Hear Dixie's Land Hear Always Stand on the Union Side

On March 5, 1861, Texas officially left the United States and became the 7^th state to join the Confederate States of America. Governor Sam Houston refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was removed from office.

The North had several advantages over the South as the war began. They had more people (22 million to 9 million, 3.5 million of whom were slaves), more miles of railroads, and more factories. In the South’s favor, they were fighting a defensive war, they had many outstanding military officers, and they had a strong determination to keep their way of life.

The U.S. president during the war was Abraham Lincoln. The Confederate president was Jefferson Davis (Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Davis Mts.). The commanding general of the Confederacy was Robert E. Lee, while the Union commander was Ulysses S. Grant.

Although most of the major battles of the Civil War took place outside of Texas, many Texans fought in the Civil War. About 60,000 Texans fought for the Confederacy, while approximately 2,000 fought for the Union. About 20,000 Texans were killed or wounded in the war. Well-known Texans in the war included the men of Terry’s Texas Rangers, Hood’s Texas Brigade, and Ross’ Texas Brigade. Texan Albert Sidney Johnston was the 2^nd highest-ranking officer in the Confederate army.

President Jefferson Davis said this of the Texan soldiers, " Texans! The troops from other states have their reputation to gain, but the sons of the defenders of the Alamo have theirs to maintain. I am sure you will be faithful to the trust."

Below is a brief description of three Civil War battles which were fought in Texas:

Although there were few battles fought on Texas soil, the people of Texas felt the effects of the Civil War. Women were forced to assume new roles since many of the adult men were away at war (and many never returned). There were a number of shortages because of the war, especially coffee and manufactured goods. Texans who supported the Union suffered greatly from persecution, and some were killed by supporters of the Confederacy.

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant in Virginia. Five days later, President Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C. by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate supporter. Shortly after the war ended, slavery also came to an end. Texas slaves were freed on June 19, 1865 (a day now celebrated as Juneteenth).

The decade after the war was called "Reconstruction." During this difficult period, the former Confederate states were governed by military districts. Reconstruction ended in 1874, when Republican governor Edmund Davis was defeated by Democrat Richard Coke. It was to be another century before Texans elected another Republican governor.