Only a Private: A Texan Remembers the Civil War : The Memoirs of William J. OliphantWhen the Civil War broke out in 1861, 16 year old William J. Oliphant left Austin and rushed to join Confederate service with thousands of other Texans. Oliphant initially joined the Travis Rifles, and was later mustered into the Sixth Texas Infantry, CSA at Camp Henry E. McCullough, near Victoria, Texas in 1862. Oliphant and the Sixth Texas were sent to Arkansas in May of 1862, where Oliphant saw action in Battle of Arkansas Post. After the surrender