This Day In Texas History - April 26

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1865 - The Eighteenth Texas Cavalry, also known as Darnell's Cavalry Regiment surrendered on April 26, 1865, at Bennett's House, Durham Station, in North Carolina. It was organized at Dallas, Texas, on March 15, 1862. The regiment initially had ten companies lettered A to K comprising men from the counties of Bastrop, Bell, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Harris, Henderson, Johnson, Travis, and Williamson. Commanding the regiment was Col. Nicholas H. Darnell with field officers Lt. Col. John T. Coit, Maj. Charles C. Morgan, and Maj. William A. Ryan. The regiment was first assigned to duty in the Indian Territory where it became involved in a dispute with that area's commanding officer Gen. Albert Pike. The dispute stemmed from the regiment moving its camp without notifying General Pike. Soon after, the regiment was dismounted in April 1862 and transferred to Arkansas Post, Arkansas, in August 1862.

The Eighteenth Texas Cavalry took part in more than thirty engagements and battles while serving in the Army of Tennessee. Its most notable battles and campaigns were Chickamauga on September 19–20, 1863; the Chattanooga siege and Chattanooga from September to November 1863; the Atlanta campaign from May to September 1864; Jonesboro from August 31 to September 1, 1864; Franklin on November 30, 1864; Nashville on December 15–16, 1864; the Carolinas campaign from February to April, 1865; and Bentonville on March 19–21, 1865. The Eighteenth Texas Cavalry suffered heavy casualties throughout the war and probably fewer than 125 enlisted men and officers were present at the regiment's surrender.

1886 - The Bastrop and Taylor Railway Company was chartered on April 26, 1886, to build from Bastrop to Taylor for a distance of thirty-two miles. The business office was in Bastrop. The line had a capital of $320,000. R. S. Walker served as the first president. Members of the first board of directors were M. H. McLaurin and Calvin Satterfield, both of Austin, and A. W. Moore, J. C. Buchanan, R. A. Green, and Chester Erhard, all of Bastrop. On November 18, 1891, the line became part of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company of Texas.

1943 - Lubbock Army Flying School, changed its name to Lubbock Army Airfield, on April 26, 1943. It later became known as Reese Air Force Base. Aircraft flown from the base during World War II included the T-6 Texan, the AT-17 Bobcat, and the AT-9 Jeep. The base was closed on December 31, 1945, after graduating more than 7,000 pilots. Some barracks were converted to veterans' housing, and the National Guard, Air Reserve, and Naval Reserve units took over other buildings. The base was reactivated on October 5, 1949, as a multiengine pilot-training base. The installation was called Lubbock Air Force Base until November 5, 1949, when it was renamed Reese Air Force Base in honor of 1st Lt. Augustus F. Reese, Jr., a native of nearby Shallowater, who was killed in action during World War II. The main aircraft used was the TB-25 "Mitchell" bomber, which was used to train student officers and aviation cadets.