Texas Brigade The Texas Brigade , also often referred to as Hood ' s Brigade , was an infantry brigade in the Confederate States Army that distinguished itself for its fierce tenacity and fighting capability during the American Civil War . Organization . The original Texas Brigade was organized on October 22 , 1861 , primarily through the efforts of John Allen Wilcox , a member of the First Confederate Congress from Texas who remained as the brigade ' s political patron until his death in 1864 . The brigade was initially and briefly under the command of Louis T . Wigfall until he took a seat in the Confederate Senate . Command was then given to John Bell Hood ( hence the Texas Brigade was often known as " Hood ' s Brigade " or " Hood ' s Texas Brigade " ) . For much of the war , it was assigned to Longstreet ’ s Corps , General Robert E . Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia , and commanded for much of the war by Brig . Gen . Jerome B . Robertson . It initially comprised the 1st , 4th , and 5th Texas regiment s , the 18th Georgia Infantry and ( after the Battle of Seven Pines ) Hampton ' s ( South Carolina ) Legion . After the general reorganization of Lee ' s army following the battle of Antietam in late 1862 , the Georgians and South Carolinians were reassigned to brigades from their respective states and the 3rd Arkansas Infantry was added due to their being the only other trans - Mississippi regiment and single Arkansas regiment serving with Lee ' s army . Battle actions . The brigade distinguished itself as a hard fighter during the Seven Days Battle where it routed the enemy at Gaines ' Mill , captured a battery of guns , and repulsed a cavalry counterattack . Its reputation was furthered when it spearheaded Longstreet ' s assault on Pope ' s left at the battle of Second Manassas . The brigade overran two Union regiments , nearly annihilated the 5th New York Zouaves , and captured a battery of guns . Its reputation for fighting was sealed at the Battle of Sharpsburg , when it sealed a gap in the Confederate line and drove back the two Union Corps that were attacking . However , this was not without cost . Out of 854 that went into battle at Sharpsburg , 550 of the Texas Brigade were killed or wounded . The brigade ' s most famous action took place on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg , during its fight for Devil ' s Den . Though the Confederacy ultimately lost that battle , the 1st Texas , 4th Texas , 5th Texas , and 3rd Arkansas distinguished themselves in taking Devil ' s Den despite being greatly outnumbered and suffering heavy casualties , to include General Robertson being wounded . By the war ' s end , the Texas Brigade had fought in all the battles engaged in by the Army of Northern Virginia except Chancellorsville . Battles included the Battle of Seven Pines , Seven Days Battle , Battle of South Mountain , Battle of Sharpsburg , Battle of Fredericksburg , Battle of Gettysburg , and the Battle of the Wilderness . They later fought with the Army of Tennessee at Chickamauga and during the Knoxville Campaign , as well as with Longstreet at Suffolk . Of the estimated 5 , 353 men who enlisted in the three Texas and one Arkansas regiments , only 617 remained to surrender on April 9 , 1865 , at Appomattox Court House in Virginia . The Texas Brigade , along with the Stonewall Brigade from Virginia , were considered to be the Army of Northern Virginia ' s shock troops .