Capt. Christopher “Kit” C. Haynes
A Hero of the Civil War – A Pioneer of Jackson County

Captain Christopher C. Haynes was born at Gunter’s Landing, Alabama November 23, 1838. He was a son of William Hayes of Virginia and Mary Gunter, a daughter of the Cherokee founder of a trading settlement on the big bend of the Tennessee River, now known as Guntersville His mother died while he was still an infant. He was brought to Texas in 1842 by his father and an elder half-brother, John Haynes, who settled on Clark’s Creek in lower Lavaca County.

His early life was spent in the cattle and mercantile business in Lavaca, DeWitt, Victoria and Jackson counties after completing a primary schooling at Hallettsville and Cuero.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Capt. Christopher C. Haynes was one of the first men in this section of the State to offer his service to the State and was formerly mustered into State service, March, 1861, at Arenosa, Texas, the organization being known informally as the “Washington Volunteers” later incorporated into the Second Texas Infantry of Hood’s Brigade. Captain Haynes was elected First Lieutenant of his company, a few weeks after enrollment, and according to Major Sprogne’s Account of the Secession Activities in Texas (published by the New York State Historical Society), he commanded a detachment of forty men who by the order of Colonel McCullough captured the Federal Garrison and supplies of Camp Verde at Indianola, Texas, for the Confederates. Fortunately, there was little resistance, much to the doughty New York major’s indignation; the major styled his account of the events of 1861 as “Treachery in Texas.”

Captain Haynes got his company command and at the Battle of Shiloh after brief service in Virginia fought at the First Battle of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain and at Atlanta. He was wounded at Chickamauga and convalesced in a military hospital at Atlanta where he observed and studied medical practice to the best of his ability, as the shortage of Confederate Surgeons made every Company Commander an emergency doctor, similar to a ship captain in emergency. Many tales were told of the old soldier’s achievements in the medical line in later life, when he would perform an amputation achievement or probe for a bullet in an unfortunate neighbor from along the Lavaca Bottom.

Capt. C. C. Haynes married Miss Margaret Williams of Lavaca County in 1867 and after mercantile ventures at Cuero, Runge and Hope, where he served as Commissioner of Lavaca County, moved permanently into Jackson County in 1890, locating in the Navidad Settlement where he was elected County Commissioner in 1900 and served in this position until 1906, being one of the commissioners who was responsible for the erecting of the present courthouse and the retention of the county seat at Edna, when there was a movement to remove it to Red Bluff (that actually resulted in a county election on the subject).

Captain Haynes died in San Antonio, Texas, in the fall of 1913, where he had gone for treatment for an attack of pleurisy and was buried by the side of his wife in what is known as the Bonham graveyard at Navidad. His death occurred during the Southern Pacific Railway strike of that year. No trains were running and his body had to be brought overland from Cuero by a fifteen-year-old grandson.

Captain Haynes’ children were:

Annie Haynes, who married Adam Webb of the present Lowrance Ranch

Mary “Minnie” Haynes, who married Edward C. Bonham of Navidad

Katherine Haynes who married Cornelius Haynes of the Haynes Ranch

Blanche Haynes who married Erasmus Haynes of the Haynes Ranch

Jean C. Haynes who was State Comptroller, Superintendent of the State Penitentiary at Huntsville and State Purchasing Agent

Baron C. Haynes M. D. of Memphis Medical College in 1896, who was Sheriff of Goliad County for many years

Willard C. Haynes, M. D., Maryland Medical College in 1903, now residing in California

Ora Lee Haynes, who married a Mr. Brown in Wyoming

Captain Haynes was acquainted with and visited many of his connections in the Cherokee Nation including the well-known Bushyhead Rogers and Black Coat families of who included the father of the well-known Will Rogers, and his great-aunt who was the consort of General Sam Houston. His first vote cast for this statesman and soldier whose oldest son was a companion in arms in Hood’s Texas Brigade, until wounded and captured at the Battle of Shiloh.

The Cavalcade of Jackson County, Third Edition, pages 389-391
Used by permission of the Jackson County Historical Commission
 

Confederate Veteran Dies
C. C. Haynes Saw Much Service in the Civil War

Christopher Columbus Haynes, a Confederate veteran, died yesterday morning at the home of his daughter Mrs. Flora Mize, 108 Warwick Avenue. He was in his seventieth year.

Although a native of Alabama, he had lived in Texas for the last sixty-five years. Two years ago he came to San Antonio. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was living in Victoria and at once joined Hood’s Brigade. With the exception of Gettysburg, he was in all of the historic battles east of the Mississippi River and was severely wounded at Lookout Mountain. He was for eleven months a prisoner of the Federals in the Springfield, Ill. Prison.

Surviving him are Dr. B. H. Haynes , Weesatche; J. C. Haynes, Huntsville; Dr. W. C. Haynes, Edna; Mrs. Flora Mize, San Antonio; Mrs. Adam Webb, Buffalo, Wyo.; Mrs. F. M. Cralle, Los Angeles; Mrs. Kittie Hayes, San Francisco.

The body was sent to Navidad for interment by the Shelley-Loring Company.

San Antonio Express, November 17, 1913