Brigadier General Horace Randal

Horace Randal (1833-1864), Confederate Brigadier General. son of Sarah McNeil (Kyle) and Dr. John Leonard Randal was born on January 1, 1833, in McNairy County, Tennessee. In 1839 the family moved to Texas and settled near San Augustine. In 1849 Horace Randal and James B.McIntyre became the first Texas appointees to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Randal spent five years at the academy because of a deficiency in mathmatics and English and thus was the second Texas graduate from West Point. He graduated on July 1, 1854, and was brevetted second lieutenant in the Eighth United States Infantry. On March 3, 1855, he was transferred to Company G, First Dragoons, with the substantive rank of second lieutenant. He subsequently served continuously on frontier duty in Indian Territory, Arizona, New Mexico, and at Fort Bliss and Fort Davis in Texas
Randal resigned from the United States Army on February 27, 1861, went into the Confederate service, and was commisioned a first lieutenant in the cavalry on March 16,1861. He first served in Gen. Braxton Bragg's quartermaster corps at Pensacola, Florida, and was later transferrred to the Army of Northern Virginia. On November 16, 1861, he was appointed aide-de-camp to Maj.Gen. Gustavus W. Smith. He was commissioned a colonel of cavalry on February 12, 1862, and recruited the 28th Texas Cavalryregiment (Dismounted) in and around Marshall. Randal recruited his father, brother and brother in law as members of his regimental staff. On July 9, 1862, the regiment of twelve companies paraded through Marshall and left for Little Rock, Arkansas to join what later became the Second Brigade of Gen. John G. Walker's Texas (Greyhound) Division. As a colonel, Randal was appointed brigade commander on September 3, 1862, and served in Arkansas and Louisiana. He led the brigade at Milken's Bend during the Vicksburg Campaign in June 1863, and in repulsing Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks Red River campaign in the spring of 1864. He was appointed brigadier general by Gen. E. Kirby Smith on April 8, 1864, but his promotion was never confirmed by the Confederate government.
Randal was first married to Julia S. Bassett, on June 2, 1858, in New London, Connecticut. Julia was born on 7 Jan 1835 in New London, CT., and was the daughter of Abner Bassett, born about 1813 and Mrs. Bassett, born about 1815. Julia accompanied Horace to the southwestern frontier and was living with him in 1860 at Fort Buchanan, New Mexico Territory, fifty miles southeast of Tuscon. Julia was unable to withstand the rigors of frontier life and died 13 Jan 1861, in New London, CT., and was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery. Newborn Randal was born in Jan 1861 in New London, CT. and died in Jan 1861 in New London, CT and was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Randal married Nannie E. Taylor, the daughter of Samuel J. Taylor, born about 1806 and Nancy E., born about 1818.
On July 8, 1862, in Marshall, on the eve of his departure with his new regiment. They had one son, Horace Jr., born in December 1863 in Forth Worth, TX. Nannie E. Taylor married Capt. T.M.K. Smith after the death of Horace. Nannie was born in 1846 in South Carolina. She died in 1880 in Cantonment on the North Fork of the Canadian River", a post from 1879-1881, in what is now, Blaine County, Oklahoma.
Horace Randal died of wounds recieved at the battle of Jenkin's Ferry, Arkansas, on April 30, 1864. He was first buried at the hamlet of Tulip, Arkansas, near the battlefield, and later his remains were removed to the Old Marshall Cemetery at Marshall. A State marker was erected at his grave in 1962. Randall County in Texas is named for him, a clerical error doubled the "l" in the name.
The U.S.S. Randall was named for Randall County, Texas.

Source: The New Texas Handbook, Tom Jones

Grave of Horace Randal
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