The Last Roll: W. E. Moore, Texas Ranger

Confederate Veteran
Volume, Number 9, Page 418-419
September 1902

William E. Moore died at his home at Ashby, Matagordo County. Tex., June 5, 1902. He was a Confederate veteran, having left his home at Indianola, Tex., August, 1861, in company with James and Joseph Collins, Hays P. Yarrington, John Collins, and Daniel Hoffman, expecting to go to the front in Virginia. At Houston, however, they enlisted in the Eighth Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers, and were sent to Bowling Green, Ky., where the regiment was fully organized. A braver set of men never lived.

When Gen. Zollicoffer was killed, at Fishing Creek W. E. Moore was one of the party sent under flag of truce to recover his body. Three horses were killed under him during the war. One of them held a very high head, which fact saved his rider's life. He was dangerously wounded at Murfreesboro, shot through the body, and was taken to a plantation and left for some time in charge of an old negro man. He was afterwards moved to the home of a kind family in the neighborhood. When convalescing the lady of the family sent him some of her husband's clothes to wear. He was so impatient to rejoin his command that he left before his wound was thoroughly healed, and it broke out afresh. He declined a discharge from the army on account of his severe wounds.

His old comrade Yarrington writes of him: "We went out and served together until my capture, which occurred near Nashville three weeks before the war ended. He was dangerously shot in the thickest of the fight near Murfreesboro, on July 13. I got him to a place of safety. The tide of battle turned against us, and we moved from there to McMinnville, via Woodbury. . . . He was a brave and efficient soldier, and very popular with his regiment. The few of our noble band left now are feeble and old, past taking part in the active struggles of life."