Sergeant Robert Burl Titus of Company A, one of the few native Texans to serve in the 16th Texas Cavalry, once had an interesting story to tell. Twenty four years after the battle of Mansfield, the following story by Sergeant Titus appeared in several newspapers.
Daring a Regiment
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The battle of Mansfield, La., was fought April 8th, 1864, General Banks in command on the Federal side, and General Kirby Smith on our side. Our regiment, the Sixteenth Texas, dismounted cavalry, was held in reserve for reinforcement. As well as I remember, it was placed to the right of the main battle, and to the enemy’s left. While there in line of battle, expecting orders every few minutes, listening to the heavy roar of cannonading, and the terrific peals of musketry, and more especially noticing the retreating steps of the Federals in the same direction as they came the day before, off to our right and down the line of our regiment a single rifle shot was heard- an accidental shot from one of our own men. I imagine the report of this shot drew the attention of the soldier in blue in question to the scene of action. In a short time after the report of the rifle we observed two mounted me dressed in blue skirting near the foot of a hill near a fence on the opposite side from us. They discovered us about the same time we did them. They made a sudden halt. One of them dismounted, left his horse with his comrade and walked up toward us, crossed the fence, and walked up within two or three hundred yards of our line and made a leisurely halt. The gun that was strapped to his shoulder was brought into immediate position for use. He stood perfectly calm and erect, seemingly measuring the distance with his eye, brought his gun to his shoulder with great calmness, taking deliberate aim, and fired. We stood each man in line, watching the actions of a Federal who could display such nerve – one single man to face a regiment of rebels. We watched anxiously the result of his fire. We did not exactly see the bullet of his gun bite the dust a few feet in our front, but we saw the dust fog up where it hit. He then stood erect in the same position as when he shot, his face front, waiting to receive our fire. (We were upon a ridge above him.) Several of our boys called for permission to return his salute. Some eight or ten of us walked out in front of our line, took aim, and fired. But how could we dare, under the existing circumstances, aim a bullet at a single brave man like that. My bullet, for one, sped far above his head. When the smoke cleared away from our fire we saw him walking leisurely away in the same direction from which he came, and remounting his horse, away they went. This is the last I ever saw of him. Later on in the evening we were engaged in the battle. Our last firing was at the Zouaves, and we slept on our guns that night, and were off to the battle of Pleasant Hill the next day. If these few lines should meet the notice of the man in blue on that occasion, we would be glad to hear from him. R. B. Titus
In addition to giving information as to the location and movements of the 16th Texas Cavalry during the battle of Mansfield, it shows that individual acts of bravery or daring could and did cross battle lines, and inspire admiration in what could have been a quite deadly enemy. The reputation of Walker’s Texans as a fighting force is testament enough to the danger the Federal placed himself in, had he not earned the goodwill of Fitzhugh’s boys.
Robert Burl Titus was married twice, once before the war, and once after, and had at least five children. At the time of his death, it is not known if Sergeant Titus had ever heard from the brave man in blue, or even of the unnamed soldier had survived the sound thrashing that General Banks’ army received that day. Robert Titus did, and lived until 1901, when he passed in White Rock, Hunt County, Texas. Today, his body lies in Webb Hill Cemetery in nearby Wolfe City.
Sergeant R. B. Titus’ tombstone in Webb-Hill cemetery, Wolfe City, Texas
Fitzhugh's Regiment 