"HEAD-QUARTERS
"
"LIEUTENANT-GENERAL J. C. PEMBERTON:
"The undersigned, officers of the First Texas
Brigade of Cavalry, disclaiming any desire to dictate to
the Commanding General my plan, or line of operations he
should pursue, would yet beg leave modestly to
suggest the propriety of a cavalry expedition into the
enemy’s rear. We are the more bold to do so, and have less fear of the
misconstruction of our motives, when we remember that you have been so recently
placed in command over us; and that the multitudinous cares incidental to your
responsible position have necessarily, thus far, precluded an examination of
the position of the enemy, and as to what is the best employment in which the
cavalry under your command, could be engaged. We, therefore, respectfully
submit, if you will fit up a cavalry expeditions, comprising three or four
thousand men, and give us Major-General Earl Van Dorn, than whom no braver man
lives, to command us, we will penetrate the rear of the enemy, capture Holly
Springs, Memphis, and other points, and, perhaps, force him to retreat from
Coffeeville; if not, we can certainly force more of the enemy to remain in
their rear, to protect their supplies, than the cavalry cloud whip if we
remained at the front.
"Very respectfully,
"JOHN S. GRIFFITH,
"Commanding
"E. R. HAWKINS,
"Commanding First
"J. H. BROOCKS,
"Major First Texas Legion.
"JILES S. BOGGESS,
"Lieut.-Colonel Third
"D. W. JONES,
"Lieut.-Colonel Commd’g Ninth
"JACK WHARTON,
"Captain Commanding Sixth
Colonel Griffith forwarded this letter immediately to
General Pemberton, and, no one not acquainted
with the restless energy of the man, can imagine the night
of consuming anxiety and suspense that he passed in awaiting a reply. To his
sagacious mind, the memorial suggested the last card left the Confederacy to
play with any chance of winning on this board. The Army of West Tennessee must
be inevitably crushed whenever Grant should place his legions in motion to
execute the fiat of his will. General Pemberton promptly replied the next day,
in the following letter:
"
"
"COLONEL:
"You will furnish me with a report of the events
subsequent to the engagement of
see you personally, if circumstances will possibly admit
of it.
"Very respectfully,
"J. C. PEMBERTON,
Lieutenant-General."
The Commanding General desired a personal interview
with the bold ranger who dared to chalk out a
campaign to his chief. In the interview which followed,
General Pemberton informed Colonel Griffith, that
the proposition commended itself to his consideration
with much force, and that he would give it careful
consideration, etc.
About the 12th, or six days
after the interview with General Pemberton, Colonel Griffith received
others to report to General Van Dorn, who was now actively
engaged in preparing for the long desired
expedition in rear of the enemy. General Van Dorn’s command
consisted of the Texas Brigade, Colonel
Brigade, 800 men. The whole amounting to about 3,500
men. For an account of this famous expedition, the
reader is referred to the proper chapter in the body of the
narrative.
The services exacted of him, on this expedition,
proved so great a demand upon his vital forces that
the health of Colonel Griffith, never robust, was
seriously impaired; and, in the summer of 1863, he
tendered his resignation, and returned to
The following testimonial from the officers of the
"Whitfield Legion," will serve to show, in some
degree, the esteem in which Colonel Griffith was held by his
comrades:
"CAMP FIRST
"NEAR
"LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN S.
"Dear Sir—We, the
undersigned, officers of the First Texas Legion, having learned that, in
consequence of continued ill health, you have tendered your resignation,
we can not, in justice to our
feelings, permit you to quit the service without this
testimonial of our appreciation of your services while
commanding the brigade, of which our regiment is a part. You
were ever the faithful and efficient officer,
and, at the same time, the kind and courteous gentleman.
Rest assured, sir, that whether you go to some
other branch of our country’s service, or to your home in
the State that we all love so well, you will carry
with you the confidence and esteem of the officers and men
of the First Texas Legion. With heart-felt
wishes for your future welfare, we remain respectfully,
"J. H. BROOCKS,
"Lieut.-Colonel Commanding
Legion.
"JOHN T. WHITFIELD,
"Major Texas Legion.
"B. H. NORSWORTHY,
"Captain Company E, First
"C. D. PRESTON,
"Company M, First
"J. N. ZACHRY,
"Captain Co. A, First
"J. M. INGRAM,
"Captain Co. C, First
"B. M. IRWIN,
"First Lieutenant Co. A,
"W. T. ROGERS,
"Second Lieutenant Co. A,
Upon his return to
body he occupied the responsible position of Chairman of
the Committee on Military Affairs. On March
1st, 1864, he was appointed Brigadier-General of State
troops, by Governor P. Murrah, and placed in
command of District No. 2, which was composed of the counties
of Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Hill,
McLennan, Limestone,
Madison, Coryell, Bosque, Erath, Hamilton, Comanche,
Lampasas, San Saba, Brown, Eastland, Callahan,
Coleman, McCulloch, Mason, Kimble,
Menard, Concho, Runnels,
Brigadier-Generals of the State were, "to
encourage and form volunteer companies and organizations, of
such persons as are not subject to militia or other duty,
for local defense, and all necessary police
regulations in the counties where such companies may be
raised." In his efficient and faithful discharge of
the onerous duties encumbent on him in this position,
Colonel Griffith elicited the complimentary mention
of Governor Murrah, in his message to the Eleventh
Legislature. General Griffith continued in command of
the "Second District" until the termination of
hostilities.
The result of the war left him comparatively poor, he
having some twenty-five or thirty slaves; but,
with indomitable will, energy, and pluck, upon which his
vital forces expend themselves, General Griffith
entered the race of life again, and, by dint of industry and
good sense, he has accumulated a handsome
fortune, and resides in Terrell, Kaufmann county,
In 1876, he was elected a member of the Fifteenth
Legislature, upon which body devolved the duty of
placing in operation the "new constitution." He was
appointed Chairman of the Committee on Public
Printing, and was successful in defeating the printer
in an effort to obtain illegitimate gains at the expense of the State. So
assiduous were his labors in this body, that he earned the reputation of being
an industrious
and untiring legislator. He was, indeed, a
"watch-dog" over the public treasury; and lobbyists, shysters,
chevaliers d’industrie, shunned him as if his presence was a
fatal upas. He was attacked in the newspapers
by the printer, who became exasperated at being foiled
in his "little game."
demonstrated the proposed fraud; and, backed by the opinion of the
Attorney-General, he had the
satisfaction of seeing the "printer" leave the ring
demolished in reputation, and all his calculations "pied."
Several statutes bear the impress of his
statesmanship—especially that one making drunkenness in civil
officers a misdemeanor. This statute alone is a living
monument to his probity of character, and is a work of
which he may justly feel proud.
In conclusion, but little remains to
be said. General Griffith is yet,
comparatively, a young man; and
the author, his friend, hopes that he may be spared, by
the grim specter of the glass and scythe, yet many
years, in which event, he will make much more biography for
the second sitting. General Griffith is a
gentleman of pleasing address, and his heart is as big as
temperament, he is often impulsive, but never rash nor unjust;
his mind is acute, penetrating, and sagacious,
and thoroughly analytical in the examination of practical
details, while his judgment is clear and
perspicuous. In short, General Griffith is a Napoleonic
embodiment of restless energy and indomitable will,
guided by an equally balanced mind, who would not have
occupied a subordinate position in whatever
sphere of life his lot had been cast. In the management of
his private estate, he has proved himself to be a
consummate business manager—commencing with nothing, and having
accumulated two fortunes.
In his conduct of the operations of the command at
appeared to the world as a natural-born general, and
overlapped
a legislator he stood primus inter pares, and left the
lobby-lined chambers with hands unsmirched and
reputation clean. Though unsolicitous for office, and retiring
in his disposition, General Griffith would shed
honor on the chief magistracy of the State, and his
administration of the people’s affairs would certainly be
in the interest of the people. The following anecdote is
illustrative of the General’s impetuosity: Upon one
occasion he was detailing the exciting scenes attendant upon
the Confederate entry into
especially the earnest welcome extended the rebels by the
ladies, when his auditor asked: "And how did you feel, General?"
"Feel!" exclaimed the excited veteran: "I felt as if I could
have charged hell, and captured the devil, if the Almighty had commanded me to
do so!" Of one thing certain, if the General ever does enlist under the
banner of the Lord, he will be one of the last to think of giving up the fort,
for he goes into every thing with his whole soul—he is never a half-measure
man.
As a further testimonial of the regard in which
General Griffith was held by his brother-officers, the
following letters, from the gallant
"HEAD-QUARTERS FIRST CAVALRY CORPS,
"SPRING HILL, TEEN.,
"LIEUT.-COLONEL J. S.
"Colonel—Permit me to offer the testimonial of my
high appreciation of you as a gallant, competent,
and meritorious officer of unexceptional moral character.
It affords me great pleasure to refer to the
valuable services rendered by your command at
force of the enemy, advancing upon
signal service of yourself, while we were together, and
commanding separate brigades, on the raid to Holly
Springs and
regrets that your continued ill-health compels you to leave
this corps, and a wish that you may soon regain
your health sufficiently to enter the service again.
"I remain, very respectfully.
"W. H. JACKSON,
"Brigadier-General Commanding
Cavalry Corps."
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgr63.html