Gonzales Ranger Fell at Elk River

By DAYTON KELLEY
Mary Hardin-Baylor College

On May 9, 1862, five Confederates were killed and seven captured in a minor skirmish at Elk River, Tenn. Apparently the only Union losses were 47 men were taken prisoner.

One of the Confederates killed that day was Capt. A. D. Harris of Gonzales, a member of Terry's Texas Rangers, whose death and burial are perhaps as well documented as that of any single soldier who fell in the Civil War.

The details are authenticated in a collection of original letters and copies of old newspapers now in the possession of Dr. Madge Lewis, librarian at Mary Hardin-Baylor College.

Dr. Lewis' grandmother was one of the "babies" spoken of by Capt. Harris in a letter he penned to his wife on Feb. 22, 1862, while stationed at Franklin, Tenn. In the letter, he expressed uneasiness about his family and asked his wife to meet him in Huntsville, Ala., as "I want to see you and tell you about all my business affairs in Texas so as that if I should get killed, you would know some things that I have not communicated to any one and will be of great importance to you and the babies."

Mrs. Harris' answer apparently never reached the captain, for on June 4. Capt. Marcus Legrand Evans, an old family friend from Gonzales who later became a lieutenant colonial in command of Terry's Texas Ranges and was killed at the Battle of Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862, wrote to Mrs. Harris:

"Enclosed you will find your letter to your lamented deceased husband. His eyes are now closed in death and will never have the pleasure of reading the letter of his family that was dearer to him than all the world beside. He fell on the battlefield while gallantly leading his men in a charge against the invaders of our soil—the despoilers of our homes; the destroyers of all our family ties that make this life worth living for."

Capt. Evans wrote that Capt. Harris' body was brought back from Elk River and buried at Tuscumbia, Ala., with Masonic honors.

The Masonic funeral was conducted by the Washington Lodge of Tuscumbia which entered the following resolution in its minutes on May 14:

"Whereas the lodge has heard with profound regret of the death of Capt. A. D. Harris of the Texas Rangers, who failed while gallantly defending our country's invaded rights near Athens in this state on Friday the ninth inst., be it therefore.

"Resolved. That this lodge mourns in common with the Masonic Lodge in the Confederate States, the loss of the patriot hero.

"Resolved. That the lodge in its proper organization attend the burial of our deceased brother this morning.

"Resolved. That in respect to the memory of our Bro. Harris our brothers wear the usual badge of mourning for the space of 30 days.

"Resolved. That our fraternity by sympathizing with the Gonzales Lodge of Texas of which Bro. Harris was a member in the loss of him whom we have every reason to believe was a zealous Mason and a devoted member."

The resolution further recommended that the minutes be published in the "North Alabamian of this place and that a copy properly attested be forwarded each to Gonzales Lodge and the widow of Bro. Harris."

Apparently Harris received a burial befitting one of his station and rank, for among the papers in Dr. Lewis' collection is a handwritten expense account for transportation of the body from Elk River to Tuscumbia and for burial expenses.

Among the entries are such items as $5 for digging grave, $3 for 250 brick, $3 for a barrel of cement, $2 for a marble stone and engraving, and $15 for "tavern bill for corpse and escort." The latter entry is assumed to be for overnight lodging in a "hotel" along the way from Elk River to Tuscumbia.

The account containing 17 items was paid with $28.50 found on Harris' person and $150 borrowed from Capt. G. W. Littlefield. (We wondered if this could be Capt. George W. Littlefield of Austin for whom the Littlefield Memorial Foundation at the University of Texas is named.)

On June 23, 1882, the Gonzales Lodge passed a tribute of respect to Harris which was published in the Gonzales Inquirer of June 30.

Then on May 1, 1863, almost a year after Harris' death, the Royal Arch Chapter of Masons at Gonzales of which the captain was a member, passed a tribute of respect. By this time, however, not one, but two of the members had been killed in action, and both names were included in the tribute.

The other was Lt. Col. Marcus Legrand Evans who rose to command the regiment known as Terry's Texas Rangers and who had written to tell Mrs. Harris of her husband's death.

FROM THE ABOVE account, Masonry must have meant a great deal to members of Terry's Texas Rangers — so much, in fact, that on Aug. 9, 1862, a Masonic Lodge was established in the regiment. The charter was granted by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas and the lodge called Terry's Military Lodge.

Masonry was not only upheld and practiced by members of both Union and Confederate armies, but sometimes both sides called a truce to pay Masonic honors to a deceased brother.

Perhaps the best-known incident occurred in January of 1863 at Galveston when a truce was declared in order that Lt. Com. Wainwright of the Union Navy might be buried with Masonic honors from the Harmony Lodge of that city.

During the attempts to get permission from Genl. John B. Magruder, the Confederate commander, to go ahead with the funeral, Maj. Philip C. Tucker, also a Confederate, made reference to another such incident on which we have been unable to find any details.

That was the Masonic and military funeral given Lt. Col. Rogers of the Second Texas by Federal authorities in October of 1862. Col. Rogers fell at the storming of Battery Robinett at Corinth, Miss., that same month.

We hope some of our readers will know where we can locate details of this incident.

RECOMMENDED reading this week:

The only book we've ever seen which tells the story of Freemasonry and the Civil War is "House Undivided" by Allen E. Roberts. Published only recently by the Missouri Lodge of Research, the book depicts the human side of the Great Conflict rather than analyzing the battles and incidents of the war.

Article provided by Bill Page.

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