The Texas Brigade and the Battle of Chickamauga

During the American Civil War, one of the Confederate army's elite units was the Texas Brigade. Commanded by John Bell Hood in 1862-1863, the unit distinguished itself in the battles of the Eastern Theater as part of the Army of Northern Virginia. In the fall of 1863, the brigade was part of the corps commanded by James Longstreet deployed to northern Georgia to reinforce the Army of Tennessee. In September, the Confederates defeated the Union Army of the Cumberland at the battle of Chickamauga, where the Texas Brigade engaged in heavy fighting. Although an empty triumph for the Confederates, the Texans added to their battle laurels and their reputation as an elite combat unit.