The Lee-Peacock Feud – Civil War Continues in Northeast Texas
The Lone Star State, known for its vast landscapes and independent spirit, harbors within its history tales of intense conflict. Among the most prominent of these is the infamous Lee-Peacock Feud. This brutal and extended struggle, erupting in the aftermath of the Civil War in northeast Texas, transcended a simple family dispute. It represented a visceral continuation of the war itself, a bloody chapter etched onto the Texan frontier long after the nation had ostensibly sought peace.
The stage for this tragic drama was the "Corners" region of northeast Texas. This geographically complex area marked the convergence of Grayson, Fannin, Hunt, and Collin Counties. At its heart lay the infamous "Wildcat Thicket," a sprawling wilderness that profoundly influenced the events that unfolded.
The Wildcat Thicket was a formidable natural barrier, a dense and impenetrable expanse of untamed Texas landscape. Towering trees cast long shadows over the terrain, while thickets of tall grass and thorny vines created an almost labyrinthine environment. Briar brush snagged at clothing and flesh, making passage difficult and hazardous. This natural fortress was so dense that few dared to venture deep within its embrace. Before the Civil War, the thicket remained largely unexplored, a realm of wild animals and untamed vegetation. However, the war transformed its purpose, as it became a haven for army deserters, outlaws, and those seeking to escape the reach of both Confederate and Union authorities. The thicket offered anonymity and protection, a place where men could disappear and reinvent themselves, far from the eyes of the law and the judgments of society.
Within the northern reaches of this untamed expanse, Daniel W. Lee had established his home, raising his son, Bob Lee. Unbeknownst to Daniel, Bob would become a central figure in the coming storm, a leader in the Lee-Peacock Feud that would stain the region with blood.
As the drums of war echoed across the nation, Bob Lee, already a married man with three children, felt the call to duty. He answered by enlisting in the Confederate Army, joining the ranks of the Ninth Texas Cavalry. His decision mirrored that of many young men in the surrounding area. The Maddox brothers – John, William, and Francis – along with their cousin Jim Maddox, and several of the Boren boys, also rallied to the Confederate cause, joining the Ninth and preparing for battle.
However, as the war raged on, unsettling reports began to reach Bob Lee from his home. The Union League, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of newly freed slaves and Union sympathizers, had established its North Texas headquarters in Pilot Grove, a mere seven miles from the Lee family homestead. This development signaled a shift in the region’s power dynamics and sowed the seeds of future conflict.
At the helm of the Union League was Lewis Peacock, who had arrived in Texas in 1856 and settled south of Pilot Grove. During the war, Union sympathizers faced persecution and were often ostracized by the predominantly Confederate population. However, as the tide of the war turned in favor of the Union, their fortunes began to change. By the war’s end, the Union League had grown in strength and influence. After the Confederacy’s defeat, Federal Troops were dispatched to Texas to oversee the Reconstruction efforts, further solidifying the Union League’s position.
The return of Confederate soldiers to their homes in northeast Texas marked the beginning of a volatile and uncertain period. The region was already simmering with tension, fueled by resentment toward Reconstruction ideals and the imposition of new laws. Whether they had owned slaves or not, many residents bristled at what they perceived as federal overreach and an infringement on their way of life. When Bob Lee returned, a veteran of the Confederate Army, he was seen by many as a natural leader, a symbol of resistance against the changing order. He became a rallying point for those who longed for the old ways and resented the intrusion of the federal government. In the eyes of his supporters, Lee embodied the spirit of defiance and the determination to preserve their way of life.
To Lewis Peacock and the Union League, however, Bob Lee represented a threat to their cause and to the very process of Reconstruction. They viewed him as a symbol of the old Confederacy, a man who would resist the changes they sought to implement. Driven by a desire to neutralize this perceived threat, the Union League concocted a scheme to extort money from Lee. Peacock and his men arrived at Lee’s home one night and "arrested" him, falsely accusing him of crimes committed during the Civil War. Lee later identified Lewis Peacock, James Maddox, Bill Smith, Sam Bier, Hardy Dial, Doc Wilson, and Israel Boren as his captors. They claimed they were taking him to Sherman, but instead, they stopped in the Choctaw Creek bottoms, where they robbed him of his watch, a $20 gold coin, and forced him to sign a promissory note for $2,000. The Lees, refusing to be intimidated, refused to pay the note and filed suit in Bonham, Texas, ultimately winning the case. This act of defiance ignited the powder keg, triggering the all-out conflict known as the Lee-Peacock Feud.
Both Bob Lee and Lewis Peacock, now bitter enemies, rallied their respective supporters. From 1867 through June 1869, a second "Civil War" raged in northeast Texas. The Lee-Peacock Feud was a brutal and relentless struggle, claiming an estimated 50 lives. By the summer of 1868, the conflict had escalated to such a degree that the Union League appealed to the Federal Government for assistance. General J.J. Reynolds responded by posting a $1,000 reward for the capture of Bob Lee.
In late February 1867, Bob Lee encountered Jim Maddox, one of his kidnappers, in a store in Pilot Grove. Lee confronted Maddox, offering him a gun for a fair fight. However, as Lee turned to walk away, Maddox shot him in the head. Lee fell unconscious and was taken to Dr. William H. Pierce, who treated him at his home.
News of the shooting reached Austin and the Headquarters of the Fifth Military District under General John J. Reynolds. An entry was made in his ledger, listing James Maddox and John Vaught as criminals and Robert Lee as the injured party. The charge was "Assault with intent to murder," but the result was "Set aside by the Military," revealing the complex and often ineffective nature of Reconstruction era justice.
Days later, on February 24, 1867, while Lee was still recovering at Pierce’s home, Hugh Hudson, a known Peacock man, murdered the doctor. Lee swore to avenge Pierce’s death, and as word of the murder spread, neighbors in the thickets of Four Corners began to arm themselves, preparing for the inevitable escalation of the Lee-Peacock Feud.
Hugh Hudson, the doctor’s killer, was later shot at Saltillo, a teamster’s stop on the road to Jefferson. In 1868, Lige Clark, Billy Dixon, Dow Nance, Dan Sanders, Elijah Clark, and John Baldock were killed, and many others were wounded. Even Peacock suffered a wound at the hands of Lee’s followers.
On August 27, 1868, General John J. Reynolds issued the $1,000 reward for Bob Lee, dead or alive, attracting bounty hunters from across the country to the "Four Corners." Three of these men, Union sympathizers from Kansas, arrived in the area in the early spring of 1869, seeking to capture Lee. However, they were found dead on the road. Bob Lee, in the meantime, had established a hideout in the "Wildcat Thicket," using its dense vegetation and treacherous terrain to evade capture.
General J. J. Reynolds responded by dispatching the Fourth United States Cavalry to search for Lee and quell the violence in the area. They conducted house-to-house searches, resulting in several gun battles and fatalities. Eventually, Henry Boren, one of Bob Lee’s supporters, betrayed him to the cavalry. Lee was shot down on May 24, 1869. Boren was later killed by his own nephew, Bill Boren, a staunch Lee supporter who believed that a traitor deserved death. After killing his uncle, Bill Boren fled the area and joined the outlaw John Wesley Hardin.
With Lee’s death, Texas authorities hoped to quell the Lee-Peacock Feud. Many of the combatants dispersed to other parts of the state. However, the violence continued for two more years, claiming more lives in the four-corners region and beyond. It was not until Lewis Peacock was shot on June 13, 1871, that the feud truly ended, bringing a fragile peace to the war-torn region.