William Polk Hardeman

William Polk Hardeman (November 4, 1816 – April 8, 1898) was an officer who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was born in Williamson County, Tennessee, on November 4, 1816. In 1835, Hardeman relocated to Texas, where he participated in the Texas War of Independence in 1836. Subsequently, he became a member of the Texas Rangers and served in the Mexican–American War of 1846–1847 under the command of Ben McCulloch.

Throughout his military career, Hardeman was involved in several campaigns and battles. During the Civil War, he initially held the rank of captain in May 1861, leading the 4th Texas Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 4th Texas Mounted Rifles. He took part in Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley's New Mexico Campaign, which included the Confederate victories at the Battle of Valverde and the subsequent retreat following the Battle of Glorieta Pass. At Valverde, Lieutenant Colonel William Read Scurry commended Hardeman for leading the regimental charge in the final moments of the battle.

Hardeman was promoted to lieutenant colonel of his regiment on March 28, 1862, coinciding with the Battle of Glorieta Pass. He attained the rank of colonel in January 1863. In December 1863, he briefly commanded a brigade within the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department and resumed brigade command in September 1864. He participated in the Red River Campaign, including the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill on April 8 and 9, 1864, and was involved in the pursuit of Union forces under Major General Nathaniel P. Banks after these engagements.

On October 28, 1864, based on the recommendation of General E. Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, Hardeman was appointed a brigadier general with rank dating from March 17, 1865. During the final months of the Civil War, he commanded a mounted brigade operating in Texas and Louisiana until May 1865. There are no records indicating he was formally paroled after surrender.

Following the conclusion of hostilities, Hardeman initially fled to Mexico but soon returned to Texas. He became a planter in the state and, in 1874, commenced public service as sergeant-at-arms of the Texas House of Representatives. Later, he served as an inspector of railroads. In his later years, he was appointed superintendent of public buildings and grounds in Austin, Texas, overseeing the Texas Confederate Soldiers' Home. William Polk Hardeman died on April 8, 1898, in Austin, Texas, and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.