Events of the Civil War in Texas

When the Civil War began, about 25,000 Texans volunteered to fight. Thousands joined the army from other Confederate states, too. However, losses were high. To meet the need for soldiers, the Confederate congress passed the Conscription Act in 1862. It said that all men between 18 and 35 had to serve in the armed forces. Overall about 70,000 Texans served in the war. About two-thirds of the first Texans soldiers were in the cavalry. They fought on horseback. Thousands of other Texans were foot soldiers in the infantry. Two well-known units came from Texas. One group, Hood’s Brigade, led for a time by Brigadier General John Bell Hood, fought in most of the major battles in the East. Hood’s Texans met with high casualties. Soldiers died in battle, but many died from disease. Army camps were filthy, food was of poor quality, and good medical care was scarce. Of the more than 700,000 soldiers who died on both sides in the war, two-thirds died from disease or infection. The other famous Texas unit was Terry’s Texas Rangers, a cavalry force. The Rangers were led by Benjamin Franklin Terry. This unit fought in battles from Tennessee to Georgia. Although most Texans supported the Confederacy, some did not. Those who supported the federal government were known as Unionists. Over 2,000 Texan Unionists joined the Union army. Some Tejanos fought for the Union because they were bitter about their lands being taken and because of ill treatment by Texans. Unionists faced hostility. In 1862, some German settlers were caught trying to flee to Mexico to avoid conscription. Confederate cavalry killed many in a fight near the Nueces River. Other Unionists tried to escape the draft by hiding. Some were arrested. Others were forced to join the army, and still others were killed by vigilante groups. These were citizens who took the law into their own hands. Vigilantes often hanged Unionists without a trial. African Americans supported the Union because a Union victory would mean an end to slavery. Some African Americans from Texas managed to join the Union army. One, Milton M. Holland, led his unit to victory after all the commanders had been killed. For this, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, America's highest military award.

Because of Texas’s location on the Gulf of Mexico, the effects of the blockade were felt by soldiers and citizens. Texans tried to make their coastline more secure. They had fortifications built along the shore. Heavy cannons were set up. However, in 1862, a small Union fleet sailed into Galveston harbor and forced the city to surrender. The loss of Galveston was a serious blow to Texas and to the Confederacy. Confederate commanders knew they had to regain the city. General John B. Magruder commanded the Confederate forces in Texas. He was determined to retake Galveston. He gathered infantry, cavalry, and gunboats for the attempt. On New Year’s Day, 1863, Confederate troops attacked the Union forces at Galveston. The Confederate gunboats forced one Union ship to surrender. Another Union ship was blown up by its own crew after running aground. The rest of the Union fleet steamed away. Several hundred Union soldiers surrendered, and Galveston was again under Confederate control. The Confederacy held Galveston for the rest of the war, even though the Union blockade outside Galveston remained in effect. Galveston became one of the only ports available to the Confederacy. Ships known as blockade runners continued to bring much-needed supplies for Texas and the Confederacy into Galveston.

The Union wanted to gain control of Texas and Confederate lands west of the Mississippi River. They hoped to enter the interior of Texas by controlling Sabine Pass, where the Sabine River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Fort Griffin was located at the pass. The Union commander in the area wanted to land troops near Sabine Pass, capture the fort, and then march overland to capture Beaumont and Houston. During the Union attack, Confederates fired on Union ships and captured about 350 Union soldiers. The Union forces retreated, and Sabine Pass stayed under Confederate control. Texans shipped and received goods throughout the war, despite the blockade. Confederates sold cotton to Europe in return for medicine, ammunition, and other supplies. The city of Brownsville is near Mexico, so Texas traders could send their cotton across the Rio Grande to Matamoros, Mexico. The use of the Mexican port made some trade possible. The Union army hoped to cut off this valuable supply line. In November 1863, Union forces captured Brownsville and tried to gain more territory. Confederate forces recaptured Brownsville in July 1864. When the war ended, Union troops occupied only Brazos Island at the mouth of the Rio Grande.