Texas History

Fort Burrows

Chapter
12 / The CIVIL WAR and TEXAS

Section Two

The Government of the United States said the Southern states could not secede from the Union. Southerners said they had the right to do so. Both sides raised Armies, Thousands of men from Texas volunteered to join the Confederate Army.
The North had many advantages. It had four times more men of fighting age. It had four times more factories to make clothing and supplies for soldiers.
In April 1861, war broke out between the two sides. The coast of Texas was an important area to both the North and the South. The North tried to blockade the coast, stopping ships from carrying on trade. The South tried to keep the coast open. Texans wanted to be able to sell their cotton so they could buy supplies for the Army. Some of the cotton was shipped out of Mexico. Trade in cotton continued throughout the war.
Texans served in many areas during the war. Some fought with the Confederate Army in Virginia. Many fought in Texas and Louisiana. They tried to stop the Union Army from taking these areas. / Spring 1861
Confederates capture all property of the United States Gov’t in Texas.
February 1862
General Henry Sibley and Texas soldiers capture Albuquerque
& Santa Fe.
Spring 1862
Sibley’s army runs out of supplies and begins retreating many die in the march back to Texas.
October 1862
Union troops capture Galveston.
January 1863
Confederate troops retake Galveston.
July 1863
Daddy, Sam Houston dies. / September 1863
Confederate troops defeated a Union attempt to capture the Sabine River.
November 1863
Union forces capture Brownsville, hurting the cotton trade.
Spring 1864
Confederate forces defeat an attempt to capture Laredo, keeping the cotton trade open.
April 8, 1864
Confederates win two battles to stop a Union invasion of the Red River area.

12.2 - The Civil War and Texas

Vocabulary:

arsenals – a storehouse for weapons

blockade – closes a port by positioning ships to keep people or supplies

from moving in or out

The War Begins

∂ the United States government declared that it was illegal to secede

∂ Southerners argued that they freely joined the Union, and they could freely leave it

∂ the Confederate capital was Richmond, Virginia

∂ Confederate States of America President – Jefferson Davis

∂ the Confederate leader was General Robert E Lee

∂ Confederate states took control of federal forts, navy yards, and arsenals

∂ Confederates captured all federal property in Texas

∂ Union troops were forced out of the state

∂ on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolinathis

marked the beginning of the Civil War

Ω The South’s Disadvantage

∂ the South had 1 million men of fighting age

∂ the North had 4 million.

∂ the South had to import most of its war supplies

∂ the North could manufacture and transport all the supplies it needed

Ω Confederate Texans regiments

∂ 3 regiments formed Hood’s Texas Brigade

∂ the 8th Cavalry became the famous Terry’s Texas Rangers

Terry’s Texas Rangers

The Eighth Texas Cavalry, popularly known as Terry's Texas Rangers, was a group of Texas volunteers for the Confederate States Army assembled by Benjamin Franklin Terry in August 1861. Each man provided his own shotgun, Colt revolver, Bowie knife, saddle, bridle, & blanket. The Army provided only a horse. The Terry Rangers distinguished themselves at several battles of the American Civil War. In four years the legendary, "Terry's Texas Rangers" fought 275 battles in seven states. Only twice, in American Civil War, did a cavalry unit defeat an infantry army; Terry's did it both times. The unit earned a reputation that ranked it among the most effective mounted regiments in the western theater of operations.

Ω Texans in the Union Army

∂ 2nd Texas Cavalry was made of Tejanos & Mexicans Texans

∂ about 2000 Anglos & 47 African Americans joined the Union Army

Texans Battle West of the Mississippi

∂ Texans intended to seize the Southwest and Californiato give them access to gold and silver mines and ports on the Pacific Ocean

∂ they captured Albuquerque and Santa Fe

∂ the Union Army captured a supply train at Glorieta Pass, this caused them to retreat back to Texas

∂ the Union controlled the Southwest for the rest of the war

The Confederacy needed the Texas Coast to send cotton to

Britainand Francein return for supplies.

Ω The Battle of Galveston – (one of the Confederacy’s greatest successes)

  • in 1862, Union warships set up a blockadeoff the Texas coast to stop trade
  • Union troops occupied Galveston
  • in 1863, Texans converted two steamboats into warships and forced the Union ships out of the Gulf and retook Galveston

Ω Battle of Sabine Pass

  • in 1863 Union troops tried to attack the Texas Coast again at the Sabine Pass
  • the Texans once again forced Union ships to retreat
  • captured about 300 Union prisoners

Ω The Battle of Laredo

  • after the Union blockade, Laredo was used to ship out cotton thru Mexico to England (#1) and France (#2)
  • in the spring of 1864, the Union soldiers tried to burn the store house of cotton
  • Colonel Santos Benavides led only 42 Tejano troops against the Union
  • Tejanos won. The Union soldiers retreated
  • Benavides was the highest ranking Tejano in the Confederate Army
  • he served as a state legislature 3 terms

Ω Santa Fe’s Importance to both sides

  • The gateway to California
  • gold & silver
  • ports to the Pacific Ocean

Ω The Red River Campaign

  • 1864, Union troops moved up the Red River toward East Texas towns - Henderson, Marshall, Tyler, Natchitoches
  • April 8, ( Burrows’ birthday ) Confederate leader Richard Taylor defeats Union leader Nathaniel Banks, causing him to eventually retreat down the Red River
  • Union was trying to destroy the Confederate Factories
  • the largest fight West of the Mississippi was the Battle of Pleasant Hill. The fight ended in a draw, but the Union continued to retreat down the Red River

Notable leaders from Texas

A number of notable leaders were associated with Texas during the Civil War. John Bell Hood* gained fame as the commander of the Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia and played a prominent role as an army commander late in the war. "Sol" Ross was a significant leader in a number of Trans-Mississippi Confederate armies. John Henninger Reagan* was an influential member of Jefferson Davis's* cabinet.

The office of Governor of Texas was in flux throughout the war, with several men in power at various times. Sam Houston* was governor when Texas seceded from the United States, but refused to declare any loyalty to the new Confederacy. He was replaced by Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark. Clark filled the rest of Houston's term in 1861, and narrowly lost re-election by just 124 votes to Francis Lubbock. During his tenure, Francis Lubbock supported Confederate conscription, working to draft all able-bodied men, including resident aliens, and his own brother, Thomas Saltus Lubbock* , - a ConfederateColonel and Texas Ranger, into the Confederate Army. When Francis Lubbock's term ended in 1863, he joined the military. Ardent secessionist Pendleton Murrah replaced him in office. Even after Robert E. Lee* surrendered in 1865, Murrah encouraged Texans to continue the revolution, and he and several supporters fled to Mexico.

CIVIL WAR BATTLES in or near TEXAS
New Mexico / South tried to capture Santa Fe, but was defeated
Galveston / North captured the city in 1862 but, the South rose up to regain control the next year
Sabine Pass / South defeated an attempt to capture the Fort guarding the pass
Brownsville / North captured the town in 1863
Laredo / South defeated the North’s attempt to capture this city in 1864
Louisiana / South defeated the attempt to seize the Red River
Battle of Mansfield / April 8, Confederates (Taylor) defeats Yankees (Banks)
Palmito Ranch / Last battle in Texas, (after the war was actually over)
South won

1. How many Texas County names do you recognize from the Notable Leaders?

______

2.Why did the Union blockade Texas ports?

A.to keep soldiers from escaping by water

B.to prevent weapons and supplies from being delivered

C.to keep cotton from being shipped out of state

D.to prevent Texan soldiers from leaving Texas

3.What major advantage did the North have over the South at the beginning of the Civil War?

A.more men of fighting age

B.more patriotism

C.more dedicated soldiers

D.more assistance from other nations

4.How did Texas contribute to the war effort?

______

5.Which Civil War battles were fought in Texas?

______

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