FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Press’s The Fate of Texas: The Civil War and the Lone Star State, edited by Charles D. Grear (cloth, $37.50), examines a state too often neglected by Civil War historians. The eleven essays in this book present Texas as a decidedly Southern, yet in many ways unusual, state seriously committed to and deeply affected by the Confederate war in many ways.

When the state joined the Confederacy and fought in the war, its fate was uncertain. The war touched every portion of the population and all aspects of life in Texas. Grear writes in his Introduction that “although the Lone Star State escaped the war relatively untouched, all its people — men, women, children, African Americans, Tejanos, and Germans — were forever changed by the events that transpired.

This influenced the way Texans viewed the war and reacted to the consequences of defeat, which we still try to understand today.” Never before has a group of historians examined the impact of the war on so many facets of the state. The essays present cutting edge, original research by noted historians, who provide a new understanding of the role and reactions of Texas and Texans to the war. 

The Fate of Texas covers a wide range of topics, providing new perspectives, ranging from military, social, and cultural history to public history and historical memory. Some of the subjects explored include the lives of Texas women, slavery, veterans and how the state dealt with Confederate loss.

Noted Civil War historian Donald S. Frazier said the book is “a perfect blend of topics, tone, and tenor that will enlighten students of Lone Star history in particular and Civil War history in general for years to come. The Fate of Texas is an important contribution to the national story.”

Charles D. Grear is assistant professor of history at Prairie View A&M University. Previously he taught history at Texas Christian University. The book is published in the University of Arkansas Press’s “Civil War in the West Series,” edited by Daniel E. Sutherland of the University of Arkansas and T. Michael Parrish of Baylor University.