San Marcos in Hays County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Peter Cavanaugh Woods
(December 30, 1819 - January 27, 1898)
Dr. Woods was elected commanding officer of the 32nd Texas Cavalry Regiment in March 1862 at Camp Wood south of San Antonio. The 32nd Texas Cavalry Regiment and other Texas regiments kept the Union Army from invading Texas by patrolling the Rio Grande and Gulf Coast borders to protect the cotton trade with Mexico. They picked up Confederate deserters and conscription evaders. Dr. Woods became a colonel known for his loyalty to his men, once refusing an order to force the men to give up their own horses to the Confederacy. The regiment fought in Louisiana at the battles of Blair's Landing, Grand Ecore, Mansfield, Monett's Ferry, Pleasant Hill and Yellow Bayou, where Woods himself received an arm injury which impaired him for the rest of his life. His aseptic methods saved the limbs of the wounded soldiers in his regiment.
After the war, Colonel Woods returned to San Marcos. He freed his slaves, giving them tracts of land, and resumed farming and the practice of medicine. He was elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1866. After Georgia L. Woods died in 1872, he married Ella R. Ogletree in 1874.
Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12007.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1862.
Location. 29° 53.222′ N, 97° 57.45′ W. Marker is in San Marcos, Texas, in Hays County. Marker is at the intersection of Chapel Way and Evening Star, on the right when traveling west on Chapel Way. The marker is located in the southern section of the San Marcos Cemetery near the chapel. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1001 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos TX 78666, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cemetery Chapel (a few steps from this marker); San Marcos Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named San Marcos Cemetery (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); San Marcos Cemetery Memorial (about 600 feet away); George Henry Talmadge Home (approx. 0.6 miles away); Robert Hixon Belvin Home (approx. 0.6 miles away); O.T. Brown Home (approx. 0.6 miles away); Belvin Street Historic District (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Marcos.
Also see . . . Woods, Peter Cavanaugh.
At the outbreak of the Civil War Woods raised a company of cavalry, primarily from Hays County, later to become Company A of the Thirty-sixth Texas Cavalry regiment. This regiment was mustered into Confederate service at Camp Woods on Salado Creek on March 22, 1862, and Woods was elected colonel when the regiment was organized. The Thirty-sixth (often called the Thirty-second) Texas Cavalry regiment was recruited within a fifty-mile radius of San Antonio. Source: The Handbook of Texas(Submitted on October 13, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 13, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 265 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 14, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.