TheFifth Military District of theU.S. Army was one of five temporaryadministrative units of theU.S. War Department that existed in theAmerican South from 1867 to 1870. The district was stipulated by theReconstruction Acts during theReconstruction period following the American Civil War.[1][2] It covered the states ofTexas andLouisiana.
GeneralPhilip Sheridan served as its first military governor, enforcing theReconstruction Acts and removing some Confederate sympathizers from office. This outragedU.S. PresidentAndrew Johnson, who ordered his removal from the Fifth in August 1867. His replacement was the DemocratWinfield Scott Hancock, who undid much of Sheridan's work.
In the three months between Sheridan's removal and Hancock's arrival in New Orleans, the Fifth was led by two interim commanders:Charles Griffin until his death from yellow fever, thenJoseph A. Mower.
WhenUlysses S. Grant took office in March 1869, he replaced Hancock withJoseph J. Reynolds, who commanded the Fifth until Texas was readmitted to the Union on March 30, 1870, and military control ended.
Several incidents were committed against black federal soldiers atFort Brown in Brownsville, Texas, and elsewhere byJayhawkers, Natives, desperados, etc. Most incident reports fail to identify the perpetrators.
Among theUnited States Army forces stationed inTexas were theU.S. 1st Artillery, the4th,6th and9th Cavalry Regiments, and the15th,17th,20th,25th and41st Infantry Regiments.
The "U.S. Military Post Returns 1809-1916", archived by NARA, shows monthly post reports were filed for the U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment stationed in San Antonio, TX from about Dec. 1866 to mid-1870. It was commanded most of the time by Brigadier General (Brevet)John S. Mason.