By the end of 1861, 25,000 Texans were in the Confederate army. Two-thirds of these were in the cavalry, the branch of service preferred by Texans. Governor Francis R. Lubbock worked closely with Confederate authorities to meet manpower needs as the war expanded. Recruitment became more difficult as some of the early enthusiasm declined. The passage of a general conscription [draft] law by the Confederate Congress in April 1862 momentarily gave incentive to volunteers. Under this law all white males between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five were eligible for military service. The age limits were later extended to ages seventeen to fifty years old. The Confederate conscription laws did contain many exemptions, however, and for a time, drafted man could hire substitutes.

Approximately 90,000 Texans saw military service in the war. Two-thirds of the Texans enrolled in the military spent the war in the Southwest, either defending the state from Indian attacks and Union invasion or participating in expansionist moves into New Mexico Territory. One regiment, recruited mainly in the Houston area, served under the colorful Rip Ford in South Texas. During the war, Ford's men battled Union invaders, hostile Comanches, and Mexican raiders led by Juan N. Cortina.

Source: Civil War
Copyright © Texas State Historical Association