Camp Ben McCulloch No. 946, United Confederate Veterans
Driftwood, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Hays County Confederate veterans and their families gathered for a reunion in the summer of 1896 and formally organized the Camp Ben McCulloch Chapter of the United Confederate Veterans. The gathering took place near this site at the Martin Spring and campsite on Onion Creek. The reunion grounds were purchased by the organization in 1904 and have continued as the site of the annual reunion with the exception of one year during World War I. The first commander of Camp Ben McCulloch was Capt. Martin Luther Reed. Other officers elected at the first meeting were Jacob C. Quick, W. M. Weaver, W. W. Davis, W. T. Chapman, Dr. J. M. Pound, and Santa Anna Cruze. The camp was named for Confederate General Ben McCulloch, also a veteran of the Texas Revolution, who died in the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, in 1862. The reunion grounds and other responsibilities were transferred to the care of the Confederate Sons after Burl Nash, the last veteran in the county died in 1947 at age 108. The Sons in turn deeded the camp to the grandsons and other descendants of the Confederate veterans. Reunions continue to be held, illustrating the ongoing impact of the Civil War on Texas history. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the summer of 1896, Hays County Confederate veterans and their families gathered at Martin Spring on Onion Creek and organized a chapter of the United Confederate Veterans, naming it for General Ben McCulloch, who fell at the Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862. The group bought the reunion grounds in 1904, and the annual gathering has continued ever since, missing only one year during World War I. As the last veterans died, the site passed to their sons, grandsons, and descendants, who keep the reunions alive.
Why it matters
The camp shows how the memory of the Civil War was deliberately preserved and passed down across generations, shaping Southern identity long after the guns fell silent.
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Related people
- · Ben McCulloch
- · Martin Luther Reed
- · Burl Nash
Related events
- · Battle of Pea Ridge
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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