regiment (sometimes referred to as the 4th Texas Mounted Rifles). In that capacity, he served in Sibley's New Mexico Campaign, including the Confederate victory at the Battle of ValverdeBattle of Valverde
The Battle of Valverde, or the Battle of Valverde Ford from February 20 to February 21, 1862, was fought near the town of Valverde at a ford of Valverde Creek in Confederate Arizona, in what is today the state of New Mexico. It was a major Confederate success in the New Mexico Campaign of the...
and defeat and retreat after the Battle of Glorieta Pass
Battle of Glorieta Pass
The Battle of Glorieta Pass, fought from March 26 to 28, 1862 in northern New Mexico Territory, was the decisive battle of the New Mexico Campaign during the American Civil War. Dubbed the "Gettysburg of the West" by some historians, it was intended as the killer blow by Confederate forces to break...
. Lieutenant Colonel William Read Scurry
William Read Scurry
William Read Scurry was a general in the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, in command at Valverde, praised Hardeman for leading the last, successful charge of the battle.
Hardeman was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment on March 28, 1862, the date of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, and to colonel in January 1863. In December 1863, he briefly took command of a brigade in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department
Trans-Mississippi Department
The Trans-Mississippi Department was an administrative subdivision of the Confederate States of America west of the Mississippi, consisting of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Indian Territories recognized by the CSA, and parts of Western Louisiana...
and again commanded a brigade beginning in September 1864. Hardeman led his regiment during the Red River Campaign, including the Battle of Mansfield
Battle of Mansfield
The Battle of Mansfield, also known as the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, occurred on April 8, 1864, in De Soto Parish, Louisiana. Confederate forces commanded by Richard Taylor attacked a Union army commanded by Nathaniel Banks a few miles outside the town of Mansfield, near Sabine Crossroads...
and the Battle of Pleasant Hill
Battle of Pleasant Hill
The Battle of Pleasant Hill was fought on April 9, 1864, during the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War, near Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, between Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks and Confederate forces, led by Maj. Gen...
on April 8 and 9, 1864, and during the subsequent pursuit of the retreating Union Army under Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Nathaniel P. Banks after those battles. Upon the recommendation of Trans-Mississippi Department commander General E. Kirby Smith on October 28, 1864, Hardeman was appointed a brigadier general to rank from March 17, 1865. He commanded a mounted brigade in Texas and Louisiana during the final eight months of the war, until May 1865. No record of his parole has been found.
Aftermath
Hardeman fled to Mexico at the end of the war but soon returned to become a planter in Texas. In 1874 he began to serve as sergeant-at-arms of the Texas house of representatives and then as inspector of railroads. In the later years of his life, Hardeman was superintendent of public buildings and grounds at Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. This job included supervision of the Texas Confederate Soldiers' Home.
William Polk Hardeman died April 8, 1898 at Austin, Texas and is buried in the State Cemetery at Austin.