What Role Did Texas Play In The Civil War Essay

Texas played a major role in the Civil War. Fort Bend County holds a prominent place in Texas history. Although most of the major battles did not take place in Fort Bend, the affects of the war were still prominent. Texas residents provided their full measure of courage and devotion to the cause. This is something that all future generations of Texans should be proud of.

According to the Historical Research Center, Texas Heritage Museum, Fort Bend County was developed along the Brazos River and was settled in 1820’s as a part of Austin’s colony. Fort Bend’s population was 2,016 white residents and 4127 slaves by 1860. It was the second most prosperous county in Texas behind Harris County.

A revolution began in Texas in 1835 after tension grew

between the Mexican government and settlers in Texas. Followed by the Texas Revolution was the Declaration of independence that left the land and people as a sovereign nation. Fort Bend was left a disaster after Santa Anna’s march up to the coast. His troops slaughtered many livestock, burned any settlements they saw and also consumed many of the crops on their way.
When other southern states felt compelled to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America in order to protect their rights, Texans called for similar action.

Benjamin Franklin Terry was elected in 1861 Fort Bend County voted unanimously in favor of secession. While no Civil War battles were fought in Fort Bend County, this area did feel its impact. The majority of capable Fort Bend County men went off to war from 1861-1865 after the county voted to secede from the Union.

The most prominent group of Fort Bend County soldiers was a group led by Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Terry. Terry owned the Oakland Plantation and turned it into one of the largest sugar plantations in Texas with his partner William Kyle. Terry’s Rangers wore whatever they has available to them as they did not have any uniforms. They often carried shotguns, rifles, revolvers and bowie knives (Blackburn 1919, 38-67).

When the war came to an end, there was a lot of sorrow. Residents of Fort Bend mourned its soldiers that died. The county began working on improving its economy. Most of the men that took part in the war died in battle or were severely wounded. They were all brave soldiers and their efforts will be forever

remembered.
The economy of Fort Bend did not completely recover for about 20 years. There was a lot of political unrest at that time and many of the problems of the economy were due to that political unrest in the government. After the Emancipation Proclamation, plantation owners had to restructure their business. This was not good because the plantations in Fort Bend relied strongly on slave labor.
Cotton was the main crop during the Civil War and Texas economy was mostly agrarian. There was a lot of slave labor in Fort bend at that time. A few industries existed in the state by 1861, but new ones soon opened to support the war effort. Cotton production and selling of it provided Fort bend enough currency to purchase guns, ammunition, cloth, salt, medicine and other vital goods from Texas companies that manufactured them.
According to the Historic Richmond website, Before the Civil War, Richmond was the county seat of Fort bend County. It became a center of Cattle Empire that grew between the Brazos and Colorado rivers. The town remained largely isolated from the war conflict although many men from Richmond did join the Confederate companies during the Civil war. The aftermath of that was that Richmond’s economy declined.
Within Fort Bend County’s line, tradition mattered. Political philosophy and political loyalty were found there. During the Civil war most Fort Bend County residents committed and devoted to Confederacy. Fort Bend County could also rightly claim another distinction. The white folks of Fort Bend County were radically outnumbered at that time.
Texas economy was in decline during and after the war. It greatly affected agriculture. Texans were not able to sell cotton and this is one of the greatest reasons to the economy’s decline. The reason being that Union’s navy blockade closed the ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Land routes were closed to the rest of the confederacy as a result of union victories. The demand for food crops increased so farmers began to grow wheat and corn instead of cotton.
Education during the Civil war years in Fort Bend went through difficult times.

People did not have enough money and could not afford payments for schooling along with taxing. As a result, schools had to be shut down. Due to the decline in economy, getting schools running again was a major issue. Children stayed at home.

As men had left to fight the war, women got together from all counties including Fort Bend to take on the men’s work in addition to their own. Many ran stores and post offices while others worked in huge plantations. Some women became teachers or provided medical aid. They would often sew clothes for soldiers, cook food for them and make bandages. Certain camps were set up for those soldiers. Such a place was Berwick’s Hotel in Richmond.

However, not all women stayed back while the men were out to fight. About 250 women took part in war. They joined the Confederate army. Some were from Fort Bend County, others from Harris County and other cities in Texas. To look more like men they chopped off their hair, wore false mustaches and padded their

bodies.
The hour long video documentary, The Home Front: Life in Texas during the Civil War by Forest Glen Productions also does a great job in describing life in Texas at that time. Although more material is related to military life and war in Texas back then, it also discusses the role of women, African Americans, Tejanos and Native Americans. The documentary states that much of the war effort revolved around women. They show that women are the ones that keep families and farms going during the civil war years.
The documentary states that Texans had a lot to be proud of during the Civil War. Texas did a great job repelling to all of the attacks from the Red River to the coast. The union was never able to successfully invade the Lone Star State. Compared to the rest of the south, Texans did much better during the war. The documentary also features some great things such as great present-day footage of historical sites, many pictures, drawings and archives across from the state.