Letter from R. F. Bunting January 3, 1862

Camp Terry,
15 miles below Bowling Green,
Jan. 3rd, 1862.

Messrs. Editors:--In my last letter I gave you what items were at my disposal in reference to the memorable Woodsonville fight. Since then we have received the Northern account from Louisville papers, and for barefaced and infamous lying, it eclipses all stories which I have before heard.

Our forces were arranged thus: Capt. Isham Jones, commanding the advance guard, first ascertained the position of the enemy and exchanged shots with them, and after reporting to Col. Terry, was ordered to picket from the battle ground to the river on the left, which he did at once, and hence his gallant company was not in the immediate charge in which our Col. fell. Col. Terry led this charge, followed by Capt. Walker and his men, who were in the advance; then Capt. M. L. Evans, commanding his own and Wharton's company, then Capt. W. Y. Houston, with his own and Strobel's men in the rear. Whilst this column was engaged, Capt. Ferrell, with his company and a portion of Holt's, was also on the left, engaging the enemy, and in a very dangerous and exposed position, and knowing nothing of the death of Col. Terry, his men were fighting bravely and desperately; seeing their perilous condition, a battery of 3 or four guns fired a few rounds upon the enemy for their relief; also about this time two companies of Arkansas infantry moved across the field on the extreme left, and entered the woods, opening a brisk fire upon the enemy, which drove them back from their position. Capt. Ferrell occupied the most favorable position for fighting, and nobly did he improve it. He lost two men killed on the ground, viz: W. W. Bell and F. Lofton, and three wounded, viz: John Henry, and the two Giles's [Lee Giles and L. B. Giles] --one of whom (Lee Giles) has since died. He had also eight horses killed and several wounded, showing that the object of the enemy was to shoot the horses and thus get the advantage of our boys. In the daring charge led by Col. Terry, the enemy were driven from the woods, and scattering along the fence, they still fired upon our advancing column. In the effort to cross over many of the enemy were killed, whilst those who succeeded in getting over were picked off by our gallant Rangers while running down the corn-rows.

It was in this most gallant charge, when in advance of his men, that Col. Terry fell, from a ball piercing his neck, cutting the wind-pipe and passing up into his head. Amid the excitement of the fight it is not definitely known by whom he was shot, for he was charging upon a squad of some ten of the enemy, several of whom he killed.

The number of our boys actually engaged in this fight was not over 150, and they certainly killed over 100 of the enemy.

Capts. Walker and Evans, with the noted Paul Anderson, were near by when he fell.--After our boys had completely driven the enemy from the woods and through the field--probably killing all--they returned to the top of the hill and there heard of the death of their gallant and heroic Colonel, whose lifeless body was being carried off the field by Tom Devinney of Houston's Company. In the same daring charge in which Col. Terry met his death, Capt. Walker was shot through the right wrist, and one of his Lieutenants (Morris) was dangerously shot through the lungs, whilst John Jackson and Page Bloodgood (privates) were slightly wounded, and Mike Dunn was killed. Three privates were left dead on the field, but all our wounded were thus carried off. The next morning we returned under a flag of truce, and buried one on the field, bringing the other two away. Had not the sudden and unexpected death of Col. T. come upon us in the moment of victory, the work would still have gone forward, and it would have proven a still more glorious day for our intrepid Rangers.

Our loss was four killed and nine wounded, including two of the Arkansas infantry. The enemy's loss we have not definitely ascertained, although several of our men counted 31 killed in one place and 25 in another, where the conflict was the hottest, this not including those scattered about over the entire field. From private reports of the dead buried on the field, it will not fall far short of my first account, 114.

Such a charge as this with cavalry is not generally made, and doubtless would not meet the approval of military men, but it is just to state here, that the order to charge was not given by Col. Terry until the enemy had crossed the field and were in the act of taking possession of the strip of woods on the hill side on our left, threatening to pierce our lines and thus endangering the baggage train. When the head of our column was put in motion for the charge, the enemy were turning the crown of the hill in the direction of and commanding the last squad, led by Capt. Houston, and were firing over the heads of his men. Previous to the order for the charge, Col. Terry himself, although not commanding the brigade, had sent his own Sergt. Major and ordered the infantry to meet the enemy's skirmishers, who had already taken possession of the hill and woods. It becoming evident that the infantry would arrive too late, in order to break up the threatened attack of the enemy, the order was given to charge, and at once the rangers filled the woods, and with a Texan yell they dashed along and above the fence, bringing terror and death to the enemy, who were perfectly confounded at such an unusual charge. So bravely did our boys sweep along, dealing out destruction at every step, that they were panicstricken, not even waiting to use their bayonets, of which they boast so much, and fled from the field with the impression that we were carrying on an unnatural war by bringing Indians into the conflict.

Yours,
R. F. B.

Bunting, R. F. Untitled. San Antonio Herald. January 25, 1862.

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