🤠Texas History Unit 3 – Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction

Key Events Leading to Texas's Secession

• Increasing tensions between northern and southern states over slavery led to a growing sectionalism
• Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 as a Republican president triggered secession fears among southern states
• Texas Governor Sam Houston opposed secession but was overruled by the state legislature
• Texas Secession Convention convened in January 1861 to discuss the issue of secession
  • Delegates voted 166 to 8 in favor of secession on February 1, 1861
• Texas officially seceded from the Union on March 2, 1861 following a statewide referendum
• Texas joined the Confederate States of America as the seventh state on March 23, 1861
• U.S. Army posts and federal property in Texas were surrendered to state authorities

Texas's Role in the Confederacy

• Texas provided significant manpower to the Confederate Army with over 70,000 Texans serving
  • Notable Texas units included Hood's Texas Brigade and Terry's Texas Rangers
• Texas's long coastline and ports played a crucial role in Confederate blockade running and trade
  • Galveston and Houston served as major ports for Confederate commerce
• Texas supplied the Confederacy with essential resources such as cotton, cattle, and horses
• The state's vast size and distance from major battles allowed it to serve as a supply base and refuge
• Texas Rangers and state militia units helped defend the Texas frontier from Union incursions and Native American raids
• Many Texas politicians and military leaders held prominent positions in the Confederate government and army

Major Battles and Military Campaigns

• Battle of Galveston (January 1, 1863) resulted in the recapture of Galveston by Confederate forces
  • Union blockade of Galveston was temporarily lifted following the battle
• Battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863) saw a small Confederate force repel a Union naval invasion
  • Union forces attempted to invade Texas and establish a base for operations
• Red River Campaign (March-May 1864) was a failed Union attempt to invade Texas from Louisiana
  • Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor successfully defended the Red River Valley
• Palmito Ranch (May 12-13, 1865) was the last land battle of the Civil War, fought in Texas
  • Confederate forces engaged Union troops near Brownsville, unaware that the war had already ended
• Union naval blockades and coastal raids aimed to disrupt Texas's trade and supply lines
  • Blockade runners and small skirmishes characterized much of the coastal warfare in Texas

Home Front During the War

• Texas's relative isolation from major battles allowed the state to maintain a degree of normalcy
• Women took on increased responsibilities in managing households, farms, and businesses
  • Many women also contributed to the war effort by sewing uniforms, preparing supplies, and nursing wounded soldiers
• Shortages of essential goods and inflation became more severe as the war progressed
• Conscription laws drafted many able-bodied men into military service, leading to labor shortages
• Refugees from other southern states sought safety in Texas, straining local resources
• Unionist sentiment persisted in some areas of Texas, particularly in the Hill Country and North Texas
  • Unionists faced persecution, violence, and forced evacuation by Confederate authorities

Economic and Social Impact on Texas

• Cotton production and trade were disrupted by the Union blockade, causing economic hardship
  • Some planters shifted to food crops to support the war effort and local populations
• Livestock industry experienced a boom as Texas cattle were driven to other Confederate states
  • The Chisholm Trail became a major route for cattle drives during and after the war
• Shortages of manufactured goods led to a rise in home production and cottage industries
• Inflation and depreciation of Confederate currency caused financial instability and hardship
• Slaves in Texas remained largely unaffected by the Emancipation Proclamation until after the war
  • News of emancipation reached Texas on June 19, 1865, now celebrated as Juneteenth
• Social divisions and tensions intensified between Unionists and Confederates, rich and poor, and Anglo-Americans and minorities

End of the War and Surrender

• General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War
• Union forces under General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to enforce emancipation and establish Union control
  • This event, known as Juneteenth, marked the official end of slavery in Texas
• Confederate forces in Texas under General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered on June 2, 1865
  • The last Confederate army to surrender was the Trans-Mississippi Department, which included Texas
• Union troops occupied major Texas cities and began the process of Reconstruction
• Many Confederate soldiers, officials, and supporters fled to Mexico, fearing prosecution
• Texas was readmitted to the Union on March 30, 1870, after fulfilling Reconstruction requirements

Reconstruction Policies in Texas

• President Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policies allowed many former Confederates to regain power
  • Johnson granted pardons to most ex-Confederates and appointed provisional governors
• Radical Republicans in Congress took control of Reconstruction, imposing stricter policies
  • The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into military districts under Union control
• Texas was part of the Fifth Military District, governed by Union generals
  • The U.S. Army oversaw elections, maintained order, and protected the rights of freedmen
• The Freedmen's Bureau was established to provide aid, education, and legal protection to former slaves
  • The Bureau faced resistance and violence from white Texans opposed to black equality
• The 14th and 15th Amendments were ratified, granting citizenship and voting rights to African Americans
  • Texas was required to ratify these amendments as a condition for readmission to the Union

Challenges and Changes in Post-War Texas

• Reconstruction governments in Texas were plagued by corruption, political instability, and violence
  • Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups targeted African Americans and Reconstruction supporters
• Carpetbaggers (Northerners who moved to the South) and scalawags (Southern Unionists) were vilified by many white Texans
• African Americans faced significant challenges in exercising their newly granted rights and freedoms
  • Sharecropping and tenant farming replaced slavery, often perpetuating economic inequality
• The state's economy slowly recovered, with cotton production and cattle ranching regaining prominence
  • The arrival of railroads facilitated economic growth and integration with national markets
• The Democratic Party regained control of Texas politics by appealing to white supremacy and states' rights
  • Reconstruction ended in Texas with the election of Democrat Richard Coke as governor in 1873
• Legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction, including racial tensions and debates over states' rights, continued to shape Texas society and politics