William Polk Hardeman
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Republic of Texas
United States of America
Confederate States of AmericaWilliam Polk Hardeman | |
|---|---|
 Hardeman in 1865 | |
| Born | November 4, 1816 |
| Died | April 8, 1898 (aged 81) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Republic of Texas United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Branch | Texas Army National Guard United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Service years | 1846–1848 (USA) 1861–1865 (CSA) |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant (USA)Brigadier General, CSA |
| Commands | 4th Texas Cavalry Regiment Hardeman's Cavalry Brigade |
| Conflicts | Texas Revolution Mexican–American War American Civil War |
William Polk Hardeman (November 4, 1816 – April 8, 1898) 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.
William Polk "Gotch" Hardeman was born on November 4, 1816, in Williamson County, Tennessee.[1][2] He moved to Texas in 1835 and fought in the Texas War of Independence.[1][2] 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 as well.[1][2]
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).[1][2] In that capacity, he served in Sibley's New Mexico Campaign, including the Confederate victory at the Battle of Valverde and defeat and retreat after the Battle of Glorieta Pass.[2] Lieutenant Colonel William Read Scurry, in command at Valverde, praised Hardeman for leading the last, successful charge of the battle.[3]
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.[1][2] 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.[1] 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.[2][3][4] 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.[1][2][3] He commanded a mounted brigade in Texas and Louisiana during the final eight months of the war, until May 1865.[5] No record of his parole has been found.[1]
Aftermath
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Hardeman fled to Mexico at the end of the war but soon returned to become a planter in Texas.[1][2] In 1874 he began to serve as sergeant-at-arms of the Texas House of Representatives and then as inspector of railroads.[2][3][6] In the later years of his life, Hardeman was superintendent of public buildings and grounds at Austin, Texas.[2][3] This job included supervision of the Texas Confederate Soldiers' Home.[2][3]
William Polk Hardeman died April 8, 1898, at Austin, Texas and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery at Austin.[1][2][3]
