Watts was born on August 31, 1837 in Covington County, Mississippi to Patience Lott and William Watts. He was the middle child of 3 children. His parents moved to Texas in 1841 while he stayed in Mississippi. He would later move to Texas and was admitted to the bar in 1859. In 1861, he moved back to Mississippi to fight in the American Civil War. He fought alongside Stonewall Jackson for a bit. He was later wounded at the second battle of Manassas, and again, on May 12, 1864, at Spottsylvania Courthouse.