DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along. Now, Smith County has seen its share of big men, but Colonel Thomas R. Bonner — born in Mississippi in 1836 — had a way of showing up exactly where history needed somebody steady.
He came to Texas in 1849, which means he was a young man still when this state was barely more than a republic with ambitions. By the time the Civil War broke out, he was already in the Texas militia, already answering the call before anyone had to ask twice. In 1862, he was elected captain of Company C, 18th Texas Infantry, Confederate States of America.
That right there is the kind of title that carries weight. And he didn't just wear the rank — by 1863 he was commanding the entire 18th as its Colonel, and he'd hold that command all the way through 1865. Now let me tell you where that unit went, because these weren't quiet postings.
Bonner gallantly led the 18th at Bourbeau, at Mansfield, at Pleasant Hill — all in Louisiana — and at Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas. The marker calls all of these vital actions to prevent Federal invasions of Texas. Four battles.
Every one of them a door being held shut. And those doors were worth holding, because Texas in those years was something extraordinary. The state had voted for secession three to one — a popular vote, all-out — and what followed was an all-out effort to match it.
Ninety thousand Texas troops, famed for their mobility and daring, fought on every battlefront. At the same time, a two-thousand-mile frontier and coastline were being defended — against Union troop invasion and against what the marker calls savage Indian raids. Texas wasn't just sending men to the fight.
Texas was the storehouse of the Western Confederacy. Wagon trains heavy with cotton — the life blood of the South, the marker calls it — rolled across the state all the way to Mexico, trading for medical supplies, clothing, military goods. Meanwhile, state and private industry was producing guns, ammunition, wagons, pots, kettles, leather goods, salt, hospital supplies.
And back home, wives and sons and daughters and slaves were providing corn, cotton, cloth, cattle, hogs, and cured meats to the army. Giving much, keeping little for themselves. That line deserves a moment of quiet.
When the war ended, Thomas Bonner came home to Tyler and didn't slow down one step. He was admitted to the bar and practiced law. He served in the Eleventh through the Fifteenth Texas Legislatures — five terms — and in 1876 he served as Speaker of the House.
He founded the first bank in Tyler. He was a leader in building the Tyler Tap Railroad. He established an insurance company.
He served as trustee of East Texas University. And in 1875, he was named Grand Master of Masons in Texas. A man born in Mississippi in 1836, arrived in Texas in 1849, died in 1891.
In between, he led men through four battles on two state fronts, built a bank, built a railroad, ran a legislature, and helped hold a two-thousand-mile line. That's not a biography — that's a blueprint for what Texas expected of its own.
What the marker says
(Star and Wreath) (1836-1891) Born in Mississippi. Came to Texas 1849. In Texas militia at start of Civil War. Elected captain Co. C, 18th Tex. Infantry, C. S. A., 1862. Commanded 18th as Colonel, 1863-65. Gallantly led unit in battles at Bourbeau, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, La. and Jenkins' Ferry, Ark., all being vital actions to prevent Federal invasions of Texas. After the war, admitted to bar and practiced law in Tyler. Served in 11-15th Texas Legislatures and as speaker of the house in 1876. Founded the first bank in Tyler. Leader in building Tyler Tap Railroad. Established an insurance company. Trustee East Texas University. Grand Master of Masons in Texas, 1875. Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after a 3 to 1 popular vote for secession. 90,000 troops, famed for mobility and daring, fought on every battlefront. A 2,000-mile frontier and coast were successfully defended from Union troop invasion and savage Indians. Texas was the storehouse of Western Confederacy. Wagon trains laden with cotton - life blood of the South - crossed the state to Mexico to trade for medical supplies, clothing, military supplies. State and private industry produced guns, ammunition, wagons, pots, kettles, leather goods, salt, hospital supplies. Wives, sons, daughters, slaves provided corn, cotton, cloth, cattle, hogs, cured meats to the army, giving much, keeping little for themselves.