Colonel John S. Sutton
Sonora, Sutton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
At outbreak Civil War, this veteran soldier, Ranger, Indian fighter joined 7th Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers. Elected lt. colonel, led five companies Arizona-New Mexico campaign designed to make Confederacy an ocean to ocean nation. Mortally wounded in Battle of Val Verde while leading rifle assault against enemy cannons, he refused immediate aid and motioned on his battalion which captured the battery. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A seasoned soldier, Ranger, and Indian fighter, John S. Sutton joined the 7th Regiment of Texas Mounted Volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War and was elected lieutenant colonel. He led five companies in the Confederate bid to carry the war — and a coast-to-coast Confederacy — into Arizona and New Mexico. Mortally wounded at the Battle of Val Verde, he waved his men on to seize the Union cannons before accepting aid.
Why it matters
Sutton's death marks the little-known western front of the Civil War, where Confederate Texans gambled — and failed — to reach the Pacific.
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Related people
- · John S. Sutton
Related events
- · Battle of Val Verde
Themes & tags
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