The 20th Infantry Regiment was organized at Galveston, Texas, during the early summer of 1862 under the command of Colonel Henry M. Elmore of Old Waverly in Walker County. Many of these men had previously served in the 9th Texas (Nichols’) Infantry regiment. They were primarily from Waller, Montgomery, Austin, Kaufman, Galveston, and Walker Counties. The majority of the men from Montgomery County who enlisted in the 20th Texas were in Company G, commanded by Dixon H. Lewis of Old Waverly and Company K, commanded by Captain Lemuel G. Clepper of Montgomery. This regiment had a high percentage of middle-aged men. The regiment was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi Department and was charged with defending the Texas coast from the Sabine River to Galveston. Despite the fact that they did not see action outside of Texas, the 20th Infantry played an important part in the Confederate recapture of Galveston in January of 1863. In addition to Colonel Henry Marshall Elmore, its commanding officers were Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A. Abercrombie and Major Robert E. Bell.