About Me
General Joseph Lewis Hogg
Joseph moved, at the age of 9, to Northern Alabama, with his parents in 1815. He grew to manhood, married, and became a successful plantation owner near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. While living there he served as a Major in the militia. In 1836, he and his father moved from Alabama to Northern Mississippi, near Bellefountaine, and successfully operated plantations.
In 1838, Joseph migrated to the Republic of Texas at the behest of his good friend, Sam Houston. He established his 'Loco Creek' Plantation near Nacogdoches and opened his own law office in Nacogdoches. He was popular and well liked in the community.
He served in the 8th Republican Congress and later asked by another good friend, Thomas Jefferson Rusk, to serve as a voting member in the "State Constitutional Convention" and he helped bring Texas into the Union.
After annexation, he was elected as a state senator to our first State Legislature and promoted railroads in Texas. He also was the writer and sponsor of our Homestead Law, and he helped to carve the 19 counties, out of Old Spanish Nacogdoches County, that make up East Texas today.
He left his senatorial seat when fighting broke out with Mexico, in 1846. He joined Company "E", 2nd Regiment of the Texas Rangers, serving under Ben McCulloch at the Battle of Monterey. After his service in the Mexican/American War he returned home and continued to be a successful plantation owner, lawyer, and educator.
When war clouds loomed in 1860, he was asked to serve as a delegate in the "Peoples Convention" of January/February 1861, to vote on the question of seccession and was appointed head of the 5th Military District by order of inturm Governor Edward Clark, with a State commission of Major General. His job was to establish training camps and equip men for war. He did a brilliant job and took time to organize his own company, Company "C", Texas Third Cavalry, also known as the "Lonestar Defenders".
He was commissioned by his close friend, President Jefferson Davis, as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army on February 14, 1862. He was given command of the 1st Texas Battallion Dismounted Cavalry, McCray's Arkansas Battallion, the 10th and 11th Texas Infantry, and Goodes' (later Douglas') Battery of light artillery, all brigaded for service with the Confederate Army of the West.
Hogg and his troops were sent to Corinth, MS, to prepare for the Shiloh campaign and the defense of Corinth, in April/May 12, 1862.
While doing gargantuan work in the crowded camps he contracted dysentery and died on May 16, 1862 at the end of the "Seige of Corinth", not to be confused with the "Battle of Cornith" that took place in October of that year.
By John Garbutt
