William F. Fitzhugh Explained

William F. Fitzhugh
Birth Name:William F. Fitzhugh
Birth Date:12 March 1818
Birth Place:Hamilton, Boone County, Kentucky
Death Date:23 October 1883 (aged 65)
Death Place:McKinney, Texas
Spouse:
  • Mary Jane Rattan
Children:7

William F. Fitzhugh (12 March 1818–23 October 1883) was an American Confederate Army Officer, and Texas Ranger.

Life

Fitzhugh was born on 12 March 1818 in Hamilton, Kentucky to John Fitzhugh and Sarah Shelton. The family moved to Missouri and Fitzhugh volunteered during the Seminole War in Florida at the age of 17. Following his stint in the war, he returned to Missouri and was involved in the 1838 Mormon War which saw the Mormons evicted from Missouri.[1] [2] [3]

The family relocated to Texas in 1845 and settled near the present site of Melissa where he married Mary Jane Rattan and received 640-acres of land.[4]

He served in the First Regiment during the Mexican–American War under the command of Col. John Coffee Hays. During the following years, he settled in Collin County and primarily worked as a farmer, whilst also serving with the Texas Rangers. During the American Civil War, he joined the Confederate Army in March 1862, serving as first colonel of the Sixteenth Texas Cavalry.[5]

During the Battle of Cotton Plant in Arkansas, he was evacuated from the battlefield after being wounded on his right arm. He returned to Melissa to continue farming.[6]

He later served as a doorkeeper during the Constitutional Convention of 1875.[7]

Death

Fitzhugh died on October 23, 1883, after being thrown from a wagon. He was buried firstly at Forest Grove Cemetery in McKinney but was later reinterred at Fairview Cemetery in Denison.[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Association . Texas State Historical . Fitzhugh, William F. . 2024-04-26 . Texas State Historical Association . en . 2024-03-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325200833/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fitzhugh-william-f . live .
  2. Book: Mulder, William . The Mormons in American History . 1957 . Extension Division, University of Utah . en.
  3. Book: Furniss, Norman F. . The Mormon Conflict, 1850-1859 . 1960 . Yale University Press . 978-0-8371-9636-7 . en.
  4. Book: Allardice, Bruce S. . Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register . 2008 . University of Missouri Press . 978-0-8262-6648-4 . en.
  5. Web site: Association . Texas State Historical . Fort Fitzhugh . 2024-04-26 . Texas State Historical Association . en . 2022-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220517171758/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fort-fitzhugh . live .
  6. Book: Bailey, Anne J. . Between the Enemy and Texas: Parsons's Texas Cavalry in the Civil War . 2013-05-31 . Texas A&M University Press . 978-0-87565-514-7 . en.
  7. Book: Wooster, Ralph A. . Lone Star Regiments in Gray . 2002 . Eakin Press . 978-1-57168-546-9 . en.
  8. Book: Tyler, Ronnie C. . The New Handbook of Texas . 1996 . Texas State Historical Association . 978-0-87611-151-2 . en.
  9. Book: Bacha-Garza . Roseann . The Civil War on the Rio Grande, 1846–1876 . Miller . Christopher L. . Skowronek . Russell K. . 2019-01-24 . Texas A&M University Press . 978-1-62349-719-4 . en.