The Civil War in Texas

Texas and the Civil War

Introduction

In the February of 1861, Texas joined other states to secede from the federal government, the United States (Howell 132). The government was against slavery, but Texans supported it, arguing it is the only way of living. For this reason, Texas became part of the Confederacy with the hope of improving their life in general. Texans did not know the future would be disastrous in the form of war and other related events. The primary purpose of the present research paper focuses on the involvement of Texas and Texans in a civil war and other significant battles that Texans participated.

Texas and Texans in Civil War; Union and the Confederacy

Texas was among the states seceding from the United States due to differences in approaches towards slavery and trade. The United States government supported alleviating slavery, but Texas supported it (Howell 86). The southern states depended on trade, mainly importing goods from different places, but this became challenging after introducing trade tariffs. Eventually, southerners lost businesses and were only left with cotton plantations. Simultaneously, the slaves wanted freedom, and this is when Texas seceded from the central government and focused on its issues (Wooster 1). Among the essential things, Texans concentrated on including reforming their states' rights, sectionalism, and slavery.

The Bureau of Census report shows that Texas had approximately more than 180,000 slaves in 1860 (Wooster 1). Such a number was sufficient to effectively work on the Texans' cotton plantation boosting economy, which the collapse of businesses had deteriorated after the government passed tariffs. The Union wanted to free the slaves instead of working for Texans, which increased tension between them and the Confederacy, leading to civil war (Howell 91). Almost a third of the Texas population was slaves on the plantations, and Texans were ready to fight with the Union to retain slavery in their region. A decade was barely over since Texas had become part of the United States since 1845. The tension over slavery matter increased, hence making Texas play significant roles in Civil War. Initially, the state of Texas was conflicted on which group between Union and Confederacy to ally themselves with, until later when they became Confederacy.

Before the Civil War began, Texas was involved in Texas Revolution, which mainly focused on liberating themselves from Mexico (Wooster 1). Texas fought for its independence and became a Republic. The next step was to make Texas a state, but the North and South regions were divided due to slavery issues. The issue delayed Texas to be declared a state, but it eventually became one after the South won the battle. However, the South and North battle did not stop but worsened with raids and riots, leading to more destructions and loss of lives.

Texans willingly responded to the call of being part of the Confederacy, and the services included participating in the army. Texas released approximately 90,000 men to fight in the Civil War from 1861 to the end (Wooster 1). The notable leaders like Ben McCulloch and John Hood also came from Texas, indicating that the state significantly influenced this war. The Union, on the other hand, was also strong as the team invaded some Texas cities. Confederates, in turn, defended themselves vigilantly. Throughout the Civil War, the frontier team from Texas was often attacked by the Indigenous Americans in the forest. Despite Texas producing a solid army, such attacks were possible because the Civil war was the main focus. The Civil war ended at the Palmito Ranch in Texas, where the final battle took place after the killings of countless people.

Based on the above historical report, Texas and Texans' involvement in the Civil War was all because they were against the government eliminating rights to own slaves. Although not all Texans owned slaves, they wanted the government to allow the freedom of getting slaves any time one desired (Wooster 1). Also, Texas was a prominent state due to many factors like maintaining economic stability and having strong connections to the South. Texans were united, and this made it possible to agree that slavery was vital for economic growth. Notably, the war did not always favor Texas, especially in the big cities. For instance, Galveston was among the biggest cities in Texas, with the main port (Moneyhon 10). When the Civil War started, the federal government blocked the port, which led many people from Galveston to other people. Such shifting of people and blocking port affected the economy not only for Texans but other Southerners. Marshall provided valuable tools for the battle, such as gunpowder, which contributed to empowering the Texas army during the Civil war and other conflicts with the natives.

In 1865, Generals Ulysses and Robert Lee decided to find a solution and end the war (Wooster 1). Ending slavery was among the conditions to end the war, but Texans were unwilling to surrender yet. Unions, Confederates, and all other parties from the federal met at the Palmito Ranch for another battle, which was a final war (Moneyhon 6). The groups met in April, but the battle did not start immediately until mid-May. After one month of the Palmito Ranch battle, the Confederate General, Kirby Smith, surrendered the Department of Trans-Mississippi (Moneyhon 6). Union and the Confederate had reduced the tension from both sides, creating a proper environment to reach an agreement.

Two weeks after the Confederate's surrender, Gordon Granger, a Union General, arrived at Galveston (Moneyhon 6). The General officially declared the end of slavery in Texas and the surroundings. Texans and other people in the North still experienced confusion even after the Emancipation Proclamation (Moneyhon 7). The new season was for reconstruction and stabilizing the state in all aspects. Unfortunately, the reconstruction period was characterized by violence, some among Texans or the Northerners to conform to the new policies (Moneyhon 9). It was difficult for many Texans to survive without slaves, mainly to help them in the cotton plantations. The people of color started getting employed at their will to work on the farm.

In 1870, Texans became part of the Union, and the Civil War came to an end (Moneyhon 6). Research shows although Texans were constantly in battles, religion helped them cope throughout (Wooster 1). For instance, the soldiers and civilians had religious practices like reading Bible and praying to God for protection. Chaplains also had church services, praying for the soldiers in the battle to win. Political leaders also attempted to keep the morale among the armies and ensured they were well equipped for war.