Cater's reminiscences of his Civil War experiences, simply titled
As It Was, comprises a superbly detailed and colorful description
of a soldier's life in the ranks of the Third Texas Cavalry and the
Nineteenth Louisiana Infantry.
In the early chapters of As It Was, Cater describes his youthful
experiences, including his family life, education, hunting, and other
pleasant pastimes, plantation activities and relationships with
slaves, as well as social conditions. These chapters are valuable
for their honest views of life in the late antebellum northwestern
Louisiana and northeastern Texas.
In early May 1861 a wealthy Rusk County planter, Richard H.
Cumby, began recruiting a company of volunteers to serve as
cavalrymen. More than one hundred men, including Douglas John
Cater, answered the call. Representing the cream of Rusk County's
young male population, they would be designated as Company B
of Col. Elkanah Greer's Third Texas Cavalry, formed the following
month in Dallas. Cater served with the Third Texas Cavalry in the
Battle of Wilson's Creek and Elkhorn Tavern.
In June 1862, Douglas Cater transferred to the Nineteenth Louisiana
Infantry to be with his brother Rufus, and remained with that unit until
the end of the war. He participated in the Battles of Chickamauga,
Missionary Ridge, Franklin, and Nashville.
_________________________________________________________
T. MICHAEL PARRISH is the co-author of Confederate Imprints, a
bibliography of Southern publications from secession to surrender,
and a specialist in rare books.
Other First-hand Accounts
Of Related Interest
