Joining The Confederacy

Voters in Texas passed the Ordinance of Secession on February 23^rd 1861, joining the Confederacy.

When the election of Abraham Lincoln set off the secession movement with South Carolina and then five other Deep Southern states, Texas opened a convention to consider joining them in leaving the Union.  The State Convention opened on January 28^th 1861 in Austin, Texas with Oran Roberts as convention president.  On February 1^st 1861 the convention voted 166 to 8 in favor of the Ordinance of Secession.  Texas voters approved the Ordinance on February 23^rd 1861, allowing Texas to become a part of the Confederacy by a margin of 46,129 to 14,697.

Texas would go on to send men and equipment to support the Confederate fight.  They were also the key to bypassing the Union blockade, using their long border with Mexico for trade; it was sometimes called the “backdoor of the Confederacy”.  The last battle to be fought in the Civil War occurred at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas on May 12^th and 13^th 1865.

If you would like to read The Texas Ordinance of Secession is a good web site.

The Last Killed

Union Private John Jefferson Williams was killed May 13^th 1865; he is thought to be last soldier killed in the Civil War.

John Jefferson Williams was born in 1843 in Jay County, Indiana.  After the Civil War had been going a few years, he joined the 34^th Indiana Infantry in September 1863.  Williams’ regiment trained at Camp Joe Holt, they spent most of their time doing garrison duty in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Williams and the 34^th were part of the Texas occupation of Texas in 1865.

Williams’ first action was in the Battle of Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas, where he was killed on May 13^th 1865.  He is buried in the Alexandria National Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana.

If you would like to know more about John Jefferson Williams, The Death of John Jefferson Williams

Is a good web site.