Place Names In Texas You May Not Realize Honor Confederate Leaders
Test your knowledge of these markers and place names in Texas you may not even realize honor Confederate leaders.
Q: There are at least 26 Texas counties named for Confederate leaders, including one in far West Texas named after this man who served as president of the Confederacy.
Jefferson Davis
Jeff Davis County (courthouse pictured above) was named for Jefferson Davis. Texas isn’t alone in memorializing Davis in this way, Mississippi has a Jefferson Davis County, and Louisiana has a Jefferson Davis Parish.
Q: Sul Ross State University sits in this Texas county named after a captain in the Confederate army under General Albert Johnston.
Brewster County
Henry P. Brewster, namesake of the Texas county, reached the rank of colonel by the time the Civil War ended. He was also a soldier in the Texas Revolution and served the Republic of Texas as its acting secretary of War and Navy. Bonus Fact: Brewster County is the biggest county in Texas.
Q: In addition to being the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate general and a university president, Sully Ross also served this famous Texas law enforcement agency.
The Texas Rangers
Sully Ross served as a Texas Ranger, like many Confederate leaders from Texas. Bonus Fact: Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, and his family founded the town of Waco.
Q: This Texas panhandle county is named after a Confederate scout who rose to the rank of colonel.
Lubbock County
The city and county are both named for Thomas Saltus Lubbock who was also a Texas Ranger and fighter in the Texas Revolution. Bonus Fact: There were two famous Lubbock brothers. Francis Lubbock, Thomas’s brother, was governor of Texas during the Civil War.
On what date did Texas secede from the Union and join the Confederacy?
March 2, 1861
Texas was the 7th of 11 states that joined the Confederacy. Bonus Fact: Texas Gov. Sam Houston was against secession and lost his job when he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the new government.