The Story
“We won’t stand it.”
A cursory glance at the photograph of the author, T.C. Neel, offers little insight into the fire-breathing secessionist we know him to be. Neel came to Texas in the mid-1850s from Georgia with his wife, Willia (whom I’ll highlight later), a daughter, and eighty enslaved persons, who worked Neel’s burgeoning plantation located near Waxahachie in Ellis County.
College educated, Neel quickly became a member of both the Texas House and Senate and eventually was elected to represent Ellis county at the Texas Secessionist Convention, convening in Austin, in January, 1861, where its members voted overwhelmingly to secede from the United States.
Eight months into the Civil War, Neel writes this letter to his wife Willia, from Austin. Weary of governmental responsibilities and impatient to return home, Neel shares his views on a number of issues, including the future prospects of the Confederacy, which he actively supports with money and supplies.
Unfortunately, we have no letters written in Willia’s hand but she was obviously no stranger to letter writing. She maintained an on-going correspondence with her father who was involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the war in Virginia and Maryland. Her father wrote often to keep her up to date on his condition and that her brother, also in the Confederate infantry. These letters will be the subject of future posts.
Apparently, I’m drawn to letters where the author succumbs unexpectantly.
T.C. Neel died in September 1863, and is buried in the Waxahachie Texas Cemetery.
For more information and hyperlinks to the larger story, please click below: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ellis-county
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Update on Historify.co…
In September, I’ll begin highlighting a historical document from a different archives or library in Texas, along with some information about the institution and its role in
preserving and maintaining the stories of Texas history. First up is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas, The Rosenberg Library in Galveston.
I welcome your suggestions for future posts! Large or small, all organizations committed to preserving history are important.
Thank you for reading,
Buck
[email protected]
The History
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