General Richard Waterhouse Jr. Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Richard Waterhouse, Jr. (1832-1876), who would become the last Confederate General approved by Jefferson Davis & Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a descendent of several Richard Waterhouses (his grandfather, Richard Green Waterhouse, had served in the War of 1812). Born in Tennessee, he had moved to San Augustine, Texas in 1849 and was engaged in a mercantile business. During the American Civil War, Waterhouse fought valiantly at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and he would go on to serve at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill during the Red River Campaign (1864). General E. Kirby Smith promoted Waterhouse to the rank of Brigadier General from April 30, 1864 for his services there. Due to the lack of proximity to Richmond, it would take nearly a year for word to reach the Confederate capital and be processed. President Jefferson Davis signed Waterhouse's promotion on March 17, 1865, and, in one of its last acts on its last day (March 18), the Confederate Senate confirmed his rank. Following the War, many Texans, including Waterhouse, became involved in land speculation, especially in conjunction with the fragile French empire established in Mexico and in the new southwestern states. Waterhouse was in Waco, Texas on business ten years after the War when he fell down a flight of stairs at a hotel. Injuries and pneumonia complications caused his death a few days later, on March 20, 1876.