Born in Missouri, Guy M. Bryan rode a mule to Texas in 1831 to join his uncle, Stephen F. Austin, Father of Texas. He served as a private in the Texas War for Independence, later became a legislator, congressman, and member of the Texas Secession Convention, and enlisted as a private in the Civil War. His administrative ability, diplomacy, and political understanding soon made him a troubleshooter and liaison between state and Confederate governments and the military. He convinced C. S. A. leaders to leave enough troops in Texas to guard the coastline and prevent Indian attacks, arranged the 1862 Conference of Governors of Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and delivered their request to President Jefferson Davis for creation of a strong military department west of the Mississippi River. He helped reorganize armed forces in East Texas, served as confidential adjutant to both Pres. Davis and the Trans-Mississippi commanding general, settled a dispute among the military, the state of Texas, and the Confederacy over the acquisition and sale of cotton, and took part in battles in April 1864 to prevent Federal invasion of Texas. He also arranged governors' conferences in 1863 and 1865 and was buried in the state cemetery in Austin.