DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker at this Fannin County site tells it, here's the story as it stands on the official record. Now, if you were drawing up a list of thankless jobs in the Civil War, commanding the Northern Sub-District of Texas might sit right near the top. General Henry E.
McCulloch — frontier fighter, Ranger of long experience — was handed that assignment, and he set up his military headquarters right here at this site. The man had supervision of seven brigades operating across Texas, Indian Territory, and Arkansas. Seven brigades sounds like a formidable force.
Here's the catch. At this headquarters, McCulloch had exactly two cavalry units and four infantry units to work with. That's it.
And with those, he was expected to patrol and defend six hundred miles — six hundred miles — along the Red River and the western frontier. Against hostile Indians. Against bands of armed deserters.
Against Federal forces attempting invasion. And against disloyal citizens who were actively encouraging that invasion. You start to understand why a man of long Ranger experience might've earned a few more gray hairs in this posting.
Food and arms were furnished from this headquarters for armed forces and for friendly Indian families, which tells you the operation reached in every direction at once. Now. Here is where the story takes its particular turn.
In 1863 and 1864, Colonel William C. Quantrill, C.S.A., and his notorious guerrilla raiders attached themselves to this command. And riding with Quantrill — future members of the James gang and the Younger gang.
The guerrillas were credited with stopping cattle thefts along the Red River, which was no small thing. But Quantrill had to be arrested — arrested — for killing draft evaders and deserters, and for shooting up towns. He was a difficult asset, you might say.
He soon escaped, and the marker leaves it right there, which is almost its own kind of commentary. Through all of it — the impossible frontier, the raiders, the relentless pressure from every quarter — the lines of communication and supply were kept open. And the lives of hundreds of settlers were saved through the operations of this command.
Six hundred miles, a handful of units, and problems you couldn't even rank by how bad they were. Henry E. McCulloch held the line.
What the marker says
Established at this site as a key part of Civil War defense of Texas by General Henry E. McCulloch, frontier fighter and Ranger of long experience. With supervision of 7 brigades fighting in Texas, Indian Territory and Arkansas, McCulloch had here only 2 cavalry and 4 infantry units to patrol and defend 600 miles along the Red River and western frontier against hostile indians, bands of armed deserters, Federals attempting invasion and disloyal citizens encouraging invasion. Food and arms were also furnished from here for armed forces and for friendly Indian families. Colonel William C. Quantrill, C.S.A., and his notorious guerrilla raiders, including future members of the James and Younger gangs, attached themselves in 1863-64 to this command. Though the guerrillas were credited with stopping cattle thefts along the Red River, Quantrill had to be arrested for killing draft evaders and deserters and shooting up towns. However, he soon escaped. Lines of communication and supply were kept open and lives of hundreds of settlers were saved through the operations of this command.