Robertson

Duane's take

The marker's got the words — I'm just gonna tell you what they say. Now, Waco, Texas holds something that most folks have never stopped to think about. One block south of where you're standing right now, two men are buried.

A father and a son. Both generals. Both from the Civil War.

And that combination — a father-son pair of generals — only happened one other time in that entire war. One other time. The Lees.

Robert E. Lee and his son. Everybody knows the Lees.

But do you know the Robertsons? The father was General Jerome B. Robertson.

He commanded Hood's Texas Brigade — one of the most celebrated fighting units the Confederacy ever put in the field — from November of 1862 all the way through January of 1864. Jerome Robertson lived a long life after all of that, and when he died, he died right here in Waco. January 7, 1890.

His son was General Felix H. Robertson, who served with the Army of Tennessee. Felix outlived his father by decades, and he too spent his final years in Waco.

He died here on April 20, 1928. Father and son. Both generals.

Both buried one block south. In a state that does not lack for legends, Waco is keeping two of the quietest ones right there in the ground — just a short walk away, and easy to miss if nobody tells you to look.

What the marker says

The only father-son generals in the Civil War, except for Robert E. Lee and his son, are buried 1 block south. Gen. Jerome B. Robertson, Commander of Hood's Texas Brigade, Nov. 1862 to Jan. 1864, died in Waco Jan. 7, 1890. His son, Gen. Felix H. Robertson, Army of Tenn., died in Waco on April 20, 1928. (1965)