Fort Waul
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for Confederate General Thomas N. Waul, Fort Waul was built to defend inland Texas from possible Federal advances up the Guadalupe River from the Gulf of Mexico, as well as to provide protection for military supply trains. Construction of the earthen fortification was overseen by Col. Albert Miller Lea, Confederate army engineer. Begun in late 1863, the fort was partly built by slave labor and measured approximately 250 by 750 feet. Surviving records do not indicate whether the fort was ever actually completed. (1988)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Named for Confederate General Thomas N. Waul, this earthen fort was begun in late 1863 to guard inland Texas against a possible Federal push up the Guadalupe River and to protect military supply trains. Engineer Col. Albert Miller Lea oversaw its construction, partly by enslaved laborers, on a scale of roughly 250 by 750 feet. Surviving records leave it uncertain whether the fortification was ever finished.
Why it matters
Fort Waul reflects the Confederacy's inland defensive strategy and the reliance on enslaved labor to build it, on a Texas home front that never saw the battle it prepared for.
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Related people
- · Thomas N. Waul
- · Albert Miller Lea
Themes & tags
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