General W. H. King

The man the plaque calls W. H. King was Wilburn Hill King, born in Georgia in 1839 and a Missouri lawyer when the war began. Wounded at Wilson's Creek with the Missouri State Guard, he joined the 18th Texas Infantry. After Mansfield, General Kirby Smith assigned him to duty as a brigadier general, but the Confederate government never confirmed the rank. King fled to Mexico in 1865, ran a sugar plantation in Central America, then returned as mayor of Sulphur Springs and Texas adjutant general. Texas's own 1861 declaration of causes names slavery; the plaque's second panel does not.

What the plaque says

General W. H. King (Star and Wreath) Home county of Texas Confederate. (1839-1910) Georgian. Moved to Texas 1861. Rose to rank of colonel, 18th Texas Infantry. Led regiment in Red River Campaign of 1863 to prevent split of South along Mississippi. Commanded the 18th in Red River Campaign 1864 to stop invasion of Texas. Wounded Mansfield, La. and made brigadier general. Recovered to lead Walker's Division for a time and brigades in Louisiana and East Texas. Texas adjutant general 1881-91. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy. Erected by the state of Texas 1963. Texas in the Civil War: Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after a 3 to 1 vote for secession. 90,000 troops, famous for daring and mobility, fought on every battlefront. A 2,000 mile frontier and coastline was successfully defended from Union troops and savage Indians. State and private industry produced war goods. Cotton - life blood of South - traded thru Mexico for medicine and military supplies. Texas was storehouse of Western Confederacy. Citizens made sacrifices to produce food and clothing for Texas fighting men. (1963)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cooper Lake State Park — 15 mi
  Two units on Jim Chapman Lake, a Corps reservoir proposed in the late 1930s, stalled by a lawsuit until 1984 and dedicated in 1991, with a 10.5-mile equestrian trail and wildlife land around it.

More markers nearby

• City National Bank — steps away
• First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs — steps away
• First Presbyterian Church of Sulphur Springs — steps away
• Sulphur Springs Loan and Building Association — steps away