Since the 1830s, Texas had trouble being accepted and embedded as a member of the Union of American States. During the civil war, he was alongside the Confederates, even volunteering to fight alongside the south. In 1898 the governor of Texas, Charles A. Culberson, unable to resolve the issue of the food crisis that comes to the state, relinquishes his position, thus allowing farmers, cowboys and merchants to unite to proclaim the Second Republic of Texas (1898-1902 ) on November 1, 1899, declaring war on the Union. The first skirmishes between American and Texan loyalists, ending the first victories for Texas, occurred. However, the government was far from being a "republic" since it belonged to a military junta governing the newly independent nation, in a kind of dictatorship, administered by three commanders: Charles A. Petterson, Billy J. Cley and Robert E. Hoody. In the first days of freedom, a constitution of its own was created by a council of representatives of the people, thus guaranteeing: - Freedom and equality to all, whether these Texans, red skinned Indians and immigrants residing here; - The possession of arms is guaranteed to all for the purpose of personal defense or use in war; - The creation of an independent armed force composed of army and navy. There will also be a police patrol force that will operate in urban, rural and border areas; Commander and Governing Board member Billy J. Cley suggests that the "new armed forces" should draw inspiration from their old uniforms, used in the 1840s and even the 1860s. In the next three months, Texas will go to war with uniforms improvised or even civilian clothes, until the new ones are ready. The government in an effort to equip its troops with more modern weapons, order and purchase from Britain 15,000 Martini-Henry rifles to supply its old-fashioned arsenal.
The Second Texan Republic
