TAMIU’s Thompson Publishes 32nd Book
After 58 years of teaching and scholarship in Laredo, Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Piper Professor Dr. Jerry D. Thompson has published his 32nd book, "When All Our Troubles Will Be Forgotten: The Civil War Letters and Recollections of Captain George Henry Pettis," published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2026.
Thompson's remarkable academic career in Laredo began at Laredo Junior College, now Laredo College. He later joined the faculty of Laredo State University. Over nearly six decades, Thompson has taught generations of students while building a distinguished career as a historian, researcher and prolific author.
Reflecting on his decades in Laredo higher education, Thompson offered the following.
“It has been a great pleasure and honor to watch higher education in Laredo come so far,” he shared.
Thompson is almost through with a manuscript he has been working on for several years, a history of Fort McIntosh, tentatively titled, ‘Into the Randado Country: A History of Fort McIntosh and the Defense of the Middle Border, 1848–1947.’ Thompson has also completed research on a biography of former Laredo mayor Joseph Claude Martin II, titled ‘The Last Patron: Joseph Claude Martin II and the Rise and Fall of Laredo’s Old Party.’
His latest book, edited and annotated by Thompson, brings together the writings of Captain George Henry Pettis, a relatively little-known figure whose military service and firsthand observations provide a valuable perspective on the Civil War, particularly along the conflict's remote Western Front.
In addition to arranging and annotating Pettis' letters and recollections, Thompson enriches the volume with period illustrations and photographs rarely featured in other Civil War publications. Extensive captions provide additional historical context and help readers better understand the people, places and events depicted.
The book also includes detailed maps that help readers follow the course of the California Column's epic march while providing geographical context for important locations in New Mexico referenced throughout Pettis' writings.
Through Thompson's editorial work, Pettis's military service and firsthand accounts reach a wider audience, offering readers a chance to explore the Civil War through the experiences of someone who witnessed events firsthand on one of the war's most isolated and distant fronts.
With 32 books to his name, Thompson has established an extraordinary record of scholarship and publication. His extensive body of work reflects decades of research into the history of the American Southwest, the Civil War and the individuals whose experiences help illuminate the region's past.
For 58 years, Thompson's career has also been closely tied to Laredo's history. Beginning his teaching career at Laredo Junior College and continuing at Laredo State University and its successors, he has played a long-standing role in educating students and contributing to the community's intellectual life.
Thompson continues to teach, research and write, adding to a scholarly career that has spanned more than half a century in Laredo.
"When All Our Troubles Will Be Forgotten: The Civil War Letters and Recollections of Captain George Henry Pettis" is published by the University of New Mexico Press and is available through the press and other booksellers.
For more information, contact TAMIU's Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.
A proud member of The Texas A&M University System, TAMIU provides a world-class educational experience to students from throughout South Texas, Northern Mexico, and beyond.
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