One of the advantages of reenacting Hood's Brigade is the vast array of available source material for this famous unit. The following bibliography provides a comprehensive look at book-length sources. Check Simpson's Hood's Texas Brigade: Lee's Grenadier Guard for a listing of periodical literature.
Many Texans wrote memoirs of their war service. Our most famous commander's personal account is J. B. Hood, Advance and Retreat (orig. pub. 1880, repr. Indiana U. Press, 1959, available). Also interesting is G. A. Coco, ed. Recollections of a Texas Colonel at Gettysburg (Thomas Publications, 1990, available), which contains the memoirs of Col. R. M. Powell of the 5th Texas.
Our brigade was one of the few to have a book published about it during the war. In 1863, N. A. Davis, chaplain of the 4th Texas, issued The Campaign from Texas to Maryland (repr. The Steck Co, 1961, scarce). This became a major source for all later works on the brigade.
Four enlisted men published especially useful memoirs. W. A. Fletcher, Rebel Private Front and Rear (orig. pub. 1908, repr. U. of Texas Press, 1954, available) is an excellent account of soldier life, both in the 5th Texas and the 8th Texas Cavalry, while J. B. Polley, A Soldier's Letters to Charming Nelly (orig. pub. 1908, repr. Butternut Press, 1984, available) and Mary Lasswell, ed. Rags and Hope: The Memoirs of Val Giles (Coward-McCann, Inc. 1961, scarce) contain the detailed accounts of service in the 4th Texas. J. C. West, A Texan in Search of a Fight (By the author, 1901, reprinted 1995) is my favorite wartime account.
There are other less useful enlisted memoirs. J. W. Stevens of the 5th wrote his Reminiscences of the Civil War, (orig. pub. 1902, repr. Derwent Books, 1982, available), but they contain little of interest. Despite the name, J. M. Polk, Memories of the Lost Cause and Ten Years in South America (J. M. Polk, 1905, very scarce) is a moderately useful account by a soldier of the 4th, and O. T. Hanks, History of Captain B. F. Benton's Company, Hood's Texas Brigade(Morrison Books, 1960, very scarce) is an brief memoir by a member of the 1st.
J. R. and C. A. Heller, The Confederacy Is On Her Way Up the Spout (U. of Ga. Press, 1992, available) has the letters of various members of the 18th Georgia, which served with the Brigade in 1862. Wartime letters also appear in R. W. Glover, ed. Tyler to Sharpsburg: The War Letters of Robert H. and William H. Gaston (W. M. Morrison, 1960, very scarce.)
Mrs. A. V. Winkler, The Confederate Capital and Hood's Texas Brigade (orig. pub. 1894, repr. Butternut & Blue Press, 1991, available) is fun for the wartime experiences of the author, wife of the Lt. Col. of the 4th.
A. J. L. Freemantle, Three Months in the Southern States (orig. pub. 1864, repr. U. of Nebraska Press 1991, available) is unique. Not only does it describe the author's wartime travels in Texas, but also has his first-hand accounts of observing the Texans on the road to Gettysburg.
At the turn of the century, J. B. Polley, a veteran of the 4th, was commissioned by the survivors to write a brigade history. The result was the excellent Hood's Texas Brigade (orig. pub. 1910, repr. Morningside Bookshop, 1976, available).
Polley's mantle as brigade historian was later assumed by H. B. Simpson. His Gaines' Mill to Appomattox (Texian Press, 1963, available) covered Co. E of the 4th and led to his monumental Hood's Texas Brigade: Lee's Grenadier Guard (Texian Press, 1970, reprinted 1994).
Simpson's many other works include Hood's Texas Brigade: A Compendium (Hill Junior College Press, 1977, very scarce), which is a complete brigade roster, and also The Marshall Guards (Port Caddo Press, 1967, scarce), a history of Co. E of the 1st. Simpson also edited G. T. Todd, First Texas Regiment (Texian Press, 1963, very scarce).
J. Spencer, From Corsicana to Appomattox (The Texas Press, 1984, available) is a history of Co. I, 4th Texas, which relies heavily on Simpson. D. H. Hamilton, History of Company M, First Texas Volunteer Infantry, Hood's Brigade (W. M. Morrison, 1962, very scarce) is a slim work.
C. L. Collier, They'll Do To Tie To (Eagle Press, 1959, available) is a good overview of the Third Arkansas.
T. Jones, Hood's Texas Brigade Sketchbook (Hill College Press, 1988, available) has excellent sketches made from wartime photos of brigade members. Beware of its comments about the evolution of clothing and equipment, as many are challenged by recent research.
There are many works on life in Texas before and during the war. Two of my favorites are F. L. Olmstead, A Journey Through Texas (orig. pub. 1857, repr. U. of Texas Press, 1978, available) and R. L. Kerby, Kirby Smith's Confederacy (Columbia U. Press, 1972, available).
Biographers have neglected our principal leaders. A. L. King, Louis T. Wigfall, Southern Fire-eater (Louisiana State U. Press, 1970, available) touches only briefly on the military career of our first general. R. M. McMurry, John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence (U. of Kentucky Press, 1982, available) is the standard biography of our most famous commander. Gerald J. Smith, "One of the Most Daring of Men" (Southern Heritage Press, 1997, available) is a shallow study of William Wofford. Apparently, Brigadiers Robertson, and Gregg have not been the subject of full-scale biographies.
A variety of recent studies provide authoritative accounts of the service of the Texans in particular campaigns. Here is what Co. H recommends.
On 1862, S. W. Sears, To the Gates of Richmond (Ticknor & Fields, 1992, available) covers Eltham's Landing and Gaines' Mill, while J. J. Hennessy, Return to Bull Run (Simon & Shuster, 1993, available) deals with the Texans' assault at Second Manassas. S. W. Sears, Landscape Turned Red (Ticknor & Fields, 1983, available) is an excellent account of the fighting in the Cornfield at Sharpsburg.
The Texans' attack on Little Round Top is well-covered in E. B. Coddington, The Gettyburg Campaign (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968, available) and H. W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day (U. of North Carolina Press, 1987) (available). P. Cozzens, This Terrible Sound (U. of Illinois Press, 1992) describes the Texans' role at Chickamauga.
Surprisingly, 1864 has been less well documented. The best descriptions of how the Texans saved the day in the Wilderness are still found in D. S. Freeman, Lee's Lieutenants (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1944, available) and R. E. Lee (same publisher, 1935, available). These works of course contain much other material about the operations of our brigade. The standard accounts of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania are Gordon C. Rhea, The Battle of the Wilderness (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1994, available) and The Battles of Spotsylvania Courthouse and the Road to Yellow Tavern (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1997, available). W. D. Matter, If It Takes All Summer (U. of North Carolina Press, 1988, available) also covers Spotsylvania. No complete study of the Texans in the Richmond/Petersburg siege has been published, but R. J. Sommers, Richmond Redeemed (Doubleday, 1981, available) covers their role in the crucial fighting around Ft. Harrison, and briefly mentions their last important battle at the Darbytown Road.
Note that works shown as "available" are either currently in print or available at reasonable prices from second-hand specialty stores. If you're in the second-hand book market, I strongly recommend Olde Soldier Books, 18779 B North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20879, (301) 963-2929. Tell them Lee Rainey sent you.