Historical Marker
The First Battle
Center, Shelby County · Texas
Erected 1936
The war this marker calls unorganized began with a shooting in Shelbyville in 1840. A dispute between Joseph Goodbread and Sheriff Alfred George drew in Charles W. Jackson, a former Mississippi riverboat captain who was a fugitive from Louisiana, and Jackson killed Goodbread. Released to await trial, he organized the Regulators to stop cattle rustling, and Edward Merchant organized the Moderators to restrain them. When Jackson's trial was set for July 12, 1841, his armed friends came to the courthouse and the judge left. The Handbook of Texas dates the feud from 1839 to 1844.
What the plaque says
The First Battle Between bands of Regulators and Moderators led by Ephraim Daggett and Ned Merchant, which occurred in this vicinity, led to an unorganized war, 1841-1844, by Regulators, under the leadership of Watt Norman, and Moderators, led by John M. Bradley - After heavy sacrifice of life and property, General James Smith with Texas forces restored order in August, 1844 without firing a gun. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Where it stands
31.78304, -94.11870 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Shelby County — 2.1 mi
- Sydney O. Pennington — 2.6 mi
- First County Seat of Shelby County — 2.8 mi
- Site of the Last Battle — 3.6 mi