General W. H. King

Duane's take

The way this marker tells it, here's the story of General W. H. King, and I'm just passing it along to you straight from the official record.

Now, Hopkins County, Texas, has a lot to be proud of, and one name that marker wants you to remember is W. H. King.

Born in 1839, a Georgian by origin, he moved to Texas in 1861. And the world he stepped into was already on fire. Texas had just voted for secession, three to one, and the state was throwing everything it had into the Confederate cause.

Ninety thousand troops, famous for their daring and mobility, were headed to every battlefront you could name. Two thousand miles of frontier and coastline needed defending, not just from Union forces but from what the marker calls savage Indian raids along the frontier. State and private industry bent toward producing war goods.

Cotton, the life blood of the South, was traded through Mexico in exchange for medicine and military supplies. Texas became, as that marker puts it, the storehouse of the Western Confederacy, with citizens making sacrifices to put food and clothing in the hands of Texas fighting men. And somewhere in all of that, a young man named King was rising.

He rose to the rank of colonel, commanding the 18th Texas Infantry. Now that regiment didn't just sit still. In 1863, King led them into the Red River Campaign, the whole grim point of which was to prevent the South from being split apart along the Mississippi River.

A year later, in 1864, he led the 18th into the Red River Campaign again, this time to stop a Union invasion of Texas itself. That second campaign brought him to Mansfield, Louisiana. He was wounded there.

And here's the thing about W. H. King: being wounded didn't end his story.

He was made a brigadier general, and after he recovered, he went on to lead Walker's Division for a time and commanded brigades across Louisiana and East Texas. The war eventually ended, as wars do. But King kept serving.

From 1881 to 1891, he served as Texas adjutant general. He lived until 1910. And this marker, erected by the state of Texas in 1963, stands not just as a tribute to him, but as a memorial, those are the marker's own words, to all the Texans who served the Confederacy.

Hopkins County remembers. That's what markers are for.

What the marker says

(Star and Wreath) Home county of Texas Confederate. (1839-1910) Georgian. Moved to Texas 1861. Rose to rank of colonel, 18th Texas Infantry. Led regiment in Red River Campaign of 1863 to prevent split of South along Mississippi. Commanded the 18th in Red River Campaign 1864 to stop invasion of Texas. Wounded Mansfield, La. and made brigadier general. Recovered to lead Walker's Division for a time and brigades in Louisiana and East Texas. Texas adjutant general 1881-91. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy. Erected by the state of Texas 1963. Texas in the Civil War: Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after a 3 to 1 vote for secession. 90,000 troops, famous for daring and mobility, fought on every battlefront. A 2,000 mile frontier and coastline was successfully defended from Union troops and savage Indians. State and private industry produced war goods. Cotton - life blood of South - traded thru Mexico for medicine and military supplies. Texas was storehouse of Western Confederacy. Citizens made sacrifices to produce food and clothing for Texas fighting men.