Session Chair: Kenneth Howell, Blinn College
Thank you, texashistory.com, for sponsoring this session!
10:30 AM
Thursday, March 5, 2026This session examines the persistence of Unionism in Texas during the Civil War, focusing on the stories of some more successful but perhaps not well-known Texans. The history of Unionism in Texas has often focused on violent events, while many discussions of Unionist leaders reflect the wartime denunciations of them as “scalawags.” Recent scholarship provides a more thoughtful perspective on the political complexity of the Lone Star State during this turbulent era.
Texas State Historical Association
Texas A&M International University
Blinn College
Session sponsored by:
⭐ texashistory.com ⭐ Texas State Library and Archives Commission / Texas Historical Records Advisory BoardPresenters
Richard B. McCaslin
Dr. Richard B. McCaslin, Director of Publications for the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), is the retired TSHA Professor of Texas History at the University of North Texas and the author or editor of twenty-one books, eight of which received awards. The list includes Lee in the Shadow of Washington, which won a Laney Prize and Slatten Award and was nominated for a Pulitzer. He has also published more than two dozen journal articles and book chapters, several of which have earned awards as well. A Fellow of the TSHA and Admiral in the Texas Navy, he has commendations from the Civil War Round Tables in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Shreveport for his academic work.
Jerry D. Thompson
Jerry Thompson is Regents and Piper Professor of History at Texas A&M International University in Laredo. A past president of the Texas State Historical Association, he is an award-winning Civil War and borderlands historian whose works include Cortina: Defending the Mexican Name in Texas and Tejano Tiger, a Pulitzer Prize nominee. His most recent book is Under the Piñon Tree: Finding a Place in Pie Town (2023).
Kenneth W. Howell
Kenneth W. Howell is Professor of History and Head of the History Department at Blinn College. He specializes in Texas and Old South history, with publications including The Devil’s Triangle, Texas Confederate, Reconstruction Governor: James Webb Throckmorton, and Single Star of the West. His work has appeared in journals such as the Southwestern Historical Quarterly and the West Texas Historical Association Yearbook.
