Mollie E. Moore
Proctor, Comanche County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1844-1909) During the Civil War, wrote poems Texans memorized, cut out of newspapers, sent their boys on the battlefront: about the deaths of heroes, Texans' units, Confederate victories and such topics. She also did social work and nursing at Camp Ford, Tyler. She was a lively, spirited girl who went horseback riding with a pistol strapped to her side. After war, became nationally known poet, novelist, columnist. Married a newspaper editor. Led New Orleans society 20 years. Near this marker site, at Old Mooresville (now Proctor) often visited her brother's family. (1965)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
During the Civil War, Mollie E. Moore wrote poems that Texans memorized, clipped from newspapers, and mailed to their soldiers — verses honoring fallen heroes, home units, and Confederate victories — while also nursing and doing social work at Camp Ford near Tyler. A spirited young woman who rode horseback with a pistol at her side, she went on to national fame as a poet, novelist, and columnist, married a newspaper editor, and led New Orleans society for two decades. Near this spot, at Old Mooresville (now Proctor), she often visited her brother's family.
Why it matters
Moore was one of the wartime South's most widely read women writers, showing how poetry shaped Confederate morale and how a Texas woman could win a national literary reputation.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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