Civil War Broughton's

William David Broughton is said to be working in Waco, McLennan County, Texas when the Civil War erupted. A 22 year-old William David went to Dallas where he enlisted in the Confederate Army on September 7, 1861, reportedly with a friend by the name of Joe Black. William David had a "$125 horse, and $25 worth of equipment including a double-barrel shotgun and a Bowie knife" with him at the time. He was assigned to Company G, 6th Regiment of the Texas Cavalry under Colonel B. W. Stone. The newly organized regiment was sometimes referred to as the 2nd Texas Cavalry and Stone's Regiment. W.D. initially enlisted for a period of 12 months, but he would remain an active part of the Confederate Forces longer than planned. At company muster for November & December 1861, W.D. was reported sick at Camp Washington, but he soon recovered and from January-April 1862, he was present for company muster and paid by Captain A.J. Witt. When Stone's Regiment was re-organized under the Conscript Act in May 1862, William David was still there. On June 23, 1862 William David was "appointed from ranks" to 4 Corporal. He would be promoted to 2 Corporal by mid 1863 when he took leave for a short time in May/June of that year. At company muster in May & June 1864, 1 Corpl. William David was "on detached service riding a government horse."

Walter LaRoy Broughton, William David’s grandson, remembers William David talking about how he caught ponies in the Texas plains at Waco for the war effort. He also recalls hearing how William David survived despite having his horse shot out from under him during a battle somewhere around Brandon, Mississippi. At the end of the war, William David and his friend Joe Black were reportedly heading home and stopped off in a small Oklahoma town. There, Walter LaRoy says William David was falsely accused of getting a girl pregnant by a preacher. Forced to defend himself, William David shot the preacher. But after fleeing the town, he was detained by some Union soldiers. According to family legend, one Union soldier let William David go after he used the Masonic hand-sign. It’s unknown whether William David ever knew the girl’s name or whether the preacher survived the shooting.

SOURCE:
Compiled Military Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, TX 6th Cavalry, A-Cl
Microcopy#323 Roll#37 filed in the US National Archives, Washington DC.