Although sugar production declined during the Civil War, field hands continued to cut the cane stalks and cart them to the sugar mill so operations could remain at a profitable level.
A LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY | By Joan Frances | Images from Fort Bend County Texas –
When settlers came to Fort Bend County, they had the benefit of mild winters, copious acres of fertile soil, ample water and abundant wildlife. By 1850, there were 109 farms with a total of 10,892 acres of land to till, plant and harvest. In the next 10 years, farm acreage doubled. To keep the fields and large estates manageable, the plantation owners’ labor forces were slaves. Fort Bend was one of six counties in the state with a majority black population.
When the Civil War began in 1861, the residents joined the Confederacy, because the economy at the time was based on slave labor. The war’s outcome could mean independence for the south and would ensure supremacy of the federal government and the restoration of the union. While Fort Bend County did not experience the destruction and devastation many Confederate states suffered, the war significantly changed the life of every resident.
Benjamin Franklin Terry.
After the Civil War broke out, many of the 4,136 registered black slaves, along with 50,000 Texans, volunteered to fight for the Confederate Army. Benjamin Franklin Terry, a 40 year-old cotton and sugarcane plantation owner, was commissioned to recruit a cavalry regiment that became known as the Terry Rangers. Under his command, the Eighth Texas Cavalry Terry’s Texas Rangers were formed. These proud, independent Texans earned a reputation as one of the finest cavalry troops in the war. They were respected as expert marksmen, accomplished riders and fearless fighters. Terry was killed during the first battle near Woodsonville, Kentucky on December 17, 1861. The battle ended with a Confederate victory.
Governor Lubbock praised Terry by stating, “No braver man ever lived – no truer patriot ever died.” His body was brought home to the Oakland Plantation in Sugar Land, where his family buried him at Christmas. His men went on to continue his legacy and distinguished themselves at the battles of Shiloh April 6th through 8, 1862, Perryville on October 8, 1862 and all over the southern Confederate states. They delivered the last charge at the battle of Bentonville March 19th and 20, 1865. They never surrendered but drifted home as individuals and in small groups, slipping through Union lines.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, Fort Bend County was impacted culturally and economically as citizens attempted to solve political and social issues. For freed slaves, life was difficult, hostile and acrimonious. They had little to no money and could not purchase land to live on. Plantation owners lost their labor force, and as land values dropped, the economy plummeted. During the panic of 1873, banks failed. Then in 1875, nature was unkind as well, and Richmond and Rosenberg experienced extreme storms and flooding. Many local merchants lost their stock and business holdings.
Four different developments contributed to reshaping the county. Tenant farming began to emerge, allowing a person to farm the land of another and then pay rent with a portion of the harvested crops. The freed African American slaves were able to make money and were allowed to buy smaller parcels of 150 acres or less of land to live and work. Imperial Sugar Company, operating on the same site since 1843, continued to produce and manufacture sugar using tenant farming. Finally, the founding of convict farms and prisons increased the productivity of industries in the area, allowing prison inmates to do the planting and harvesting on the prison land.
In the past 100 years, Fort Bend County residents have experienced and endured many tragedies and triumphs. Knowing the history, one may reflect on lessons learned from the past and continue to move forward to a stronger future.