Jerome B. Robertson
| Jerome Bonaparte Robertson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Aunt Polly" |
| Born |
March 14, 1815 Woodford County, Kentucky |
| Died | January 7, 1890 (aged 74) Waco, Texas |
| Place of burial | Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, Texas |
| Allegiance |
 Republic of Texas Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
Texian Army Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1836–37 (Texas), 1861–65 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Commands held | Texas Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
Jerome Bonaparte Robertson (March 14, 1815 – January 7, 1890) was a doctor, Indian fighter, Texas politician, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for his service in the famed Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia.
Robertson was born in Woodford County, Kentucky, the son of Scottish immigrant Cornelius Robertson and his wife Clarissa Hill (Keech) Robertson. When Robertson was only four years old, his father died, leaving his mother almost penniless. Unable to properly support her family, she apprenticed young Robertson four years later to a hatter, who moved with the boy in 1824 to St. Louis. After studying medicine at Transylvania University in Kentucky, Robertson graduated in 1835. With the Texas Revolution emerging as a national topic, Robertson joined a company of Kentucky volunteers as a lieutenant and made plans to travel to Texas. However, they were delayed in New Orleans and did not arrive in the Republic of Texas until September 1836. There, he joined the Army of Texas and was commissioned as a captain.
In 1837, with Texas Revolutionary hostilities essentially ended, Robertson resigned his Texas commission and returned to Kentucky, where he married Mary Elizabeth Cummins. He returned with his wife and several relatives to Texas in December 1837, buying land and settling in Washington-on-the Brazos. He established a medical practice, and became known on the frontier as an Indian fighter through six years of sporadic campaigning. He also served in the military forces that helped repel two invasions by the Mexican army in 1842. After stints as the town's coroner, mayor, and postmaster, Robertson built a home in Independence in 1845. By this time, the Republic of Texas was on the verge of becoming the State of Texas. Robertson was elected in 1847 to the State House of Representatives and in 1849 to the State Senate.
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