DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. A man named Xavier Blanchard Debray came to Texas from France in 1848, and if you think that's an unusual beginning for a Confederate general, well — just wait. He started out publishing a Spanish-language newspaper, which tells you something right there about a man who never seemed to settle for the obvious path.
Then 1861 arrived, and Debray made his choice. He joined the Confederate Army as a First Lieutenant in Tom Green's Rifles. From there, things moved fast.
He served as aide-de-camp to Texas Governor Francis R. Lubbock. He rose to Major of the 2nd Regiment Texas Infantry.
And then came the assignment that would put his name on a regiment all his own — Colonel of the 26th Texas Cavalry. They called it Debray's Regiment, and it earned that name the hard way. Frontier scouting.
Reconnaissance. Attacking. Fighting delaying actions — the kind of work where you hold the line so somebody else can live to fight another day.
Not glamorous. Essential. Debray also commanded the Eastern District of Texas and the defenses at Galveston.
And then came the Red River Campaign — the fight mounted to prevent the invasion of Texas. After that campaign, in 1864, Xavier Blanchard Debray was made Brigadier General. A Frenchman who crossed an ocean, published newspapers in Spanish, and ended up with a cavalry regiment carrying his name across the Texas frontier.
Some stories just refuse to go in a straight line.
What the marker says
Came to Texas from France 1848. Spanish newspaper publisher. Joined Confederate Army as 1st Lieutenant Tom Green's Rifles 1861. Served aide-de-camp Texas Governor Francis R. Lubbock. Major 2nd Regiment Texas Infantry. Colonel 26th Texas Cavalry known as Debray's Regiment, used extensively for frontier scouting, reconnaissance, attacking and fighting delaying actions. Commander Eastern District Texas and Galveston defenses. Made Brigadier General 1864 after Red River Campaign to prevent the invasion of Texas. Erected by the State of Texas 1963