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Presentation
"Pray for this War to End": The Civil War Letters of William Smith Herndon and Mary Louise Herndon
Smith County Historical Society
(2015)
Abstract
William Smith Herndon, a promising young attorney in Tyler, Texas, and his bride, Mary Louise McKellar Herndon, faced starting a family at the beginning of the Civil War. After the miscarriage of their first child, Herndon volunteers in the 13th Texas Infantry which was stationed at Velasco on the Texas coast for nearly all of the war. Mary Louise spent part of her time in Tyler and part of the time with her parents in nearby Henderson County. She gave birth to a son (with disabilities) and a daughter during the war. Their frequent letters tell of loneliness and frustration, issues with a slave and issues with extended family.
Keywords
- William Smith Herndon,
- Mary Louise McKellar Herndon,
- Tyler,
- Smith County,
- Texas,
- 13th Texas Infantry,
- Civil War,
- Velasco,
- Henderson County
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 7, 2015
Location
Tyler, Texas
Citation Information
Vicki Betts. ""Pray for this War to End": The Civil War Letters of William Smith Herndon and Mary Louise Herndon" Smith County Historical Society (2015) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/vicki-betts/61/