An Inventory of the Dudley Ward Papers, 1863-1864

Biographical Note

Dudley H. Ward (1845-1864) confederate soldier and prisoner of war, was born in 1845 in Austin, Texas. His father was Colonel Thomas William "Peg Leg" Ward, an Irish immigrant who fought in the Texas Revolution, served as mayor of Austin and as the second Land Commissioner of Texas, and for whom the county of Ward is named. From the ages of eleven to fifteen, Dudley H. Ward resided in New York City with his mother, Susan Marston Ward, and received an education before returning to Texas with his father in 1860.

Ward enlisted as a private in Company G, 2nd Texas Volunteer Infantry. He was captured at the siege of Vicksburg and held as a prisoner of war in the hands of the United States Forces. Ward was paroled July 7, 1863. He died in 1864 near Galveston during a yellow fever epidemic and was buried in what is known today as "Soldier’s Rest" in the City Cemetery in Galveston. The exact location was lost along with many others in the 1900 hurricane, though markers for Dudley H. Ward and various other Confederate soldiers stand today near the "Soldier’s Rest" location.

Sources

• Peg Leg: The Improbable Life of a Texas Hero, Thomas William Ward, 1807-1872. Humphrey, David C., Denton, Texas: Texas State Historical Association, 2009.
• Dudley Ward Papers, 1863-1864, Archives & Records, Texas General Land Office.

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Scope and Contents of the Records

The Dudley Ward Papers, 1863-1864, contains correspondence and one parole certificate documenting Ward's experience as a confederate soldier at the Seige of Vicksburg, in camps in Mississippi and Texas, and in Galveston during the yellow fever epidemic. All but two of the letters are from Dudley Ward to his father Thomas W. Ward from army camps near Vicksburg, Mississppi, and near Galveston, Texas. One letter is from Dudley Ward to his brother James Ward, from a camp near Vickburg, and one letter is from friend and fellow-soldier J. S. Atchinson to Dudley Ward, from Camp Lubbock near Houston Texas. The parole certificate is for Dudley Ward, from Vicksburg, Mississippi.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

Use Restrictions

Materials may be under copyright protection. US copyright law does allow for reproduction of materials under copyright for uses such as critique, criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Dudley Ward Papers, Archives & Records Program, Texas General Land Office

Accession Information

The Dudley Ward Papers were purchased at auction by the Archives & Records Program, Texas General Land Office, December 2007

Processing Information

This manuscript collection processed by Lauren Goodley, October 2009, and updated in January 2012.

Other Formats of the Records

This collection has been digitized and is available for viewing and ordering copies at Texas General Land Office map and document database. Adobe Acrobat Reader software is needed to view the pdf documents.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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