County Named for Sidney Sherman, C.S.A.
Stratford, Sherman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Massachusetts, 1805. Led his crack Kentucky Militia Company to join Texas Army in War for Independence. Commanded cavalry wing, Battle of San Jacinto. Major-General and Congressman, Republic of Texas. Built second railroad west of Mississippi River. First engine to run in Texas was "General Sherman", named in his honor. Put in command of fortifying Galveston, most valued seaport in Texas, at outbreak of Civil War. Set up marine guard and batteries of cannon. Lost eldest son in Galveston recapture, 1863. Gen. Sherman died in 1873. (1964)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Sidney Sherman was a Massachusetts-born militia officer who marched a Kentucky company to Texas and commanded the cavalry at San Jacinto in 1836, the battle that won Texas its independence. He went on to serve the Republic of Texas as major-general and congressman and to build one of the first railroads in the West, whose first locomotive bore his name. When the Civil War came he was placed in charge of fortifying Galveston, the state's most vital seaport, and lost his eldest son in the fighting to hold it.
Why it matters
Sherman's life bridges the two defining struggles of nineteenth-century Texas—independence and the Civil War—and the naming of a county for him shows how the Confederacy shaped the memory Texans chose to honor.
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Related people
- · Sidney Sherman
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
- · Defense of Galveston
Themes & tags
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