Context
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Born in Austin in 1845, Dudley grew up among the legendary founders of Texas. His father, William Ward, was a wounded veteran of the Texas Revolution, an ambassador, and former Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, so odds are he knew many of them personally. Following in his father’s martial footsteps, he enlisted in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War.
During his early service, Dudley had seen the brutal realities of war, having served at Vicksburg, Mississippi, until its surrender in July 1863. Paroled, he returned to Austin, and later, deployed to various outposts along the Texas Gulf Coast.Now stationed in Galveston, a different kind of enemy lurked in the shadows: yellow fever. This terrifying disease, rampant in coastal communities and spread by the relentless Aedes aegypti mosquito, brought widespread illness and death. The 1864 epidemic alone claimed at least 259 lives in Galveston, a staggering ten percent of the town’s military and civilian population.
Back then, the link between mosquitoes and yellow fever was completely unknown. People tried everything from quarantines to burning tar, all to no avail. It wouldn’t be until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thanks to groundbreaking research by figures like Walter Reed, that the truth would emerge.
This scientific breakthrough eventually led to effective mosquito control and, later, a life-saving vaccine. But for Dudley Ward and the residents of Galveston in 1864, yellow fever was an invisible, terrifying threat. It’s against this backdrop that Dudley writes, offering us a rare glimpse into the experiences of a young man caught between the ravages of war and the silent, deadly grip of a horrific disease.
Dudley’s letter also expresses the love and admiration he has for his father, adding a personal dimension to an already exceptional piece of history.
"Your Affectionate Son"
The air hung heavy and humid, thick with the scent of salt, fear, and something else. Dudley dipped his pen into the ink well; hopeful this letter would work its magic.
He had waited days to hear from his father, Colonel Thomas William Ward, hoping for news, for comfort, for the steadying hand of paternal advice. The mail had come, and with it, only a fresh wave of disappointment.By the Fall of 1864, life in Galveston during the Civil War was a stark existence for soldiers. Hardtack and beef, their daily bread. The Confederacy, it seemed, was starving its own. Galveston was a city under siege, not just from the Union blockade, but by an unseen enemy: Yellow Fever.
The physicians, grim-faced and weary, had confirmed the latest outbreak. Over a hundred cases so far. Dudley saw its grim work in the daily procession of coffins, two to five souls a day. The children suffered most, succumbing with heartbreaking swiftness when the fever burned too hot.
Until now, Dudley had been spared. He moved among his sick friends, a shadow of comfort in their fevered rooms, untouched by the dreaded, “Yellow Jack.” His duties as Sergeant Major kept him out of the relentless sun, a small mercy, and perhaps a reason for his continued health. He also knew, at any moment, he might be the one taking to his bed.
Dudley’s mind drifted back to his father, and a plea for specie [gold or silver coins]. Confederate paper money was a fiction, trading at sixty to one in Houston, only marginally better in Galveston. If Yellow Jack did claim him, he would need medicine and other things worthless Rebel currency couldn’t buy. Perhaps this change in fortune would nudge his father to pick up a pen.
Five days after this letter was mailed, a Galveston newspaper listed Dudley’s name among the dead. For him the war was over, another victim of a relentless and terrifying disease no bullet could stop. As for Dudley’s father, history has no record of his grief.
I have delayed writing for the last two or three days in expectation of receiving a letter from you; and my disappointment was very great when the mail brought me not a single line.
I am grateful to say that my health continues to be good, and I hope will still be for some time in spite of epidemics, etc. etc. The physicians one and all have pronounced the prevailing disease “yellow fever”, there are upwards of a hundred cases of it, and although it is in rather a mild form, yet from two to five persons are buried every day. Children especially suffer from it, and more of them die than adults, and in most cases, if the fever is very hot they generally die. As for myself, I am doing remarkably well, and have not felt the least inconvenience as of yet, although I visit all of my friends who are sick.
I am at present Sergeant Major of the post, and my duties do not compel me to go out in the sun, then again, I have no fever of the disease, which are two points gained yet I do not know at what moment I will have to take my bed. Col. Ashbel Smith is down, but not with the yellow fever, but rather a congestive attack caused by overloading his stomach and overexertion afterwards. I think, however, he will be up in a few days; previous to his sickness he was making himself very useful in attending to all who required his aid and medical skills.
We are living very poorly in Galveston at present; hard bread and beef is all we get, and although you have heard so much about the defenses of this place and its capacity for standing a protracted siege, yet I have been assured by officers in command that there are not two days rations in the place; such is the state of affairs!
In my last letter I wrote to you, requesting you to send me a small amount of specie, as Confederate money is literally worth nothing! (I understand that it is going at sixty for one in Houston, here it is not quite so bad, although almost worthless.) If “Yellow Jack” lays his hands on me, I will require some things, medicine among others, which cannot be obtained for currency and, although I suppose my friends would get them for me, yet it is better not to put one’s self under such obligations.
I hope this will find you in good health and spirits, and that I may receive a statement of the same through a letter in a few days, and in which also may be found some good advice in regard to matters and affair generally. It has been a long time since you gave me any advice and I hope you have, by this time, plenty stored away for me.
Please give my love to James. I will write again in a few days.
Your Affectionate Son,
Dudley
Co ‘G’ 2’d Regt. Tex. Vol. Infantry, Galveston Texas
Dudley Ward to Thomas William Ward, 14 September 1864, DW034, Dudley Ward Papers, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.
Why Historify?
I discovered the power of story as a history teacher, and the singular privilege of working at a Texas state archive filled with letters penned by people whose thoughts, attitudes, and experiences reflect the times in which they lived.
This simple website was created as a free, uncomplicated, and time-saving introduction to the richness and value of historical sources.
Please join me as we study the past through the words of those who lived it, one life at a time, and thank you for being here.
Buck
Why Historify?
I discovered the power of story as a history teacher, and the singular privilege of working at a Texas state archive filled with letters penned by people whose thoughts, attitudes, and experiences reflect the times in which they lived.
This simple website was created as a free, uncomplicated, and time-saving introduction to the richness and value of historical sources.
Please join me as we study the past through the words of those who lived it, one life at a time, and thank you for being here.
Buck