Philip N. Luckett facts for kids

Philip Noland Luckett (born around 1823 – died May 21, 1869) was an American soldier and doctor. He served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was well-known for his work in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, which was the area west of the Mississippi River. Before the war started, he helped convince a U.S. Army general to give up military bases to the Confederacy. This gave the new Confederate nation important weapons and supplies.

Early Life and Texas Adventures

Philip N. Luckett was born in Virginia. He studied medicine and became a doctor. When he was young, he moved to Ohio. Later, in 1847, he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. He volunteered to be the doctor for the famous Texas Rangers. He worked with the company led by Captain John "Rip" Ford for much of the 1840s.

Luckett strongly believed in states' rights. This was the idea that individual states should have more power than the federal government. He was thought to be involved with a group called the Knights of the Golden Circle.

Texas Secession and Negotiations

In early 1861, Luckett was chosen as a representative from Nueces and Webb counties for the Texas state secession meeting. This meeting decided if Texas would leave the United States. After Texas voted to leave, Luckett was one of four men chosen to talk with the U.S. government. Their job was to arrange for military bases in Texas to be safely handed over to the Confederates.

On February 8, 1861, Luckett, along with Samuel A. Maverick and Thomas J. Devine, met with U.S. Army General David E. Twiggs. They talked about the surrender of U.S. property in San Antonio. This included military supplies stored at the old Alamo mission. Because of these talks, General Twiggs handed over his entire command and all its army property to the Confederacy.

Civil War Service

After the fighting began at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, Dr. Luckett was made the Quartermaster General for the new Confederate forces in Texas. A Quartermaster General is in charge of getting and distributing supplies for the army. He worked for the commander of the Texas Department, Earl Van Dorn. Luckett rode north from his home to find volunteers for the Confederate army. He helped hundreds of men sign up for service.

In the fall of 1861, Luckett was elected colonel of the 3rd Texas Infantry. This was a regiment (a military unit) that he had helped gather. Luckett and his 648 men were first sent to guard the Rio Grande river for several months, starting in December.

Defending Texas

Starting in October 1862, Luckett and the 3rd Texas guarded many different posts. These posts stretched from Fort Brown to Laredo. After spending the winter defending a line near the Brazos River southwest of Houston, the 3rd Texas moved to Galveston. They arrived there on July 12, 1863.

A few weeks later, Luckett received a special promotion to brigadier general. By early August, he was back in Brownsville. He took over as the commander of that subdistrict from Rip Ford.

Red River Campaign

In April 1864, Luckett's men were sent to the front lines. They served in the brigade (a large military unit) of Brig. Gen. William Read Scurry. This brigade was part of Walker's Texas Division. They fought during the Red River campaign, a series of battles in Louisiana.

During the Camden Expedition, Luckett's regiment fought in the important Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. Here, Walker's "Greyhounds" helped push back a U.S. Army force led by Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele. Luckett took command of the brigade after General Scurry died. He led the brigade for the rest of that year. However, Luckett became ill and was given other duties. This kept him from fighting on the front lines as the war ended in early 1865. He also served as a judge on a court that looked into Sterling Price's difficult Missouri Raid.

After the War

When the Confederacy fell apart in April and May 1865, Luckett refused to surrender to the U.S. authorities. Instead, he and about forty men went with General John George Walker across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

In November of that year, Dr. Luckett returned to Texas. However, U.S. authorities arrested him and Thomas Devine, who was also a commissioner of safety. He was taken to Fort Jackson, Louisiana, near New Orleans, and put in prison for the winter. People worked to get him released, and he was finally set free.

However, Luckett's health was very poor. He spent several months in New Orleans getting better. He eventually felt well enough to travel north to Cincinnati, Ohio. He lived there with relatives until he passed away in May 1869.