Gideon Barnes was born January 16, 1832 in Meade County, Kentucky, the first of twelve children of Armstead Barnes and Elizabeth (Dowell) Barnes. Gideon was likely named after Armstead's twin brother, Gideon Barnes (1809-1864), who remained in Nelson County, Kentucky.

'Gideon Barns, died of measles, 9th Texas Infantry. Died between the months of January & March.'

G. R. Barnes enlisted as a 2nd Corporal in Co. C, 9th Texas Infantry on 4 Oct 1861 in Sherman, Grayson Co., Texas, under W. H. Young.

G. R. Barnes is listed in a draft copy of GENERAL SAMUEL BELL MAXEY, C.S.A. A MILITARY BIOGRAPHY, by Louise Horton, Granger, Tx., 1984, p. 193.

G. R. Barnes, this soldier's name was found in the Compiled Service Records of the 9th Texas Infantry on microfilm at the National Archives, and is listed in his compilation of the 9th Texas Infantry on file at the Confederate Research Center in Hillsboro, Texas.

Service Record states: 2nd Cpl. Barnes, G. R. (29) - died, 1/6/62, at Paris, Tx.

The Ninth Texas Infantry Regiment was organized from ten companies raised in Northeast Texas on Nov. 4, 1861. They were mustered into Confederate service on Dec. 1, 1861, under Col. Samuel Bell Maxey of Paris, Texas, a graduate of West Point. The Ninth Texas has the distinction of having served in the Army of the Mississippi/Army of Tennessee longer than any Texas infantry regiment. In March of 1862, at Corinth, Mississippi, the Ninth was placed in J. Patton Anderson's Brigade, Ruggle's Division, Bragg's II Corps. The Ninth Texas would go on to serve in the battle of Shiloh, the battle of Perryvile (Kentucky), at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the battle of Chickamauga. They also engaged Sherman's forces at Jackson, Mississippi. The Ninth also fought at the battle of Allatoona, which involved some of the worst hand to hand fighting of the war. (Note that this is just a partial listing of the Ninth's many engagements and travels during the war.) At the conclusion of the war, there were only 8 officers and 79 men remaining, just a fraction of the more than 1,000 men who had served with the Ninth at one time or another.