Welcome to the 13th Texas Cavalry

In the midst of the Western Theater, 1863

The major surveyed the landscape and grimaced at what he saw. Far ahead, Federal infantry marched onto the field, directly toward the unsuspecting TMVI Battalion Confederate encampment to his rear. With an infantry force this large, he knew that the Federals’ deadly artillery wouldn’t be far behind. The TMVI was in danger.
 
The major turned to his runner and ordered, “Get back to headquarters now. Tell them the Feds are coming in force. We’ll try to slow them down.” The runner saluted and scrambled off to his mission.
 
The Union force far outnumbered his own troops, but his 13th Texas Dismounted Cavalry was the advance scout for the TMVI, the tip of the Confederate’s spear. Speed and surprise were its weapons to delay the Federal advance, to buy precious moments for the rebel infantry to form up and counter-attack. And courage. To stand and face a larger force took great courage from his troops; fortunately, the 13th Texas Cavalry was well-stocked in that particular ration. That's why they were known as "the Dreadnaughts."
 
“Skirmish order to the left, boys,” he barked to his troops. Two dozen soldiers scrambled to space out in a single line in front of him. Unlike the Yankee forces they prepared to face, polished and uniform in their dark blue sack coats and light blue pants, his soldiers were a motley group. They looked less like soldiers than a gang of frontier outlaws in their hodge-podge mix of uniform pieces, civilian clothes – even bits and pieces of Federal gear. The only things that marked them as soldiers were their clean rifles and cartidge boxes filled with enough ammo to put up one hell of a fight. And the fact that they were here, standing fast before an overwhelming force.
 
“Down!” ordered the Major. The soldiers dropped to the ground, hiding behind the waving field grass to avoid detection. They lay in wait as the bluecoats marched closer, closer. The silence in their line was a stark contrast to the relentless tramping through the grass of the oncoming enemy, the distant cadence of their marching drums.
 
Suddenly, the Major saw a Federal officer point his way and start to yell orders. He watched with dismay as the Feds reformed quickly from of their marching column into a battle front. Their bugler blared out a command. “Damn,” the Major thought, “they're good. No fresh fish here – these Union boys have faced the elephant before. Well, so have we . . .
 
“They’ve seen us, boys!” The Major shouted. He brandished his sword toward the Union line. “Take a knee! Prepare to fire by volley, arms to the ready!" His sergeant-major and adjutant scrambled behind the line to echo his orders and rally the men. The Dreadnaughts rose to one knee and prepared to fire.
 
“Ready!“ The major yelled. Ahead, the Yankee officer bawled frantic commands to his troops, exhorting them to fight.
 
"Pre-sent!” His sword pointed to the sky as his soldiers took aim, undaunted as the Federals leveled a hundred muskets their way.
 
The major slashed his sword forward.
 
"FIRE!"
 
What happens next? You can find out for yourself. You can be one of those courageous members of the 13th Texas Cavalry. Put on the uniform, pick up a rifle and fall in. When the muskets start to fire and the cannon roar, you’ll feel the exhilaration, excitement and fear – you can truly experience the epic moments of the Civil War for yourself.
 
Scenes like the one described here happen many times each year as the 13th Texas Cavalry participates in Civil War reenactments in Texas and around the United States. Sometimes, our group takes the opposite side and forms up in Federal Blue as the U.S. Texas 2nd Cavalry as well.
 
Between battles we spend time together to share in our passion about the Civil War and enjoy the fellowship of each other. Put away any stereotypes you may have heard about reenactors; The 13th Texas Cavalry is a family oriented organization. We welcome your spouses and kids in our camp and at our events, and you will find our activities offer a highly appropriate and wonderful environment for participants of all ages.

Our group is open to people of all races, male and female, young and old. You will find that hatred and bigotry have no place in this organization. We pride ourselves on the diversity of the people in our ranks and throughout our organization. There is no political aspect to our group, nor are we affiliated with any organization that could be remotely associated with militias, political activist groups, or any other negative association. We take great pride in the positive, open and welcoming nature of our group!

We hope you’ll take a few moments and read through the information on our site. Learn more about the 13th Texas Cavalry, who we are and what we do. Check out the About Civil War Reenacting section to get answers to many of the questions newcomers have about this terrific hobby. Check out our reenactment photos to see what the excitement of a Civil War reenactment looks like. Then, contact us so we can answer any questions you have and get you started.

Thanks for visiting our website, and we hope to sit around the campfire with you soon.

VIDEO SLIDESHOW: The Dreadnaugts