Near Hooker Ridge in Rains County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Texas Sharpshooter

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

1. Texas Sharpshooter Marker

Inscription. The Footstone below is in memory of Sgt. Christopher Columbus Neal, Co. E, 1st Battalion, Texas Sharpshooters. He enlisted as a Private in Hunt County, Tx. with Captain Benjamin Martin's 1st Texas Sharpshooters at the age of 30 on April 30, 1862. Recruits that signed up in Sharpshooter units were good shots and were issued Model 1859 Sharp's Rifles. In December 1862, he was reassigned to Co. E as a Sergeant. That winter the Battalion moved to Fort DeRussy on the Red River near Marksville, Louisiana. On February 20, 1863, he was admitted to the Confederate Hospital in Marksville suffering from Measles or Small Pox (dangerous diseases in the mid-19th century).

Sergeant Neal died from disease on March 2, 1863 and is buried in the Fort DeRussy Cemetery in Marksville. The Veterans Administration furnished a Military Marker for a memorial ceremony held on March 5, 2011.

Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant day of the year for for this entry is May 31.

Location. 32° 55.098′ N, 95° 57.951′ W. Memorial is near Hooker Ridge, Texas, in Rains County. It is at the intersection of Farm to Market

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Road 513 and County Road 1624, on the left when traveling north on Road 513. The marker is located in the middle section of the Hooker Cemetery. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 795 Farm To Market Rd 513, Lone Oak TX 75453, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the American South

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hooker Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lake Tawakoni (approx. 2.6 miles away); Lone Oak Baptist Church (approx. 5½ miles away); Lone Oak Methodist Church (approx. 5.6 miles away); Isaac Newton Gresham (approx. 5.6 miles away); Caddo Indians in Hunt County (approx. 8 miles away); Camp Matthew F. Locke, C.S.A. (approx. 8.2 miles away); County Line School (approx. 11.1 miles away).

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

2. Texas Sharpshooter Marker

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hooker Ridge.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Judge James Hooker (was here, next to this marker but has been confirmed missing).

The view of the Texas Sharpshooter Marker in the cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

3. The view of the Texas Sharpshooter Marker in the cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.