The Flags of Terry's Texas Rangers

Terry's Texas Rangers carried two known flags and probably at least two other suspected patterns for their war career. I will list them in order of appearance:

1) Bonnie Blue variant - this was probably their first battle flag as several Texas units were issued flags of this pattern including the Alamo City Guards and the 12th Texas Cavalry (their flag is a swallow tail version). The flag has a medium blue wool bunting field upon which was placed what was once a yellow star that has faded to an off white. The star is bunting as well. Over the star in painted yellow letters is the phrase "Terry's Texas Ranger's" applied on the field in the following measurements:

Terry's - 2 1/2 inches and 1 7/8 inches high. Texas - 2 inches and 1 1/2 inches high. Rangers - 2 inches and 1 1/2 inches high. The differences in the letters are the first letters of each word are taller.

The flag was attached to the staff by a doubled back leading edge that is 1 1/4 inches wide in sleeve form. The flag overall is 23 1/2 inches on the hoist by 32 inches on the fly.

This flag was captured in battle at Rowlett's Station, Kentucky, just south of Munfordville, in the action there in December, 1861. If memory serves, Col. Terry was killed there also. See Confederate Veteran Vol. 3, issue #7, July, 1895 for more information. The flag currently rests in the collections of the Chicago Historical Society.

2) After the loss of their first flag, the Rangers, like most Western cavalry units of the time, probably used a First National pattern for battle. This pattern was very popular in the West for regimental colors. They most likely used this flag until the Spring of 1864 when...

3) they received their third battleflag, that of Johnston's Army of Tennessee. It is the rectangular flag we all know of today as the Flag of the South. Cavalry versions were a usually the same as the infantry issues (e.g. that of the 1st Tennessee Cavalry is 36 inches on the hoist by 51 inches on the fly). This flag is mentioned but not described in the book "A Terry Texas Ranger - The Life Record of H.W. Graber". At some point, they either lost their flag, packed it away or retired it due to battle damage (highly suspect being a unit of Wheeler's command) because in September they...

4) received another flag made by Miss Flora McIver and Miss Robbie Wood, who were living in Nashville at the time. The flag was brought to the unit by Miss McIver's brother John as Wheeler's command, having been on a raid, made its way out of Tennessee after the fall of Atlanta back towards the Army of Tennessee in Georgia. Upon arrival in Florence, Alabama, on September 12th, the unit received their new flag - a variant of the famous Hardee pattern battleflag.

The field was dark blue silk with a white silk circular disc in the middle. A red silk St. George's cross, with pointed ends, and not reaching the outer edges of the circle, was in the middle of the disc. The cross was adorned with 11 gold embroidered 5 pointed stars with open centers. The word's "Terry's Texas Rangers" were embroidered in dark blue Roman uncial letters under the cross along the outer edges of the disc on both sides of the flag. Above the cross on the obverse side (hoist edge to the left) was also embroidered in dark blue Roman uncials "Ducit amor patriae", while on the reverse side was "God defend the right".

The outer edge of the flag on three sides (not the hoist edge) was once a blue and white fringe. The overall flag dimensions are unavailable to me at this time but I have figures for other components of this flag: the fringe is gone but a 1/8 inch cord remains; the disc is 15 1/4 inches diameter; the cross is 2 inches wide and 11 inches by 11 inches in length to the points on the ends; the stars are 1 1/8 inches across the points; the mottoes are 3/4 inches high and the unit designation is 1 1/8 inches high. You will have to scale it up as to overall size.[approximately 46 inches by 69 inches]

The flag was "lost" in the action near Rome, Georgia. It was not captured in battle, but rather was dropped by the bearer while encased in its rubber sleeve. It was picked up the next day by a soldier of the 17th Indiana Mounted Infantry of Wilder's famous Lightning Brigade, who had defeated the Rangers in the action of the day before. The flag was returned to Texas from Indiana in March, 1899 by an action of the Indiana Legislature.

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