Civil War in Texas

Texas Confederates Take Charge Texas's government was now completely controlled by those who supported the Confederacy. In 1861, Frances R. Lubbock became governor. Two years later, Pendleton Murrah became governor. Murrah served as governor until the last days of the war. Both Texas leaders worked hard for the Confederate war effort.

War Changes Women's Roles Because few battles were fought in Texas, it suffered less damage than other Confederate states. Life on the large plantations was much the same as before the war. Slaves continued to do most of the work just as they always had. On small farms, however, there were no men to do the work. Most of the men were away fighting the war. Women, children, and slaves did most of the work. Women also served as nurses during the Civil War. They took care of the sick and wounded.

War Changes the Economy The war brought economic changes. The farmers were asked to grow more corn and wheat for the war effort. Less cotton was grown during the Civil War. Small factories opened in Texas to make cannons and ammunition. Other factories made items such as blankets, shoes, and tents. These supplies were needed for the soldiers. Women made uniforms and other clothing for the soldiers. Many of them worked very long hours making clothing. Women also became teachers, shopkeepers, and drivers. Before the war, men did these jobs.

Shortages Make Life Difficult During the war Texans made many sacrifices. Because of the Union blockade of Confederate ports, many goods could not reach the South. Clothes, made in the North, were no longer in Southern stores. Many Texans wore homespun, a coarse, loosely woven, homemade fabric. Other items, such as coffee, tea, salt, baking soda, and pepper, were hard to get. Several newspapers had to stop publishing because they had no paper. Most medicine went to the soldiers. There was no quinine. Quinine was an imported drug used to fight malaria and other fevers. The shortages of various goods became worse as people from neighboring states came to Texas to escape the Union armies.

A Texas Story Continued Lucy Pier Stevens was a young woman who was trapped in Texas when the Civil War broke out. Lucy decided she had to go home. She had a long, hard trip back to New York but finally made it. Her journey was an example of the difficulties many people suffered during the war.

The Civil War Ends The Confederacy fought the Union for four years. The Union had many advantages. It had more soldiers and more money to pay for the war. It also had more factories to make war materials. In April 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered. This was the largest army of the Confederacy. Other Confederate armies quickly surrendered. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in May 1865 at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas. Now the United States had to begin rebuilding. More than 600,000 people had died in the Civil War. The North's victory meant that the Union had been preserved and that slavery had ended. During the war, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It freed all slaves in the Confederate states. After the war was over, officials made sure the proclamation was enforced. Lincoln did not live to see all the slaves freed. The Thirteenth Amendment, which did away with slavery, was not approved until late 1865. Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth just a few days after Confederate armies surrendered. Booth believed he was helping the Confederacy by killing Lincoln. The government of Texas fell apart as Southern armies surrendered. Many government officials fled to Mexico. They wanted to leave Texas before Union soldiers arrived. For a while, outlaws roamed Texas. Then President Andrew Johnson appointed a temporary governor. Texans had to begin working to rejoin the Union.