Date
8-9-2024
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Leah Tarwater
Keywords
Civil War, Texas Brigade, Texas History
Disciplines
History
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Jerod, "Where Duty Called Them: Comparing the Lives and Civil War Service of Generals Jerome Bonaparte Robertson and his son, Felix Huston Robertson" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5848.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5848
Abstract
Jerome Bonaparte (J.B.) Robertson and his son, Felix Huston Robertson, are two figures from Texas whose significance to Texas history and Civil War history has been overlooked. J.B. Robertson was a physician who came to Texas to participate in the Texas Revolution. He became a local leader and politician who took part in the state secession convention. The Robertsons were the only father and son generals to serve the Confederacy other than Robert E. Lee and his sons. J.B. Robertson was the longest serving commander of the famous Hood’s Texas Brigade and Felix Robertson was the only native-born Texan to become a Confederate general. Both men took part in several significant battles of the war. Felix Robertson participated in the beginning of the war, a brutal and almost forgotten massacre during the war, and was present for the dissolution of the Confederate government. Felix Robertson was also the last Confederate general to pass away. Despite their many connections to historically significant events, a detailed study of the two men has been nonexistent. This dissertation seeks to provide an account of the lives and contributions of J.B. and Felix Robertson to identify their value to studies of Texas history and Civil War history to demonstrate why both men deserve more recognition in these fields.
