The Sixth Texas Cavalry FlagDuring early statehood, Texas was faced with the daunting task of protecting a vast and open frontier. The protection of settlers was a prime duty of the Texas military, and most battalions were tasked with guarding the wide open lands of the young state that were difficult to defend again free roaming Comanche and Apache as well as bandits and criminals hiding in the swamps on the Louisiana border. Texas was farther from Washington than Mexico City