HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

Confederate Chaplains Rev. Edward Hudson_Rev. John Hudson

Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Brothers, teachers, Presbyterian ministers. Came to Texas from Arkansas, 1856. Worked and lived in this county. Both are buried in Round Rock Cemetery. In the Civil War, Rev. Edward Hudson in March 1862 joined Co. G, 6th Regiment, Confederate army. Wounded Oct. 1862 in battle of Corinth, was made chaplain afterwards, to succeed man killed in that same battle. In Aug. 1864, on duty in Georgia, was shot and critically wounded. Though crippled, preached and taught in various Texas counties until shortly before his death, Aug. 17, 1877. Rev. John Hudson enlisted in April 1862 in Co. H 19th Texas Cavalry. Commissioned in March 1863, he served as chaplain for the rest of the war. After preaching here for many years, died Feb. 22, 1914. On same pay and rations as privates, a chaplain had multiple duties: religious services, teaching men to read and write, counseling, sick visits, handling the mail, writing letters and reading to illiterates, removal of dead and wounded from the battlefield, baptisms, funerals. The Hudsons may have been only Texas brothers enrolled in this valuable Confederate service. (1964)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Brothers Edward and John Hudson were Presbyterian ministers and teachers who came to Williamson County from Arkansas in 1856. Both served the Confederacy as chaplains — Edward joining an infantry company in 1862 and being wounded at Corinth and again in Georgia, John enlisting in a Texas cavalry regiment and serving to the war's end. On a private's pay, a chaplain held services, taught illiterate soldiers to read and write, tended the sick, and carried the dead from the field.

Why it matters

The Hudsons illuminate the often-overlooked role of Civil War chaplains, who doubled as teachers, nurses, and scribes for men who could not read or write.

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Related people

  • · Rev. Edward Hudson
  • · Rev. John Hudson

Related events

  • · Battle of Corinth

Themes & tags

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