SAVE THE DATE
HOOD'S TEXAS BRIGADE ASSOCIATION,
RE-ACTIVATED
ANNUAL SCHOLARLY SEMINAR
"Honor and Duty"
November 15-16, 2024
Walker Conference Center, Sam Houston Memorial Museum & Sam Houston University
Huntsville, Texas
Pictured: Cover from John W. Thomason, Jr.'s famous book
Lone Star Preacher (Charles Scribner's, 1941) based
on the stories Thomason heard from his uncles the
Goree Brothers of Huntsville.Download Seminar Flyer
Go directly to the registration site on Square.
Returning to Huntsville
We are returning to Huntsville for the third time for our Scholarly Seminar, with another outstanding line-up of speakers and the many historical charms the city has to offer. Friday afternoon we will enjoy The John W. Thomason, Jr. Rare Book Collection at Sam Houston State University, followed by a tour of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and Republic of Texas Presidential Library. Saturday we will gather at the Katy & E. Don Walker, Sr. Education Center near the Museum for the seminar itself.
Speakers
Dr. Richard McCaslin: "The Goree Brothers of Huntsville." Our Advisor and Good Friend Rick McCaslin will be speaking on the Goree brothers of Huntsville: Major T. J. Goree, serving on Longstreet's staff; Langston J. Goree and P. K. Goree, who served in Co. H. 5th Texas; and R. D. Goree, who served in the Trans Mississippi. Dr. McCaslin has retired from the University of North Texas and is now Publications Director at the Texas State Historical Association! See attached flyer for more details.
Wayne Motts: "Lone Star Men at Little Round Top. Motts is President Emeritus & Historian of the Gettysburg Foundation. On 2 July 1863, elements of the 4th and 5th Texas Infantry of Hood's Division struggled for their lives attacking a small hill at Gettysburg. After being closed for nearly two years, Little Round Top, as it was later known to the Texas veterans, reopened on 24 June 2024 and with its reopening welcomed visitors to the hill after a facelift of 13 million dollars. Join historian Wayne Motts as he covers the fighting of the Texans on the hill and shows the great preservation work the NPS just completed. He will tell a few stories about the Texans there too!
Fred Adolphus: "The Huntsville Penitentiary Mill in the Confederacy." Fred is a retired Army museum director with a history degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in history (American Strategic Culture) from Louisiana State University. He is a native of Houston, Texas. The Huntsville Penitentiary textile mill was one of the largest mill west of Georgia at the outset of the War Between the States. From the start of the War, the Huntsville mill was the backbone of textile production for the Trans-Mississippi Department and remained vital to the war effort until the end.
Michael Pittmon: Topic: “A Few Steps into Hell: The Wartime Letters of the Berryman Brothers.” Pittmon is a 7th generation East Texan, who was inspired by the stories of his great grandmother, Helena Elmina Berryman Ginn. With Scott Mingus, Pittmon has at last published the long-anticipated family letters of the Berryman Brothers Henry Waters and Newt, who served in Co. I, 1st Texas Infantry, Hood’s Texas Brigade. The letters provide an invaluable insight into what life was like in this storied brigade and many hitherto unavailable photographs.
Recruiting Speech, from Lone Star Preacher,
by John W. Thomason, Jr., p. 59. |
Praxitiles Swan, 5th Texas, from Lone Star Preacher by John W. Thomason, Jr., p. 147. |
About John W. Thomason, Jr.
One of Huntsville’s most outstanding citizens, John W. Thomason, Jr. was an author, artist, and United States Marine Corps officer. He was born in Huntsville, Texas, on February 28, 1893, the eldest of 9 children of John W. and Sue Hayes (Goree) Thomason. He is known not only for his military service but his writings and artwork. He was the author and illustrator of Lone Star Preacher, which featured fictionalized accounts of the exploits of Hood’s Texas Brigade. Thomason had grown up hearing stories of the War from his uncles, the Goree Brothers, the subject of Dr. Rick McCaslin's talk..
In tribute to his late friend, J. Frank Dobie wrote: “In the name of people who, because of what you have written, are richer inside themselves and live more abundantly on the soil they belong to, I salute you, John W. Thomason, soldier in the old gallant tradition, fine Southern gentleman, and patriot who made your own corner of the earth more beautiful!”
Download Seminar Flyer
Go directly to the registration site on Square.
Don't forget to attend these other great events!
Jefferson Seminar August 2-3 (click here for flyer)
Sabine Pass Tour September 7 (click for flyer)
For information, contact: Martha Hartzog, President Emerita, m.hartzog@mail.utexas.edu
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