In
1861, about twenty-two thousand families populated the State of Texas, and one
in four of them owned slaves. Most of them lived in the eastern part. In
January that year, tough Sam Houston tried to forestall it, the state convened a
convention, and delegates voted one hundred sixty-six to eight in favor of
seceding from the Union. The vote was stacked because seventy percent of those men
voting owned slaves.
By
March, Texas joined the Confederacy, but its governor remained pro-union, and Sam
Houston refused recognize their authority or to take an oath to the new
government, so they declared his office vacant. Lincoln offered to send him union
troops to resist, but he declined. So his Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark from
Marshall, a Confederate supporter, stepped up and into the top position as the
eighth governor of the Lone Star State.
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| General Twiggs |
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| Benjamin McCulloch |
The
Union’s ailing General Twiggs in San Antonio surrendered all the federally held
lands to veteran Texas Ranger Benjamin McCullouch and then evacuated his twenty-seven
hundred troops. By the end of the year, twenty-five thousand Texans joined the
Confederate army, two-thirds of those as cavalrymen, since no one in Texas
liked to walk. The majority served in the southwest part of the state under the
leadership of the colorful Rip Cord who commanded the Rio Grande division
against Union invaders, Comanche and Mexican raiders.
The
region became the Confederacy’s backdoor and a huge financial support through Laredo,
a main route to export cotton to Mexico. On March 18, 1864, Union Major Alfred
Holt led about two hundred men from Brownsville, Texas’ most southern tip, to
destroy five thousand bales of cotton stacked at the San AgustÃn Plaza. Rising
from a sick bed, Colonel Santos Benavides commanded forty-two Confederate
soldiers and repelled three Union attacks at Zacate Creek. Benavides secured
passage of the five thousand bales into Mexico.
After
only five other Texas battles, on June 19, 1865, Union Colonel Gordon Granger
arrived in Galveston and declared the war over and all slaves free by the Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation.
Sure do love my research for the historical Texas Romance series! Hope you found this tidbit interesting and have a blessed day! Hey, I'd love a comment! :)
Sure do love my research for the historical Texas Romance series! Hope you found this tidbit interesting and have a blessed day! Hey, I'd love a comment! :)
In
JUST KIN, book six of the Texas Romance series, Henry Buckmeyer takes his men
to fight for Texas in the spring of 1861. He’s fully against slavery and hoped
Texas would be a Republic again, stay out of the war, but when he saw that wasn’t
going to happen, he accepted the rank of General in the Confederate Army. Major Levi Baylor and Wallace Rusk along with Charley, Houston and Bart joined with him, so he could keep them safe.
As they're leaving, a stolen kiss ignites a
fire that burns all the way from Texas to New York City. Torn apart by war,
rejection, and a letter with news she never wanted, Lacey Rose Langley--half Comanche--takes her shredded heart and runs. Charley figures out something isn’t right, but is
duty-bound to the Confederacy until a deathbed order sets in motion a series of
events that tests his love, honor, and commitment to the breaking point.
Can the two lifelong
friends see past the pain to finally realize God’s plan for them to be more
than just kin?
One thing is certain: Love covers a multitude of sin.
JUST KIN debuts January 2, but is available now for
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| Blessed and highly favored |
Caryl McAdoo is all about loving God! She currently writes four series: the
historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’; a contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; and
The Generations, her Biblical fiction, and the newest Days of Dread Trilogy for
mid-grade readers. Known as the Singing Pray-er, she loves praising with new
songs the Lord gives her and prays her story gives God glory! In 2008, she and
her high school sweetheart-husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-plus
years—to the woods of Red River County. Caryl counts four children and fourteen
grandsugars life’s biggest blessings believing all good things come from God. Besides
glorifying Him, she hopes each title will also minister His love, mercy, and
grace to its readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in
the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State with two grandsons.
