Ralph Smith described the army in Galveston fighting off Galveston residents demanding food “…Our nearest approach to battle was with our own men when we were called out one night to protect Col. Hawes quarters from the assault of a mob, composed of resident soldiers and their families. These soldiers demanded that the government issue rations to their starving wives and children, which being refused on account of the depleted condition of our commissaries, had come in a riotous mob to secure provision by force if persuasion did not avail."³ Rioting also occurred in Houston as soldiers broke into government buildings and warehouses to obtain supplies. Rioting spread to other towns, including Austin, San Antonio, Gonzales, La Grange, and Henderson.

Even with the shortages, however, “Strangers from the east who visit here tell us we know nothing of the war.”⁴ wrote Mary Maverick. Seemingly to agree with them she wrote in 1864, San Antonio is “…always crowded, the stores full of goods & plenty of melon & peaches for sale on the plaza. The place is actually flourishing & silver abounds.”⁵ But Kate Stone lamented “Only the necessaries, none of the luxuries of life.” in east Texas.⁶

Parties continued, in fact seemed to increase as the war wore on. Younger family members went to parties and dances “frequently” regardless of their worn wardrobes. One such party is described by Elizabeth Neblett “There was a big party (one of these party's that are all the fashion now)…The house was full at Alston's, had two fiddles, and dancing, and a nice supper…”.⁷

By 1865 the Federals had abandoned Brownsville allowing for regular trade to be reestablished across the Mexican border from the city, causing prices to fall dramatically and goods to be more plentiful. Amzi Wood, a commercial agent in Matamoros reported “…I found about 125 vessels at anchor off the mouth of the Rio Grande and hardly an American sail among them. There is a great deal of cotton being shipped from this port all of which is claimed to belong to the Mexicans. There is also a large amount of merchandise shipped to this place to the extent that the whole thing is a drug upon the market here."⁸

Blockade running at Galveston also increased toward the end of the war; at least 37 vessels were active in running the blockade in the last six months of the war. One reason for this increase in successful runs can be attributed in part to the Federals relaxing the pressure on the trade through Texas; the Confederacy was on its last leg east of the Mississippi and the Trans-Mississippi didn’t seem so important.

Troops in Texas soon began deserting and returning to their homes, plundering civilians’ pantries and public stores along the way. At Marshall Confederate commanders issued orders "to place strict guards around their respective commands…and adopt such other measures" as needed to keep their men in camp to prevent "further molestations of the citizens."⁹

Soldiers’ homes were established in a number of counties in eastern and central Texas to accommodate and feed the returning troops. The homes were supported through donation and volunteers and sometimes by the county. Some of the homes were established in public buildings and served as a central location for the county. Others were in private homes and operated as way stations throughout the county, such as in Freestone County.

Palmito Ranch 2009. Photo by William McWhorter

The last battle of the war was fought May 13, 1865 at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville, Texas, a month after Appomattox. At the same time, the Confederate governors of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas were authorizing Kirby Smith to disband his armies and end the war. General Kirby Smith formally surrendered at Galveston on June 2.

Gordon Granger