Patrick White at Red River

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Captain Patrick H. White

Red River Campaign
General Thomas E. Ransom promoted Patrick H. White to Chief of Artillery for his 13^th Corps as the Red River Campaign was commencing in the spring of 1864. Unfortunately for General Ransom and Captain White, they were both unable to avoid the debacle created in Louisiana by General Nathaniel Banks. Ransom was seriously wounded in the leg as he stood next to White while they tried unsuccessfully to rally their troops at the battle of Mansfield on the afternoon of April 8, 1864.

Confronted with surrendering his precious sword to Confederate infantrymen in what he regarded as an undignified surrender, Captain White was willing to risk being shot. Just then, Confederate Captain Alex McDow from Walker’s Texas Division stepped forward. A week after participating in the Confederates’ compelling victory at Mansfield, McDow sent a letter to his daughter Kate and described his version of not only the rout but also his encounter with White: "Not only ours beat the Feds also I captured… Capt. White, Chief of Ransom’s Artillery, 1^st Lt. [Lieutenant Pinckney S. Cone] & 5 or 6 privates, the Capt. refused to Surrender to one of my men just ahead of me, said he wouldn’t Surrender to anybody but an officer. My man (Cross) told him he would kill him, drew down his gun on him, was going to shoot him, I sprang in, presented my pistol to his breast, told him to surrender to me, I was an officer. He did so, give [sic] me his sword, pistol &c. It was a nice sword. I have sent it home…"

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