 County residents voted by more than two to one in 1861 against secession, desiring to remain in the Union.The Great Hanging at Gainesville in nearby Cooke County in October 1862 was an attack on dissenters, men who were suspected of resisting conscription and having been Unionists.After 150-200 men were arrested by state troops, the military organized a so-called "Citizens Court", which had no basis in state law.