The Texas Pollard's Civil War Record

I don’t know how the Pollards felt about secession, but I do know that Pollards faught for both sides. Sylvester Pollard joined the Texas home guard (probably do to his age) and Frederick Hosea Pollard joined the confederacy. I know Hosea Pollard was a civil war veteran because he lists it in the 1910 census, but I don’t know anything else about his service. I don’t know when he joined or what unit he served in. When Texas secceded from the union Hosea Pollard was around 14 years old, and he was around 18 by the end. 14 might seem young now, but it wasn't unheard of for someone that young to join during the Civil War. Its interesting to note that his home town of Natchitoches suffered a union attack in 1864 that nearly left it destroyed. You wonder if that might have motivated a young Hosea to join the war.

Now as far as what unit he joined, I haven’t found any solid information other than he joined. I have found a list of solders that joined the Texas army from Trinity county and Hosea’s name is not on the list, in fact no Pollards were on the list, but that might be a good thing. Given the casualties from the Texas regiments he probably wouldn’t have survived if he joined them. If he didn’t join the Texas regiments, then which regiment did he join? There where some solders from Trinity county that joined other state regiments, but the source I had didn’t list their names. I have seen some references to Hosea joining the Georgia 5th cavalry, and that would match up with the time line. The Georgia 5th formed in 1863 which would have been on the lower end of when Hosea would have joined. In addition, there is a Fredrick Pollard listed on their roles. Yet, Georgia didn’t recruit in Texas at the time. Some other states did (I believe Alabama did), but Georgia didn’t. For Hosea to have joined the Georgia 5th he would have had to travel all the way to Georgia in order to enlist. In addition the Georgia 5th formed as a consolidation of the 1st and 2nd Georgia Calvary Battalions, so I am not sure they even took new recruits at the time. Finally, it is possible that he enlisted in one unit and then moved to the Georgia clavary later. The Georgia 5th did get sent to Mississippi, so its possible that Hosea met up with them in there. In addition his father Sylvester Pollard was born in Mississipi, so Hosea does have a connection that way.

Overall though I am very skeptical of the claim that Hosea served in the Georgia 5th. But if not the 5th, then which regiment? A couple thoughts I have. I mentioned before that Alabama recruted in Texas, well I noticed that Nathan seemed to think Hosea Pollard was from Alabama. He listes Hosea's birthplace as Alabama on his 1930 census and his father's birthplace on Nathan's death certificate lists Alabama. I also noticed that Nathan's oldest brother William Pollard also lists his father's birth place as Alabama. Why did Hosea's kids think he was born in Alabama? Its possible he served in an Alabama regement and so his kids assumed he was from Alabama? One final thought, maybe the source I had didn’t list Hosea because he joined later? Maybe he did serve in a Texas regiment, but after the Union burned down his home town? 

These are all theories, but I just don't have enough evidence to really draw a conclusion other than he served in the Civil War. Maybe I can make it to the archives in Trinity county someday and see if I can find his enlistment records.