Dr. P. D. Coulson
Sterling City, Sterling County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born near Morganton, Tenn. He enlisted, May 22, 1861, as private in 3rd Tenn. Inf., Confederate Army. Promoted to surgeon with rank of major, 1862, he saw much action -- First Manassas, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta, other battles. Was twice wounded. Came to Texas after Civil War. Served as first county judge of Sterling County in 1890s. County judge of Coke county, 1907 - 1910. Married Etheldra Ann Johnson. Had four sons, four daughters.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
P. D. Coulson enlisted as a private in a Tennessee infantry regiment in 1861 and rose to surgeon with the rank of major, serving through some of the Civil War's bloodiest fields—First Manassas, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, and Atlanta—and being wounded twice. After the war he came to Texas and turned to public service, becoming the first county judge of newly organized Sterling County and later a judge in Coke County. His life bridges the battlefield surgery of the 1860s and the civic founding of West Texas.
Why it matters
Coulson's story captures the postwar migration of Confederate veterans who carried their experience west and helped organize the county governments of a still-forming frontier Texas.
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Related people
- · Dr. P. D. Coulson
- · Etheldra Ann Johnson
Themes & tags
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