El Paso County, C.S.A.

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about El Paso County in the Confederacy — and friend, it is one strange and tangled chapter of the Civil War. The vote was 871 to 2. Eight hundred and seventy-one to two.

Whatever you think about secession, you have to admit that is not a close election. El Paso County cast its lot with the Confederacy in about as lopsided a fashion as the frontier could manage. And right out of the gate, they got organized.

Minutemen were formed to handle frontier protection. Then, on July 11th, 1861, the San Elizario Spy Company was mustered into Confederate service — a name that would turn out to be more than a little appropriate given what came next. Now, El Paso's role in the Confederate strategy was bigger than most people realize.

This dusty stretch of far West Texas was the springboard and supply point for the 1861 and 1862 campaign into Arizona and New Mexico. The idea was to punch all the way through to the Pacific — give the South an outlet to that ocean. Ambitious.

Bold, even. But it did not hold. The troops pulled back.

And by July of 1862, the last Confederate forces had left El Paso entirely. Some citizens who favored the South went right along with them. Others crossed the Rio Grande and established a colony in Juarez — carrying their allegiances across the river rather than surrender them.

Then, in mid-August, the Union troops arrived. Martial law was declared. And what followed was the longest military occupation of any part of Texas — all the way to the end of the war.

Now here's the wry twist in that: the occupying force never exceeded two or three companies. Two or three companies holding the whole of El Paso County for years on end. The numbers were thin, but the authority was not.

Open pro-Southern feeling was squelched. But it did not disappear — it just went quiet and watchful. There were recurrent rumors, spreading through the territory like a grass fire, that Texans were about to return and drive the federals out.

Those rumors kept Union commanders nervous and jumpy, and they were not entirely accidental. There was a man named Henry Skillman. He and his band of armed men ran a courier service from the unoccupied part of the state to the Confederate colony across in Juarez.

His men spread invasion rumors. They acted as spies. They were, in short, very good at keeping the Union forces wary and off-balance.

It took two years before Skillman could be tracked down and killed. Two years. That is a long time for a small band of men to bedevil a military occupation.

Life under that occupation was not easy. Most private property was seized and operated during the occupation. Food and fodder had to come mostly from the Mexican side of the river.

Other goods either came down from Santa Fe or were manufactured locally. Local elections were watched over by the military. And yet — and here is where it gets genuinely peculiar — El Paso was still represented in the Texas Legislature during the war.

Pro-Confederate representatives, seated under a law that allowed citizens of occupied areas to vote wherever they happened to reside. So while Union soldiers patrolled the streets and martial law held sway, El Paso's voice in the Confederate government kept right on speaking. Eight hundred and seventy-one to two.

They meant it. And even under the longest military occupation in Texas, a good number of them never stopped meaning it.

What the marker says

Voted 871 to 2 for secession. At start of Civil War Minutemen were organized to provide frontier protection. The San Elizario Spy Company was mustered into Confederate service on July 11, 1861. El Paso was the springboard and supply point for 1861-2 Arizona - New Mexico campaign to give South a Pacific outlet. These troops retired back into Texas and by July 1862, the last Confederate forces left El Paso. Many citizens who favored South went with them, others moved across the river and established a colony in Juarez. In mid-August, Union troops arrived. Martial law was declared and military occupation - longest in any part of Texas - continued until war's end. (Back of El Paso County, C.S.A.) The number of federal troops occupying El Paso never exceeded 2 or 3 companies. Open pro-southern feeling was squelched during the war. There were recurrent rumors that the Texans were about to return and drive the federals out. Henry Skillman and his band of armed men operated courier service from unoccupied part of state to Confederate colony in Juarez. His men spread invasion rumors and acted as spies, which kept Union forces wary. It took two years before Skillman could be tracked down and killed. Most private property was seized and operated during occupation. Most food and fodder came from Mexican side. Other goods either came down the river from Santa Fe or were manufactured locally. Local elections were watched over by military. El Paso was represented during war in the Texas Legislature by pro-Confederates under a law allowing citizens of occupied areas to vote wherever they resided. Erected by the State of Texas, 1963