Dallas Historical Society
Dr. Richard M. Gano of Grapevine recruited 180 men from Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties, who elected him their leader. Such a grassroots effort to organize Confederate military units was common. They went on to fight with John Hunt Morgan’s “Raiders.”
EARLY YEARS / PREHISTORY TO 1873
Fighting the War
Dallas County was far removed from the political battles that preceded the war, but once it began no part of the nation was isolated enough to avoid choosing sides. Pro-slavery sentiment was dominant among the County’s voters, as well as support for State’s Rights, particularly the right to maintain slavery. In February 1861, Dallas men endorsed the secession of Texas from the Union by a vote of 741 to 237. Nearly one in three eligible Dallas county men joined the Confederate forces.
