Marker [105]
Grayson County C. S. A.
(Courthouse Square)
| Military, defense and supply center in the Civil War. Eleventh Tex. Cav. Regiment raised in this and area
counties, May 1861. Removed immediate danger from North by capture of Fort Washita, Cobb, Arbuckle in
Indian Territory. Beef for these posts was supplied by local contractor Men and boys served in 16th, 20th Tex.
Cav. Regiment, the Border Regt., and State Militia. The 9th Tex. Cav. Regiment that became part of the famed
Ross's Brigade was organized Oct. 1861 at Brogdon Springs. Fort Preston, 17 mi. north on Red River was used by
Confederate and State troops as a post of defense line along river to prevent Indian raids and Federal invasion.
Supplies brought to Fort Preston by boat were sent by wagon to other frontier forts. Regional depot was set up in
Sherman 1861 to receive clothing for soldiers. A commissary supplied food to passing troops, families and widows
of soldiers. Col. William C. Quantrill, C. S.A. and his notorious guerilla fighters including members of the James
and Younger gangs, camped near here in 18634. He is credited with stopping cattle thefts from across Red River
and persuading a "mob" of war widows not to storm the commissary for coffee and tea. However, he had to flee to escape Confederate arrest because of practice of killing deserters and draft evaders and "shootin up" neighboring towns. In 1862 a "Peace Party Plot" against Confederates resulted in arrest of 40 suspects, but a court investigation found all but one innocent. Citizens produced large grain stores, starting raising cotton, extracting glauber salt, coppras for medication use. |