The 20th Regiment Texas Volunteer Infantry was an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 that served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Service

The Twentieth Texas Infantry was composed mainly of middle-aged men and commanded by Colonel Henry M. Elmore. It was part of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, also known as the Third Corps under General John B. Magruder

John B. Magruder

John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army...

. Their main purpose was to guard the Sabine River and to protect the city of Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

. They saw little action until the Battle of Galveston

Battle of Galveston

The Battle of Galveston or the Second Battle of Galveston was a naval and land battle that occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War when Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. John B...

 in January 1863, in which they served with distinction, for which their action were commended by Confederate President Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...

.

On May 26, 1865, at New Orleans, the 20th Texas Infantry was surrendered to Federal forces as part of General Edmund Kirby Smith's Confederate Department of Trans Mississippi, with Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, acting in Smiths name.

History, 20th Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment http://www.scottcraft-military.com/civwar/c20texas.htm