Washington County was the most populous in the state during the Civil War. It served as a center for production, warehousing, transportation and communications, and had a large quartermaster depot. Local wartime factories made spinning jennies, lumber, pots, kettles, wagons and army ambulances. Government cotton was held in Brenham, one of four state depots. From here, wagons and carts hauled it to Mexico in exchange for vital military and civilian supplies. Brenham, terminus of rail connections to Houston, was alive with troops, stagecoaches and freighters. Here, the early morning train was met by a pony express operation that carried the Houston Telegraph to Austin so that town's Gazette might publish the latest war news in the state capitol. A Confederate paper shortage forced the Brenham Banner to suspend publication. In nearby Washington-on-the-Brazos, however, Eva Lancaster never missed an issue, printing The Texas Ranger while her husband and two sons spent four years fighting for the South. Cavalry, infantry and artillery units from Washington County fought on all fronts during the war. Waul's Legion organized and trained in the county, and Brenham served as the headquarters for the reserve corps of Texas. Additionally, Gen. Jerome Roberston of Independence led the celebrated Hood's Texas Brigade for seventeen months. (1965)
Washington County, C.S.A.
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Washington County, C.S.A. is a historical marker in Brenham, Washington County, dedicated in 1967. It is one of 156 historical markers documented in Washington County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 368 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 30.1673, -96.3978 near Brenham. The nearest cataloged historic site is Washington County Courthouse (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include The Brenham Maifest, Texas Confederate County Commissioners Court, and Giddings & Giddings.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5477008400. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
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