Camp McMillan, C.S.A._Texas Civil War Frontier Defense
San Saba, San Saba County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located 18 mi. West, 6 mi. North, this outpost guarded the Texas frontier during Civil War. One of a chain of outposts a day's horseback ride apart, from the Red River to the Rio Grande manned by the Texas Frontier Regiment. Regular patrols kept Indians in check and rounded up draft evaders. Food, clothing, horses and arms were always needed. They shared few of the glories of the war, but at the cost of the lives of not a few of them, these Confederates gave a measure of protection to a vast frontier area. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy. Erected by the State of Texas 1963 (Reverse) TEXAS CIVIL WAR FRONTIER DEFENSE 1861-1865 Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after voting over 3 to 1 for secession. 90,000 troops noted for mobility and heroic daring, fought on every battlefront. An important source of supply and gateway to foreign trade thru Mexico, Texas was the storehouse of the South. Camp McMillan and other posts on this line were backed by patrols of State Rangers, organized militia, and citizen posses scouting from nearby "family forts." This was part of a 2000 mile frontier and coastline successfully defended by Texans.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
During the Civil War, Camp McMillan was one link in a chain of Confederate outposts strung a day's ride apart from the Red River to the Rio Grande, manned by the Texas Frontier Regiment. Its patrols guarded settlers against raids, rounded up draft evaders, and held a vast stretch of the frontier while the great battles raged far to the east. Backed by state rangers, militia, and citizen posses operating from nearby family forts, these Confederates defended a two-thousand-mile line at real cost to their own lives.
Why it matters
The frontier defense line reveals a lesser-known dimension of the Civil War, in which Texas had to guard its western settlements even as it poured troops and supplies into the Confederate war effort.
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- · Texas Civil War Frontier Defense
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