An Article from
The Stockman Family Newsletter
Volume 9 No 1, March 1994
    The information in this article may be used for personal family research.  It is Copyrighted by The Stockman Family Newsletter, and may not be used for any other purpose without written permission from the Publisher.
The Service of the Descendants of Peter Stockman in the Civil War

Several of the sons of Peter Stockman, son of Frederick Stockman and Katherine Disponet of the Texas branch of the Stockman Family, and Elizabeth Caro served in the Confederate forces during the Civil War.

Christopher Columbus Frederick Stockman
Christopher Columbus Frederick Stockman, known as Lum was born ca 1845. He was living with his parents near Mt. Calm when the Civil War broke out. Lum served in Company A 15th Texas Infantry as a private.

The 15th Texas Infantry was created in the spring of 1862 from the increase of the number of companies serving in the First Texas Infantry Battalion. The regiment was sometimes incorrectly designated as the Fifteenth Texas Cavalry. This would indicate that for at least part of the regiment's career it served as a mounted infantry unit. There was no relationship, however, between the two regiments.

The Fifteenth, as was common in Confederate Civil War units, was also known by the name of his commanding officers. During its career it was sometimes designated as James Harrison's Infantry, Joseph Speight's Infantry, John Daniel's Infantry and Jonathan Limter's Infantry

James Harrison commanded the Fifteenth during most of its career and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in December 1864.

The Fifteenth Texas Infantry served in Louisiana and Texas throughout the war. On two occasions it was ordered to Arkansas but each time the order was countermanded. The Fifteenth was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi Department 30 Sep 1862. Their first engagement was at Irish Bend, Louisiana on 14 April 1863. From 21 to 26 April they were engaged in operations against an expedition from Opelousas, LA. In June the 15th was engaged in action in the LaFourche Crossing area of Louisiana. In July at Brashear City, LA. In Sept they were in action near Morgan's ferry on the Atchafalaya River, LA.

On 29 Sep the 15th, along with another infantry brigade and a Cavalry unit was engaged at Stirlings Plantation against a Union force of 1000 troops which held a defensive position at the plantation. Charging across 400 yards of rain-soaked open fields the Confederate brigades drove the Yanks from their defensive positions and captured 462 prisoners. 104 of the 600 men in the attacking force were lost in this action, 67 of them from the 15th Texas Infantry battalion. In Oct and Nov the 15th was engaged in action near Buzzards Prairie, LA. Activities were less intense during the winter months but in March, April and May 1864 they were involved in numerous engagements in Western Louisiana. The fifteen remained in the Shreveport, LA area for the remainder of 1864. In early 1865 it was ordered to Marshall, TX where it was discharged in late May 1865.

Company A in which Lum served was made up of men from Waco, TX area.

David Stockman
David Stockman was born ca 1846, and like his older brother, Lum, was living in the Mt. Calm, TX area North Eat of Waco when the Civil War began. He joined Company A 15th Texas Infantry, the same unit his older brother served in and served there as a private.

George William Stockman
George William Stockman was born ca 1843 in Shelby County, TX. He moved to the Mt. Calm, TX area north east of Waco and was there when the Civil war began. George William enlisted in the 30th Texas Cavalry Regiment.

The 30th Texas Cavalry was organized during the summer of 1862 at Waco, TX. The unit was one of three Texas units which were known as the First Texas Partisan Rangers. Two of the five companies of the 30th were from the Waco area but Company C of which George William was a member was primarily from Round Rock, TX.

The 30th Texas Cavalry was assigned to the Trans Mississippi Department and their first engagement was at Galveston, TX on 1 Jan 1863. From there they moved north to the Indian Territory where they were in action in May at Fort Gibson and in August at Perryville, Indian Territory. In March and April 1864 the 30th Texas Cavalry was engaged in operations in and around Roseville, Arkansas against Steele's Expedition from Little Rock.

During the spring and summer of 1864 they were involved in numerous actions in Arkansas and then in September returned to the Indian Territory where they remained until late in 1864. From there they were ordered to Shreveport, LA where they remained until the following spring. In April 1865 the unit was moved to Austin, TX where it was disbanded in mid May 1865 when the news of the collapse of the eastern Confederacy reached Texas.

For more details on the battles in which the 30th was engaged see Vol 6 No. 3, pages 61-63 of the Stockman Family Newsletter.

Peter F Stockman
Peter F Stockman, the eldest son of Peter Stockman and Elizabeth Caro was born 18 May 1834 in Shelby County, TX.

He served in Company C of the 30th Texas Cavalry, the same unit that his brother George William was a member of. He joined in Waco and continued to serve until the unit was disbanded.

Peter F Stockman lived to file for his Confederate Service Pension from the State of Texas. The only one of the sons of Peter Stockman and Elizabeth Caro to do so.

Information in this article was taken from service records obtained from the National Archives and from Hill College, Hillsboro, TX.-lts-