Captain L. D. Bradley
Fairfield, Freestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1831 - 1886) Came to Texas from Alabama in 1855. In Civil War commanded Co. B, 2nd Battalion, Waul's Texas Legion. On May 22, 1863, was a leader of one of most daring defensive actions in the Siege of Vicksburg. Volunteered, along with 20 of his own men and 18 others, to seal off a Federal penetration into the Confederate fort defending the Mississippi River; acted under fire. Later commanded a regiment in defense of Texas coast and in 1864 Red River Campaign to prevent Federal invasion of Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Alabama-born L. D. Bradley came to Texas in 1855 and commanded a company in Waul's Texas Legion during the Civil War. On May 22, 1863, in the Siege of Vicksburg, he led a daring volunteer party of some forty men to seal a Federal breach in a Confederate fort on the Mississippi, acting under heavy fire. He later commanded a regiment defending the Texas coast and in the 1864 Red River Campaign.
Why it matters
Bradley's service ties a Texas unit to Vicksburg — the siege whose fall split the Confederacy along the Mississippi — and to the campaigns that kept the war off Texas soil.
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Related people
- · L. D. Bradley
Related events
- · Siege of Vicksburg
- · Red River Campaign
Themes & tags
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