Camp Clark, C.S.A.

Camp Clark, C.S.A., was named for Edward Clark, the first Confederate governor of Texas, whose executive order of June 8, 1861, created voluntary camps of instruction like this one. Local people voluntarily provided food, camp facilities, and guns, as farmers, merchants, artisans, and laborers gave goods and services, while men with military training and experience served as drillmasters. This camp and 50 or 60 others mainly taught walking to Texans who were used to moving about on horseback, and six out of ten Texans joined the cavalry, even though Governor Clark insisted in his order that infantry service was a matter of honor. The camp operated despite the scorn of recruits aged 18 to 35, many of whom had fought Indians most of their lives and were impatient for battle rather than training. Although neither Texas nor the Confederacy had funds for camps of instruction in 1861, by 1862 privates were paid $11 a month and officers $50. This Guadalupe County camp was conveniently located near roads and water, and units that trained here included Co. D, 4th Texas Infantry, of Hood's Texas Brigade, and the 4th Texas Cavalry (Partisan) under Captain William P. Hardeman.

Staples, Texas · United States