DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Lieutenant Colonel Philip A. Work, right here in Tyler County. Now, some men arrive in Texas and just kind of blend into the landscape.
Philip A. Work was not that kind of man. He came to Texas in 1838, and from the very start, he seemed to have a talent for showing up at the moments that mattered most.
When Texas stood at the edge of a great and terrible decision, Work was there. He represented Tyler County at the Texas secession convention in 1861. Whatever your feelings about what came next, you have to understand — that room was full of men who knew they were changing the course of history.
Work was one of them. And then the war came, and Philip Work didn't just participate in it. He raised a company.
He became Captain of Company F, First Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade. Now, Hood's Texas Brigade — if you know anything about the Civil War, you know that name. And if you don't, well, let me tell you what it cost to carry that flag.
Work rose to Lieutenant Colonel, and from June of 1862 through January of 1864 he commanded Hood's Texans. He led them into battles that would haunt the history books forever. Take Sharpsburg.
Just sit with this for a moment. At Sharpsburg, Hood's Texas Brigade suffered over eighty-two percent casualties. The marker calls it the greatest loss for any unit in any Civil War action.
Any unit. Either side. Anywhere in that whole long, bloody war.
And Philip Work was there, standing in the middle of it. He led the Texas Brigade on the second day at Gettysburg. He was there at Chickamauga in 1863, which went into the books as a Confederate victory — though victory in that war had a way of costing just about as much as defeat.
After all of that, Work came home. Not to celebrate, not to give speeches — he came home to regain his health. The war had taken something out of him, the way it took something out of just about every man who made it back.
But he wasn't done yet. He served in David S. Terry's Texas Cavalry before it was finally, truly over.
When the war ended, Philip A. Work did what a good many Texas soldiers did — he picked up the law. He practiced it, built a life around it, and eventually the land that had claimed him back in 1838 claimed him for good.
He is buried in the old Hardin Cemetery. Over eighty-two percent. The greatest loss of any unit in the entire war.
That number doesn't get smaller no matter how many times you say it. Philip Work led those men, and he carried that weight all the way home to Tyler County, Texas.
What the marker says
Came to Texas, 1838, represented Tyler County, Texas secession convention, 1861. Raised and was Captain, Co. F. 1st Regt., Hood's Texas brigade. As Lieutenant Colonel, commanded Hood's Texans June 1862-Jan. 1864, in battles such as Sharpsburg, where brigade had over 82% casualties. Greatest loss for any unit in any Civil War action. Col. work led Texas brigade second day, Gettysburg; And in Chickamauga victory, 1863. After coming home to regain health, was in David S. Terry's Texas cavalry. After war practiced law. Is buried in old Hardin Cemetery.