James Buckner "Buck" Barry came to Texas from North Carolina in 1845, fought in the Mexican War and Indian Campaigns, and during the Civil War commanded a Confederate cavalry regiment at Texas outposts from Red River to Fort McKavett. The camps were a day's horseback ride apart, and patrols protected outer settlements, prevented Indian attacks, and met the threat of Federal invasion from Indian Territory. He was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1883, died on a ranch near here, and left personal records of his years in frontier defenses.