Robert L. Foard
Crowell, Foard County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Star and Wreath County named for Texas Confederate officer Robert L. Foard (1831 - 1898) Came to Texas from Maryland, 1853. Prominent pioneer lawyer and citizen. Lt. Columbus Grays Texas Militia Co. 1861. Confederate major 13th Texas Infantry Regiment, which successfully guarded portion Texas coast against raiding parties from Union blockading vessels. 13th stationed 7 weeks, 1863, Brashear City, LA., as part campaign to prevent split of South by loss of Mississippi River. Returned to coast duty until war's end. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy. Erected by the State of Texas, 1963
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Foard County honors Robert L. Foard (1831–1898), a Maryland-born lawyer who came to Texas in 1853 and served the Confederacy as a major in the 13th Texas Infantry. His regiment guarded the Texas coast against Union raiding parties and briefly campaigned in Louisiana in 1863, as the South fought to keep the Mississippi River open. The State of Texas erected this memorial in 1963 to Texans who served the Confederacy.
Why it matters
It ties a Texas county's name to the state's Confederate service and the wider Civil War struggle for control of the Mississippi.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Robert L. Foard came to Texas in 1853, when the state had been in the Union for less than a decade and was growing fast. Lawyers were in demand in young Texas towns, drawing up land titles, settling disputes and serving in public life. Foard made his name as a prominent pioneer lawyer and citizen.
In 1861 Texas seceded and joined the Confederacy. The Confederacy was formed to protect slavery. Soon Union warships were blockading the Gulf Coast to choke off Southern trade, and Union raiding parties sometimes came ashore. Defending the long Texas coastline became a constant job for Texas troops.
Farther east, the war turned on the Mississippi River. Union control of the river would split the Confederacy in two and cut Texas off from the eastern states. In 1863 that struggle reached its climax with the Union capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson.
People & events
Foard was born in 1831 and came from Maryland. In 1861 he became a lieutenant in the Columbus Grays, a Texas militia company. He went on to serve as a major in the 13th Texas Infantry Regiment.
According to the marker, the 13th Texas did most of its work on the Texas coast, where it guarded its stretch of shoreline against raiding parties from Union blockading ships. It was not the famous kind of battlefield service. It was watchful, necessary duty along a coast the Union navy was pressing hard.
In 1863 the regiment spent seven weeks at Brashear City, Louisiana, the town now called Morgan City. That tour was part of the Confederate effort to keep the South from being split by the loss of the Mississippi River. The regiment then returned to coastal duty until the war ended. Foard lived until 1898, and later Texans named a county for him.
Its place in the American story
Foard's service shows a side of the Civil War that's often forgotten. Beyond the great battles, many soldiers spent the war guarding coastlines, watching for raids and helping defend supply lines. The Union blockade and the fight for the Mississippi were central to the war's outcome, and Texas regiments were part of both.
The marker also belongs to a particular moment in American memory. Texas put up many 'Star and Wreath' markers like this one during the Civil War centennial of the early 1960s to honor Texans who served the Confederacy. That was also the era of the civil rights movement. Today many people see these memorials as part of a long and contested debate over how the Confederacy should be remembered.
Reading this marker with both stories in mind makes it richer. It records one man's service and a regiment's duties. It also records how a later generation of Texans chose to remember the war.
If you visit
This marker stands in Crowell, the county seat of the county that bears Foard's name. The town sits in the rolling plains of North Texas, a long way from the Gulf Coast his regiment guarded. That distance is part of the story: Texans later honored him by naming a frontier county for him.
Look for the marker's design as well as its words. The 'Star and Wreath' form was used for the state's Civil War centennial markers, and once you notice it, you may spot others on Texas road trips.
Crowell is a small, quiet town and makes a good pause on a drive across the Rolling Plains. With older kids, the marker is a good way into the harder questions about the Civil War: who fought, why, and how Americans have chosen to remember it.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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