THC nears fund-raising goal for monument

The Texas Historical Commission plans to purchase a historic monument commemorating the Battle of Rowlett's Station in Kentucky thanks to donations from Texas members of the Civil War Preservation Trust and other contributions.

The marker will be dedicated at Rowlett's Station Dec. 17, 2008, for the 147th anniversary of the battle.

The monument is the first in a planned series of monuments as the nation approaches the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.

"Thanks to the generosity of Civil War roundtables, private citizens and corporations we can begin to interpret and commemorate the many untold stories of Texas' contribution to one of our country's most significant national crises," said THC executive director Larry Oaks.

"We are just shy of our fundraising goal for purchase of the Rowlett's Station monument and we believe reaching that milestone will lead to additional donations to preserve the memory of Texas' military contributions in the Civil War."

Part of the Confederate army's Kentucky Offensive in 1861, the Battle of Rowlett's Station (also known as the Battle of Woodsonville or the Battle of Green River) is significant for the loss of one of the Confederacy's most able and beloved commanders, Col. Benjamin Franklin Terry.

During the Texas Rangers' initial assault, Terry was shot and killed as he crossed the railroad. The battle produced no definitive strategic result and neither side drove the other from the field, but interpretation of the Texans' role in this Civil War battle is significant due to the Confederacy's early loss of Col. Terry.

Texas forces fought with distinction during the Civil War, and the THC has long been committed to preserving and interpreting stories related to their service.

As the nation approaches the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, the THC established the Texas Civil War Monuments Fund to raise funds to place monuments honoring Texas forces on the battlefields where they served.

Continuing the tradition begun in the 1960s by the Texas Civil War Centennial Commission,THC seeks to commemorate the contributions of Texas' military units during the war.

THC historians have already committed time and resources to research battles and to prepare inscriptions for monuments. Since October 2007, donations to the Texas Civil War Monuments Fund, Civil War roundtables, corporations and individual citizens have helped this initiative get under way.

For more information about the Texas Civil War Monuments Fund contact the THC's military historian, William McWhorter, at (512) 463-5833.

The Texas Historical Commission is the state agency for historic preservation.

THC administers a variety of programs to preserve the archeological, historical and cultural resources of Texas.