Last Words from a Texan Killed in Louisiana

Letters belonging to Captain William Jackson Spurlock, Co. D of Spaight's Battalion (11th Texas Infantry). Spurlock was living in Tyler, Texas when the war started. He enlisted in December and his military career ended at the Battle of Fordoche Bridge (Sterling Plantation), Louisiana, on September 29, 1863. Spurlock wrote an additional letter that can be found at the 11th Texas Battalion Reenactors' site.

Letter From Captain Spurlock to his Mother

Camp Burton, La
Sept. the 23rd 1863

Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 6th of the present and you may be well assured that I was glad to hear from you

again though sorry to hear that you was not well, you also said that Sylvester had been sick which I was

sorry to hear though glad to hear that he was mending.Your letter found me up and about, I have had the

yellow jaundice but it did not hurt me very bad. We are now encamped at the Atachyalya Bayou at what point

known in this part of the world as Morgans Ferry twelve miles from the Mississippi River, it has been expected

that this would be an ingagement here, but I believe at present that all fears are relieved upon that point. Our

pickets are fighting with that of the Yankee's daily and at one time they came so near that our Artilery upon the

enemys advance pickets they returned the fire but withdrew soon without doing any danger to us. We are daily

drawn up in line of battle or for the first three or four days after our arrival at the present encampment. It is the

opinion of most of the officers that we will shortly move up in the direction of Alexander to join the forces of the

Trans-Miss Department, we hear various reports about the movement of the enemy we are in receipt of the news

of the battle at Sabine Pa, and its success, we also heard but we now hear to the contrary that the enemy made

another advance and succeeded in capturing the place and was concentrating a large force and was preparing

for an invasion of the state

(the lower part of the remainder of the letter torn off).

Above letter written by Capt. William Jackson Spurlock of Company D, Spaight's (11th) Battalion, Texas

Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry, to his mother, Rebecca Hooks Spurlock, six days before he was killed at

Fordoche Bayou, LA on Sept 29, 1863.