and obtained a wooded prosthesis, and rejoined the military as a recruiter in April 1836. Commissioned as a colonel by President David G. Burnet, Ward served under Gen. Thomas J. Rusk. For his service to the Republic of Texas, Ward later received 2,240 acres in Grayson and Goliad counties. Houston After the Texas Revolution, Ward settled in Houston and worked as a general contractor. Augustus Allen, one of the founders of Houston, met with Ward in New Orleans early in 1837 to discuss construction projects. Ward secured a $4,000 letter of credit, and on February 18, 1837, Allen hired Ward as a contractor to build the Texas capitol in Houston. Allen also engaged Ward to build a smaller building known as the Long Row, which was to be used as a backup plan, and Ward completed this building in short order. According to one account, work did not commence until April 16th, just two weeks before Congress was due to meet on May 1st. When the Second Session of the 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas convened, the building was not yet finished, as reported by John James Audubon, "We amused ourselves by walking to the capitol, which was yet without a roof, and the floors, benches, and tables of both houses of Congress were as well saturated with water as our clothes had been in the morning." Even though the Long Row was complete and the capitol building was not, Congress started its session in a building without a roof. Ward's capitol building was only used by the Texas government for a few years, but it was arguably one of Houston's finest buildings. For decades it was operated as a hotel, though extant photographs show the building after various renovations and expansions. In 1838, Ward started a law practice specializing in land grants and estates. He also acquired 8,000 acres of Texas land through grants related to his contributions to Texas independence. The same year Ward served as a member to the Harrisburg (Harris) County's Board of Land Commissioners. He lost his re-election bid the next year, and also unsuccessfully challenged Robert Wilson for a Texas Senate seat. During the spring and summer of 1839, the capitol was moved to Waterloo, later renamed Austin. Ward followed the seat of government and in late 1839 served as the chief clerk for the House of Representatives during the Fourth Congress.