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Camp
Montel, Confederate Camp
Marker is on the Courthouse
Grounds
Site 25 mi. West
on Hy. 470, 1 mi. South. Established 1862 as part of Red River-Rio Grande
defense line. Named for Captain Charles DeMontel, surveyor and colonizer
of Bandera, leader of county defenses. Occupied by troops of Texas frontier
regiment who furnished their own guns and mounts but often lacked food,
clothing, supplies. In 1860 Bandera County's population was 399. Although
all the men were needed to defend the county from Indians, many joined
the Confederate and State troops. Some went to protect the Texas Coast
from Union invasion. Many were assigned to defend the frontier in this
region. Scouting parties and patrols managed to effectively curb Indian
raids until war's end. Texas had 2,000 miles of coastline and frontier
to defend from Union attack, Indian raids, marauders, bandits from Mexico.
Defense lines were set to give maximum protection with the few men left
in the state. One line stretched from El Paso to Brownsville. Another,
including Camp Montel, had stations a day's horseback ride apart from Red
River to Rio Grande. Former U.S. Forts used by scouting parties lay in
a line between. Behind these lines and to the east organized militia, citizens'
posses. 1964
This page is maintained by Donna Schulte Loth - 2009
If you find any of the Bandera
County TXGenWeb
links inoperable, please send me a message.