WMC TV reported Jan. 18th that the Texas General Land Office acquired the correspondence of Texas Confederates who died of yellow fever in 1864. These have been added to their 35 million-plus historical documents in their archives.
Included in these were 34 letters of Private Dudley Ward which were purchased at auction for $11,000, the money coming from private donations from the Save Texas History Program.
Ward joined Co. G, 2nd Texas Infantry at 17 and was captured at Vicksburg in 1863. He was paroled and eventually served on Galveston Island. He died In the 1864 yellow fever epidemic there.
The Jan. 18th Houston Chronicle had a quote by Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson: "I am honored to preserve this important glimpse into Texas Confederate history. Whether or not you agree with the causes of the war, Ward put his life on the line for his family and for Texas, and his story should be shared with future generations of Texans."
www.savetexashistory.org
Always Great to Save ANY Part of History. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
