Richard Montgomery Gano (June 17, 1830 – March 27, 1913) was a physician, Protestant minister, and brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War. Early life Richard Gano was born June 17, 1830 near Springdale in Bourbon County, Kentucky, the son of John Allen Gano, who was the son of Gen. Richard M. Gano, veteran of the War of 1812. John Allen Gano was a minister in the Disciples of Christ and was active in the Restoration Movement with Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. The first General Richard Gano was the son of Rev. John Gano and Sarah Stites. (Rev. John Gano was the first pastor of the First Baptist Church of New York City and was known as the "Fighting Chaplain" for his Revolutionary War exploits. He is also credited with having baptized George Washington in the Potomac River although this is disputed.) Gano was of Huguenot descent. Richard was baptized into the church at age ten, and at twelve he entered Bacon College in Harrodsburg, Kentucky (Bacon was the progenitor of the University of Kentucky). He completed his course of studies at Bethany College in Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia) about 1847, and then attended Louisville Medical Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, from which he graduated in 1849. Gano practiced medicine first in Kentucky, then in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (including two years as physician to the Louisiana State Prison), until 1858. He married Martha ("Mattie") Jones Welch of Crab Orchard, Kentucky, March 15, 1853 in Garrard County, Kentucky, and they had twelve children, nine of whom lived to adulthood. Martha was born October 8, 1832 and died September 22, 1895 in Dallas, Texas. Allene Stone Gano, mother of aviation billionaire Howard Hughes, was General Gano's granddaughter. In 1859, Gano moved his family to Grapevine Prairie, Texas, in northeast Tarrant County (roughly on the present site of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport), and began farming and stockraising, as well as continuing to practice medicine. He was particularly interested in introducing Kentucky race horse breeds to Texas. He was soon involved in community efforts to pursue Comanche raiding parties, and was presented a sword for his efforts by local citizens. In 1860, he was elected to the Texas legislature from Tarrant County, where he was active in debates on frontier defense and agricultural issues. Civil War He resigned his seat early in 1861 to