Thomas J. Calhoun

CALHOUN, THOMAS J. (1836 ~ 1916). Confederate veteran Thomas Calhoun was born in 1836 in South Carolina.

Calhoun joined the Confederate Army in 1862 at the age of 16, fighting with Company C, 1st Texas Infantry, Hood's Brigade, Field's Division detached to the Army of Northern Virginia. The 1st suffered heavy casualties throughout the war, particularly at the Battle of Sharpsburg. It served in many battles in the Eastern Theater with General Robert E. Lee, the only Texas unit to do so.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, "The brigade sustained a 61 percent casualty rate and, at its surrender, numbered close to 600 officers and men. It was praised by generals Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, James Longstreet, and Robert E. Lee and by high officials of the Confederacy."

Little is known of what Calhoun did after the War.

He died January 1, 1916 in the Confederate Men's Home in Austin and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery the next day.

Biographical information taken from Texas State Cemetery file materials. Unit information taken from Handbook of Texas Online entry "Hood's Texas Brigade" at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/qkh2.html.