During the Civil War, many families fled the war lines to the comparative safety of Texas, where only a few coastal towns came under enemy fire despite repeated threats of Federal invasion. South of Old Tarrant, the refugee family of Mrs. Amanda Stone of Louisiana was rescued after a road accident by residents of Hopkins County, who shared what little they had and even cooked their last tough old farm hen to feed them. The Stones were among refugees who arrived heartbroken over the loss of their home to the enemy and in Texas endured poverty, loneliness, and the deaths of two sons in the war. To support the family and ninety slaves dependent upon them, they had to lease farmland, and their young boys at one time carried pistols for safety when schoolmates resented their strange manners. Other refugee families also sought shelter in Texas, including the family of Gen. Stand Watie from Indian Territory, who visited relatives in Wood County, and Gen. Kirby Smith, whose headquarters were in Shreveport and who rented homes in Marshall or Hempstead for his wife and babies. Eventually, the Stones and most other refugees were grateful to Texas for its many generosities.