Gilmer in Upshur County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Upshur County, C. S. A.
⎯⎯⎯
Emma Sansom Johnson

Upshur County, C. S. A. Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 1, 2019

1. Upshur County, C. S. A. Marker

Inscription.
Upshur County, C. S. A. Civil War supply and activity center. Men and boys served in the Confederate army on many battlefronts and in state troops protecting Texas from invasion. 3 military training camps were set up. Vital needs for military and civilians met with production of hats, shoes, saddles, harness, cloth, iron and pottery in factories in Gilmer and Ore City. A Quartermaster Depot was established on the home front, women, joined by old men, children and loyal slaves, ran the farms producing grain, meat and cotton for army, giving much, keeping little.

Emma Sansom Johnson (1847-1900)
Home County of Southern Heroine
1847 - 1900 "Sunbonnet heroine" of the Confederacy. Buried Little Mound Cemetery, 11 miles west. On May 2, 1863 Gen. N. B. Forrest, with 600 C. S. A. Cavalry, in pursuit of 1,700 Federals bent on destroying vital supplies was halted by a burned bridge on Black Creek near Gadsden, Alabama. Forrest asked about another crossing, Emma Sansom volunteered to show way to little-known ford. Forrest swung her up behind his saddle. Bullets pierced here calico dress, but the 15-year-old waved her

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bonnet defiantly and pointed out the crossing, enabling troops to surprise, capture enemy. Feat recognized by note from Forrest, a gold medal from C. S. A. Congress and "The Ballad of Emma Sansom." She married Confederate veteran C. B. Johnson and moved to Texas in 1876. Texans with Forrest were 1st Legion, Willis Cav. Bn., 34d, 6th, 9th Cav. Regts.

Erected 1964 by the State of Texas. (Marker Number 11350.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Heroes • Political Subdivisions • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is May 2, 1863.

Location. 32° 43.741′ N, 94° 56.679′ W. Marker is in Gilmer, Texas, in Upshur County. It is at the intersection of West Tyler Street (Texas Route 154) and Davis Street, on the right when traveling west on West Tyler Street. The marker stands on the Courthouse lawn. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 West Tyler Street, Gilmer TX 75644, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North

Emma Sampson Johnson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 1, 2019

2. Emma Sampson Johnson Marker

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,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cherokee Trace (within shouting distance of this marker); Sam Houston Spoke Here (within shouting distance of this marker); C.S.A. Leather Factories (within shouting distance of this marker); The Looney School (within shouting distance of this marker); Upshur County Bell (within shouting distance of this marker); 1925 Gilmer Post Office (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "The Gilmer Mirror" (about 400 feet away); First Baptist Church of Gilmer (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gilmer.

Also see . . . The Encyclopedia of Alabama on the exploits of Emma Sampson (Johnson). (Submitted on September 11, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Upshur County, C. S. A. / Emma Sampson Johnson Marker at the Upshur County Courthouse. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 1, 2019

3. Upshur County, C. S. A. / Emma Sampson Johnson Marker at the Upshur County Courthouse.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 821 times since then and 54 times this year. Last updated on May 15, 2026, by Sharon Steele-Smith of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Upshur County, C. S. A.⎯⎯⎯Emma Sansom Johnson

Upshur County, C. S. A.
⎯⎯⎯
Emma Sansom Johnson