Sophia Porter
Pottsboro, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1813-1899) Settled 1839 at Glen Eden, a site now under Lake Texoma, north of here. Husband, Holland Coffee, early trader, built fine home, welcomed 1845-60, U. S. Army officers including Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. During Civil War, wined and dined passing Federal scouts, found out they were seeking Col. Jas. Bourland, Confederate defender of Texas frontier. While guests were busy, she slipped out, swam her horse across icy Red River, warned Col. Bourland, helped prevent Federal invasion of North Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Sophia Porter settled in 1839 at Glen Eden, a fine home her husband Holland Coffee built beside the Red River, where they welcomed U.S. Army officers—among them future generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant—in the years before the Civil War. During the war, legend holds she wined and dined passing Federal scouts, discovered they hunted the Confederate frontier defender Col. James Bourland, and slipped away to swim her horse across the icy Red River to warn him. Her daring is said to have helped turn back a Federal thrust into North Texas.
Why it matters
Remembered as a Texas frontier heroine, Sophia Porter's story shows the outsized and often overlooked role women played on the home front of the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Sophia Porter
- · Holland Coffee
- · Robert E. Lee
- · Ulysses S. Grant
- · James Bourland
Related events
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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