| Prior Era: | Early Texas Statehood Era |
|---|---|
| Next Era: | Texas in Reconstruction Era |
Texas During Civil War Era 1861-1865
1861
Secession & Social Division: Despite Sam Houston's opposition, Texas votes to secede and joins the Confederate States of America. Houston is removed from office after refusing the oath of allegiance. While thousands of Anglo-Texans enlist, Spanish-Texans are divided; some join the Confederacy to protect their lands, while others flee to Mexico or join Union companies.
1862
Internal Conflict & Frontier Chaos: Confederate forces recapture the port of Galveston. On the home front, the "Great Hanging at Gainesville" sees 40 Anglo-Texan Unionists executed for treason. With federal troops gone, Native Nations like the Comanche and Kiowa reclaim vast stretches of the frontier, pushing the line of settlement back eastward by dozens of miles.
1863
The Battle of Sabine Pass: A small unit of Confederate soldiers (The Davis Guards) successfully repels a Union invasion force, preventing Northern troops from occupying the East Texas cotton fields. Meanwhile, Spanish-Texan families in South Texas benefit from the "Cotton Road," as Texas cotton is smuggled through Mexico to bypass the Union blockade.
1864
The Storehouse of the Confederacy: Texas troops participate in the Red River Campaign in Louisiana to block a Union advance. Because Texas is never occupied by the Union army, it becomes a refuge for slaveholders from other Southern states who bring enslaved people into Texas to prevent their emancipation, causing the enslaved population in the state to skyrocket.
1865
The End of the War & Juneteenth: The final battle of the war is fought at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, where Spanish-Texan and Anglo-Texan Confederates win a hollow victory weeks after Lee's surrender. On June 19, General Gordon Granger arrives in Galveston to issue General Order No. 3, finally notifying the enslaved population of their freedom.
- The Result: The war leaves the state's economy in ruins, the frontier in a state of constant warfare with Native Nations, and a deep social rift between former Confederates and newly freed Black Texans.