William Redfield
Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Star and Wreath A soldier in the Texas War for Independence, 1835 - 1836. Erected by the State of Texas, 1962
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This state marker honors William Redfield, who served as a soldier in the Texas War for Independence during 1835–1836. That struggle, fought by Texian colonists against the Mexican government, ran from the first clashes of 1835 through the decisive victory at San Jacinto in 1836 and the birth of the Republic of Texas. The monument, topped by the Lone Star and wreath, was erected by the State of Texas in 1962 to mark his grave and service.
Why it matters
Redfield's grave keeps alive the memory of the ordinary fighters whose service won Texas independence and set the stage for its eventual entry into the United States.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
This memorial reaches back to the birth of Texas itself. William Redfield served as a soldier in the Texas War for Independence, the struggle of 1835–1836 that transformed a Mexican frontier province into the Republic of Texas.
In the mid-1830s, this was contested ground. American and other settlers — the Texians — had come to the region under Mexican rule, and rising tensions over governance and autonomy erupted into open revolt in the fall of 1835. Bastrop County, where this marker stands near Smithville along the Colorado River, lay within the settled heart of Anglo-Texan colonization, the kind of country that supplied many of the war's ordinary fighters.
The conflict was short but decisive, running from the first clashes of 1835 through the campaigns of the following spring. Men like Redfield were not generals or statesmen; they were the rank-and-file volunteers on whom the whole enterprise depended.
People & events
The marker is spare, as befits a soldier's grave. It records simply that William Redfield was "a soldier in the Texas War for Independence, 1835–1836," beneath the emblem of a star and wreath. That brevity is itself part of the story: not every man who fought left behind letters, portraits, or headlines. Many left only their service and their name.
The war Redfield joined moved swiftly and dramatically. The revolt that began in 1835 saw hard fighting through the winter, terrible losses in the early months of 1836 that steeled Texian resolve, and then a sudden, decisive turn on the battlefield at San Jacinto that spring, which secured independence and gave rise to the Republic of Texas.
We should be careful to claim only what the record supports. The marker does not tell us which engagements Redfield saw or what role he played, and it would dishonor him to invent one. What it does tell us — that he answered the call and served during those pivotal two years — is honor enough.
Its place in the American story
The independence Redfield helped win did not stay a purely Texan affair. The Republic of Texas he served to create lasted only about a decade before joining the United States, and that annexation reshaped the map and the future of the entire nation.
The story of Texas independence has become one of the enduring American epics, remembered in names and rallying cries that still echo today. But behind the famous battles and leaders stood hundreds of largely anonymous soldiers, and it is their collective service — not any single hero — that actually carried the cause.
That is why the State of Texas, in 1962, took the trouble to mark this grave. More than a century after the fact, Texas was still identifying and honoring the ordinary men who fought for its independence, ensuring that a soldier like Redfield would not be forgotten simply because his name never made the history books.
If you visit
This is a quiet, solemn place — a grave marker, not a grand monument — and it asks for a moment of respect rather than a crowd. Approach it as you would any resting place.
Look for the star and wreath that crown the stone. That emblem, placed by the State of Texas in 1962, is the state's own salute to its independence-era soldiers, and you'll come to recognize it on graves scattered across Texas. Here it marks one man's service in the war that made the Republic.
Smithville and the surrounding Bastrop County countryside, set along the Colorado River, make for a peaceful stretch of a Central Texas road trip. Pausing here connects you to the human scale of Texas independence — not the legend on a museum wall, but a single soldier who lived through those two decisive years and was, generations later, remembered by name.
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
- · William Redfield
Related events
- · Texas War for Independence
Themes & tags
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