Church Founded by Chaplain Nicholas A. Davis, C.S.A.
Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Alabama in 1824. Entered Presbyterian ministry. Moved to Texas in 1857. Farmed and preached. At start of Civil War joined the 4th Texas Infantry and went with troops to Virginia. As a Confederate chaplain had same pay and rations as a private, and no status privileges. Duties included religious services, lessons, counseling, funerals, baptisms, sick visits, removal of wounded and dead from battlefields. Handled mail, with special attention for men who could not read and write. Worked to get better troop living conditions. Established hospital wards. Because newspapers gave Virginians credit for Texas boys' victories, published 1863 in Richmond his "Campaign from Texas to Maryland." A Houston edition gave homefolk news few soldiers could tell. After war returned to farming, building churches and preaching over the state. For many years was a Trinity University trustee. Established the first commercial orchard in Jacksonville and started the development which makes the area foremost in Texas fruit growing. Pioneered use of insecticides, better farming methods and new machinery. Died in 1894 in San Antonio .
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Presbyterian minister Nicholas A. Davis left his Texas farm to serve as chaplain to the 4th Texas Infantry in Virginia, sharing a private's pay and rations while burying the dead, tending the wounded, and reading and writing letters for illiterate soldiers. Frustrated that Virginia newspapers claimed credit for Texas boys' victories, he published his 1863 account "The Campaign from Texas to Maryland." After the war he returned to preaching and planted Jacksonville's first commercial orchard, seeding the region's rise as a Texas fruit-growing center.
Why it matters
Davis's dual life as a Confederate chaplain and pioneering horticulturist shows how Civil War veterans carried their energies into rebuilding and reshaping the postwar Southern economy.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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