This page is for descendants of men who fought at Milliken’s Bend in the 16th Texas Infantry. They were part of General Henry McCulloch’s Brigade, part of Walker’s Texas Division. Please note that there is a separate page for descendants of the 16th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted) – which is an entirely different regiment.
I am a great grandson of Pvt. Anton Shultz who served in Co. E, 16th Texas Inf., CSA. He was a musician assigned to the Band in Hqs unit. His youngest son said his father spoke of helping to capture 49 Negro troops and their Yankee Captain. Anton’s story was verified in Brig. Gen. Henry E. McCulloch’s report on the Battle of Milliken’s Bend, dated June 8, 1863. in which he wrote that Anton [then age 19 who came to Texas in 1859] was send by a physician to fetch some cistern water for the wounded. When he arrived at the farmhouse, he was surrounded by a group of Negro soldiers and taken captive. Their Yankee captain asked Anton where his fellow troops were located and he pointed to a different direction than from whence he had come. The Captain asked Anton if he could lead them through the brush and briars so they could reach a boat on the Mississippi River. Anton replied he could and proceeded to lead them into his troops, capturing them without firing a shot. That story was related in newspaper accounts. Anton lived to be 70 years old, dying in 1914 after receiving a pcnsion for about five years. His widow was successor to his pension and lived to 1923. Both are buried in Fayette County Texas near La Grange.
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Ivan – Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this information. I recall the story of Shultz’s capture of the Yankees, and I mention it in my book (p. 96-98). It’s my belief that this was likely a company from the 11th Louisiana Infantry (African Descent) – and I believe the “Yankee captain” was most likely 2nd Lt. George L. Conn. Only one white officer who was captured held the rank of captain, and that was Capt. Corydon Heath of the 9th Louisiana, positioned at the opposite end of the battlefield, and whose capture was witnessed by one of his fellow officers. Conn’s regiment would have been in the right position to be in the farmhouses near the Union right. Thanks so much for sharing this information, and I especially appreciate learning more about what happened to him after the war. I always appreciate hearing from descendants of those who were at Milliken’s Bend.