Zachariah Gaulden and James B. Richardson were both in Hind’s Battalion

During the War of 1812, both Zachariah Gaulden and James Brumfield Richardson served in Captain John G. Richardson’s Troop of Cavalry, part of Major Thomas Hinds’s Battalion of Mississippi Territory Dragoons. (1) Their military paths ran side‑by‑side, yet their experiences within the same unit reveal striking differences in rank, responsibility, and continuity of service. (1)

James Brumfield Richardson and Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden were related through Martha Gaulden who married Francis Richardson and became the mother of James.  Her brother was Zachariah Brumfield Gaulden, which made Zachariah the maternal uncle of James. Their civilian lives overlapped as well.  The Gaulden, Richardson, Reily, and Singleton families lived near one another, witnessed each other’s legal documents, and appear repeatedly in one another’s land and court records. They formed a web of intermarried and interdependent families typical of early Mississippi frontier settlements.

Comrades Divided: The Parting of James Gaulden and Zachariah Richardson

The War of 1812

Both men entered service on September 17, 1813, and appear together on the same muster rolls through the fall of that year. They rode the same frontier routes, served under the same officers, and participated in the same campaigns, including the troop movements that eventually brought Hinds’s Battalion to New Orleans during the famous 1814–1815 campaign. Their names appear on identical muster periods—late 1813, the brief muster at Liberty in 1814, and the extended service from October 1814 through March 1815. In this sense, their military stories overlap closely: they were present in the same company, in the same places, at the same time. (3)

Yet their roles within the troop were very different. Zachariah Gaulden served as a First Lieutenant, second in command under Captain Richardson. His records show continuous service, officer‑level responsibilities, and detailed reimbursements for horses, servants, and rations. He earned $33⅓ per month, received compensation for two horses, and accumulated nearly six months of active duty pay during the New Orleans campaign. His presence is steady and consistent across the rolls, with only a brief furlough near the end of his service.

James B. Richardson, by contrast, served as a Private. His pay was far lower—$8 per month—and his records show more frequent furloughs, especially during the New Orleans period. Although he served the same tours, his participation was more intermittent, and he appears absent on several rolls where Gaulden is present. He received only basic cavalry allowances, including 40 cents per day for the loan of his horse.

Despite these differences, the two men shared the same military environment. They rode under the same captain—John G. Richardson, likely a relative of James—and served alongside other Richardson men, including Corporal Jared N. Richardson. Their shared service places them together in one of the most storied units of the Mississippi Territory, a battalion remembered for its role in the defense of New Orleans.

In the end, Gaulden and Richardson’s records overlap in time, place, and unit, but diverge sharply in rank, responsibility, pay, and continuity of service. Gaulden appears as a stable and active officer throughout the war, while Richardson’s record reflects the more limited and irregular service of an enlisted cavalryman. Together, their records offer a fuller picture of the men who rode in Hinds’s Battalion and the different roles they played in the same historic campaigns.

Hinds’s Battalion and the Battle of New Orleans

Major Thomas Hinds’s Battalion of Mississippi Territory Dragoons was one of General Andrew Jackson’s most valuable mounted units during the War of 1812. (4) Composed of skilled frontier horsemen, the battalion served as Jackson’s scouts, couriers, and rapid‑response force during the New Orleans campaign. Their mobility allowed them to patrol the river roads and bayous, track British movements, and protect the American army from surprise attacks.

When British forces landed below New Orleans in December 1814, Hinds’s cavalry played a crucial role in the night attack of December 23, helping cover the American withdrawal and preventing the British from pursuing Jackson’s troops. In the days that followed, they continually harassed British pickets, disrupted reconnaissance efforts, and forced the enemy to divert troops to guard their flanks. On January 8, 1815, during the decisive Battle of New Orleans, the battalion secured the American right flank, patrolled the rear, and pursued retreating British forces after the failed assault. (5) First Lieutenant Zachariah Gaulden was present with the battalion throughout this campaign and appears consistently on the muster rolls taken at New Orleans and at Camp near New Orleans.  James B. Richardson, however, though a member of the same troop, was absent on furlough during the New Orleans operations. His muster rolls for late 1814 and early 1815 repeatedly list him as absent, meaning he did not participate in the night attack, the defensive preparations, or the battle itself. While he served earlier in the war alongside Gaulden, he was not present for the battalion’s most famous actions.

Could Richardson’s Mental Instability Explain His Furloughs?

Although the War of 1812 muster rolls do not give a reason for James B. Richardson’s repeated furloughs during the New Orleans campaign, his later life provides important context. By the 1850 census he was recorded as “insane,” and he ultimately died in the Louisiana State Insane Asylum in 1859. Mental illness does not typically appear suddenly in old age; many conditions—such as mood disorders, psychotic disorders, or neurological instability—can manifest earlier in adulthood and worsen over time. If Richardson was already experiencing symptoms in his twenties, he may have struggled with the stress, noise, danger, and physical demands of cavalry service. Militia officers often granted furloughs for men who were emotionally unstable, unable to perform duties, or showing signs of mental distress, especially in frontier units where formal medical evaluations were rare. While we cannot prove it definitively, Richardson’s later documented mental decline makes it entirely plausible that early symptoms contributed to his being repeatedly furloughed and ultimately absent from the New Orleans campaign, but this is conjectural and not proven.

Conclusion

The military careers of Zachariah Gaulden and James Brumfield Richardson began side by side in Captain John G. Richardson’s cavalry troop, two young men from the same frontier community riding together in Hinds’s Battalion during the early stages of the War of 1812. For a time, their service overlapped completely—they trained together, mustered together, and served in the same company during the 1813 campaign. Whatever their personal relationship may have been, they unquestionably knew each other, shared the same officers, and moved within the same tightly connected network of Gaulden, Richardson, Reily, and Singleton families in Wilkinson County.

But as the war intensified and the battalion marched toward New Orleans, their paths diverged. Gaulden, a First Lieutenant, remained with the troop and served through the entire New Orleans campaign. Richardson, a Private, went on repeated furloughs and was absent during the battalion’s most famous actions. Whether his absences were due to family obligations, illness, or the early signs of the mental instability that would later define his life, the result was the same: the two men who had once served together found themselves on different trajectories.

Their intertwined yet divergent stories reflect the complexity of frontier life—shared service, shared community, and shared history, but ultimately shaped by personal circumstances that pulled them apart.

Works Cited

1. Muster Rolls and Pay Rolls, Hinds’s Battalion, Mississippi Territory Dragoons, War of 1812. National Archives, Record Group 94 (Records of the Adjutant General’s Office. [Online]

2. Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers, 1812-1815. ancestry.com. [Online] https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2126/images/32646_b036851-00827?pId=10098.

3. Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. National Archives Microfilm Publication M678. [Online]

4. Remini, Robert V. The Battle of New Orleans. New York: Penguin Books. [Online] 1999.

5. Rowland, Dunbar. Mississippi Territory in the War of 1812. Jackson, MS. Mississippi Department of Archives and History, 1908. [Online]

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