DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, picture Burleson County in the winter of 1861. February the twenty-third, to be exact.
The people of that county walked up and cast their votes, and when the counting was done, the tally read four hundred and twenty-two for secession, eighty-four against. That was that. The die was cast.
Less than a week later, on March the first, a group of men organized themselves into a unit they called the Burleson Guards, and they offered their services to the state of Texas. Just like that. No hesitation, no long deliberation.
They stood up and said, here we are. Most of those Guards were mustered into Company G of the 2nd Texas Infantry Regiment. But the story doesn't stop there, because Burleson County men spread themselves across the wider war in ways that read like a roll call of some of the hardest-fighting outfits the Confederacy ever fielded.
Some went to Walker's Texas Division. Others to Waul's Legion. Some rode with Terry's Rangers, and some fought under Hood's Brigade.
Now, while those men were gone, Burleson County didn't just sit quiet and wait. Back home, the 3rd Regiment of the 18th Brigade, Texas State Troops, was organized to protect the folks who remained. And the County Commissioners Court, to their credit, provided funds to supply food and other necessities to the families of soldiers off fighting in the war.
That detail right there, quiet as it reads, says something. Because behind every man who marched away, there was a family left wondering how they'd make it through. Burleson County made sure they weren't left to wonder alone.
What the marker says
On Feb. 23, 1861, citizens voted for secession, 422 to 84. On March 1, the "Burleson Guards" organized and offered its services to the state. Most "Guards" were mustered into Co.G, 2nd Texas Infantry Regt., and others served in Walker's Texas Division, Waul's Legion, Terry's Rangers, and Hood's Brigade. On the home front, the 3rd Regt., 18th Brigade, Texas State Troops, was organized to protect local citizens, and the County Commissioners Court provided funds to supply food and other necessities to the families of soldiers fighting in the war. (1973)