W. H. King was a Georgian who moved to Texas in 1861, rose to colonel of the 18th Texas Infantry, led the regiment in the Red River Campaign of 1863 to prevent the South from being split along the Mississippi, and commanded the 18th in the Red River Campaign of 1864 to stop the invasion of Texas. He was wounded at Mansfield, Louisiana, became a brigadier general, recovered to lead Walker's Division for a time and brigades in Louisiana and East Texas, and later served as Texas adjutant general from 1881 to 1891. During the Civil War, Texas made an all-out effort for the Confederacy after a 3 to 1 vote for secession. Ninety thousand troops, noted for daring and mobility, fought on every battlefront. A 2,000 mile frontier and coastline was successfully defended from Union troops and savage Indians. State and private industry produced war goods, and cotton, the lifeblood of the South, was traded through Mexico for medicine and military supplies. Texas served as the storehouse of the Western Confederacy, and its citizens made sacrifices to produce food and clothing for Texas fighting men.