Claiborne's History of Terry's Texas Rangers (Part 2)

A Confederate Cavalry Regiment Engaged in the Unfortunate War Between the States
NEW BIRMINGHAM TIMES, undated clipping, 1891.

FROM NASHVILLE TENNESSEE, TO CORINTH MISSISSIPPI,

This campaign covering a space of time from December 18th, 1861 to March 15th, 1862.

This period of time was well expended as to the manner and conduct of the regiment. During this period many of those long absent with sickness and the wounded from Woodsonville, had rejoined the regiment, and a new company of 90 days men joined the command and were styled Company L, under Capt. Anderson. These men were with them until after the battle of Shiloh, when they disbanded and the majority joined other companies of the Rangers and were with them to the end, or were camping in the field beyond the confines of earth.

The first pitch battle has been fought. And the officers and men had shown that they were able to maintain the name "Texas Ranger" with honor. The blood shed at Woodsonville makes every man in the command kin. They fall slowly back undisturbed, and for ten days are fairly inactive, but on the 11th day all is commotion, and for the first time they hear the ominous words, "Cut off!", "Flanked!", "Surrounded," and for volunteers and men uninured to war, they stood it as do veterans. In years to follow; they laughed at the expressions, for they had learned that they could not be cut off, to stay flanked, or surrounded perpetually. They knew, as was so often done, that they could shoot and ride their way out of any situation when necessary.

While they had been in the front scouting and picketing for nearly ninety days, they must now learn to cover the rear of an army in retreat with the enemy in the rear and on the right flank. The retreat of General A. S. Johnson's army began a few days only, after the battle at Woodsonville, and the Rangers were on all kinds of conceivable duty, night and day, and when it is taken into consideration that disease had thinned out the regiment to less than 400 men at this time, many of them scarcely convalescent, the duty performed was almost that of the superhuman. There was some other mounted men but what they did is not remembered, but the Rangers were divided into squads some in front, some covering the rear, some on the right flank, some on the left, and some scouting both night and day. They were the eyes and ears of the army, (a position that was maintained by this extraordinary band of men to the close of the war.) The annoyance of the enemy was continued until after the city of Nashville was reached and passed. Skirmishing in front, in the rear, on both flanks and by those on the scout, fighting was daily and nightly, and at times the army was more or less panic stricken, and the reports, watchfulness and vigor of the Rangers in giving check to the enemy, saved on more than one occasion, a panic that would have proven ruinous to the army, and Gen. Sidney Johnson attested to their services in his general orders, after reaching Corrinth, Miss., and especially did he appreciate the raid made on the enemy at Charlotte and towards Murfreesboro. Yet, with all the skirmishing and labor, the whole casualties on the march, amounted to only about forty-two, as best that can be ascertained from the company reports covering that period. The abandonment of Nashville, Tenn., was possibly the hardest thing the Rangers had to bear, during the whole period of the entire war--Here every Ranger had friends. While encamped there on the outset, friends were made by the hundreds--every citizen of Nashville was an admirer of the "Terry Ranger," and when the fell epidemic struck them at Bowling Green, Ky., the private houses of Nashville were thrown open and its transcendent, magnificently, glorious people, made of their homes hospitals, and when life's fitful fever had ended, they gave to them a burial as if to a son and brother, and if life lasted and they were ready for the field, they were given clothing, money and any of the necessaries that life required.

And to abandon that city and these people to the more than merciless enemy was hard, hard indeed, and is today indelibly stamped on the minds and hearts of every Ranger participating and each registered a solemn vow, that if ever in their power, they could regain and give back to them their beautiful city, and return as far as in them lay, a light recompense for their manifold sadness--if it was possible.

Right here we would be glad to give a description of the abandonment of the city, the cutting of the bridge and the destruction of supplies and the effort to remove the sick and wounded and to, as fully describe the patriotic action of her citizenship as far as our feeble pen would admit, but we will await until further along.

Nashville, Tenn., is the dearest spot on earth to the Ranger who was an inmate of the home of one of these citizens while sick or disabled. After leaving Nashville there was no particular change in the duties assigned to the Regiment--it was only varied in the fact that it made many more scouts as a whole, and did a little less picket duty, as the army was augmented by other cavalry, and danger became less and less each day as the army moved toward Corinth, Miss. During this period, however, the Rangers ripened day after day. They began to find fully the duty of a good and efficient soldier; and a singular fact is here attested that the officers did not have these men to discipline they knew what should be done intuitively and they prided themselves on its full accomplishment. They absolutely had no fear, nor hesitated at the performance of any duty.

The time elapsing between Woodsonville and Shiloh was not idle expended. The Regiment was continually on the scout, picketing and procuring supplies for Johnson's army. They learned during this period, all the neighborhood roads and all the strategic points. They learned and made friends with the people; they learned who to trust and whom to mistrust among those left at home in Tennessee. All this great volume of information was turned into signal service in the days to come, when Gen. Forrest took command and led them over this same territory and spread consternation among the whole federal army. The Rangers were the advance; they were his guides, because they knew both the country and the people.

The retreat from Nashville to Corrinth was not of that dangerous and trying nature as it had been from Bowling Green to Nashville. The people of Tennessee were very greatly dissatisfied at the loss of their capitol city, and the destruction of the property and supplies. Many of the army were Tennesseans and they were hard to handle and not a few quit the ranks when their homes, families and kindred were left behind--dissatisfaction had gotten to the confederate capitol and the representatives in the congress of the confederacy were very severe on Gen. A. Sidney Johnson. He had this to bear and it prevented him from moving as rapidly as the movements of the Federal army demanded. The Confederates were poorly armed and demoralized, and the ordeal that Johnson underwent was remarkably severe, discipline was hard to inculcate into the men and it was a long time being accomplished, and it is but fair and reasonable to suppose that no man was better fitted by nature and education to do it than most glorious A. Sidney Johnson. This was hard on the Rangers. They were intact; they were ready and on duty. Great dependence were placed in them by the commanding general. New cavalry was joining the army; new infantry were coming in, and the Rangers had to do the labor while these men were undergoing discipline, and learning the duties of the soldier, and upon the whole the service by the Rangers at this period was extremely valuable--possibly the most beneficial service rendered by them during the war.

It was during this period that there was a reorganization of the Regiment --- hardly a reorganization either, but a change. Col. Thomas S. Lubbock who had succeeded Col. Terry, had died in Nashville. John A. Wharton, Capt. of Company "B," "Archer Grays" had been elected to the colonelcy. and Capt. Jno. G. Walker of Company "K," "Tom Lubbock Guards" elected Lieut. Colonel. Wharton had at that time never been under fire, and Walker who had been wounded in the arm at Woodsonville, was in Texas on a furlough. The line officers had also undergone a change, and with all this to contend with, they moved to the performance of every duty like veterans. The new officers and the men had to know each other, and during this period there arose contingencies that showed that the selection of Wharton, as the colonel, was not a mistake.

It was during this period that the private soldier was being marked for promotion in the future, because, up to this period, and long after, all officers were elected, instead of going up by promotion as prevailed near the close of the struggle. The following is the Roster of the field staff and line at this period:

Jno. A. Wharton, colonel; Jno.G. Walker lieut-colonel; Thomas Harrison, major; M.H. Royston, adjutant; W.B. Sayers, Sergt.-Major; Dr. J. M. Weston and Robt. E. Hill, surgeons; R. F. Banting, chaplain; R. H. Simmons, commissary; Ben A. Botts, quartermaster.

R.Y. King, captain company A, "Prairie Rovers," First Lieutenant, Jno. C. Low; Second Lieutenants William H. Jones and M.H. Gordon.

R.M. McKay, Captain Company "B"-- "Archer Grays,"First Lieutenant Wm. W. Groos; Second Lieutenants,Wm. Henry Sharpe and Theodore Bennett.

Mark L. Evans, Captain Company "C"--"Wall (sic) Confederates," First Lieutenant Alex M. Shannon; Second Lieutenants, James Dunn and John W. Baylor.

Stephen C. Ferrell, Captain Company "D"--"Bastrop Rangers," First Lieutenant Ferg Kyle; Second Lieutenants, Jessie F. Burdett and Wm. R. Doak.

L. M. Rayburn, Captain Company "E"--"Gonzales Rebels." First Lieutenant, James K. White, Second Lieutenants, H.E. Story and Robt. S. Davis.

Wm. R. Jarmon, Captain Company "F"-- "Lone Star Rangers." First Lieutenant, Phocean Tate; Second Lieutenants, Robert D. McClelland and Burr E. Joiner.

William Y.Houston, Captain Company "G"-- "Javalinas (pronounced Havilenas) Wild Hog." First Lieutenant Wm. M. Ford; Second Lieutenants William Ellis and George Stormfieldts.

Gustave Cook, Captain Company "H"-- "Terry Guards." First Lieutenant, Thomas S. Weston; Second Lieutenants Robt. J. Calder and W. D. Adams.

Isam G. Jones, Captain Company "I"--"Lubbock Scouts." First Lieutenant, A.D. Harris; Second Lieutenants George W. Littlefield and James H. Parramore.

S. Pat Christian, Captain Company "K"--"Lubbock Guards." First Lieutenant, A. W. Morris; Second Lieutenants W. H. Thomas and H. Boulden.

These were the leaders at this period and under them great and good works were performed. During all this trying period of labor, no false alarm was over given. The whole army had the most perfect confidence in the guard in their rear.

On January the 21th, 1862 the muster roll showed that there were upon it 790 men out of the original 1002, of these number only 150 were in camp ready for duty, actually, the others were dead, sick or wounded. Ninety-three had died or been killed; 73 had been discharged and most of these died before or after reaching home. Those on furloughs and sick leave came in as they became able to do duty.

Of this period there might be a volume written. Here we might go into personalities, camp life and incidents occurring to individuals, practical jokes and camp sports, and many things that would cause the memory of the living to again visit the past, but as reference will be made from time to time in after pages these matters will be called to mind. It may be well to say here that the Rangers learned to find out the use of a Chaplain. A man would suppose, naturally, that the only use that they had for him was to now and then, on Sunday, to read a prayer or two and preach a sermon. Dr. R. F. Bunting, a presbyterian minister, was the chaplain of the Rangers. But was that all? It was not, and when the reader shall peruse his biography it will be seen that a Chaplain is the most valuable soldier in the army, if they were all like Dr. Bunting.

We are now, after all the hard labor of the winter of 1861 and 1862, in the early spring at Corrinth, Mississippi near the Tennessee line, with the army of Gen. A. S. Johnson, now in fine discipline, fairly armed and eager to meet and fight a decisive battle for all time to come that should the enemy be successfully met and repulsed the war would end and white winged peace hover over their homes and the chivalry of the south be a watch word in the mouths of nations yet unborn; and all were girded up willing and anxious for the fray.

NOTE.---There is no better place than the time of leaving Nashville, Tennessee, to pay the debt due by the Rangers to the woman of that city. Their kindness was too marked, it was too kind too beneficial to living and too patriotic to be referred to flippantly. While the hospitals in the city were conducted after the very best manner, and under the medical direction of the very best physicians, they proved to the Rangers death in almost every instance. It was against the rules to take the enlisted men to the homes of these good women, the trains reaching the city were cautiously rigorously guarded, and were forced to the hospital that had no permit to go elsewhere, and most of the Rangers were sent to the hospital. Each Ranger wore a large silver or red painted star on the front of his broad brimmed hat with the letters between the points of the star T-E-X-A-S, and on the points of the star T-E-R-R-Y. This star was an open sesame to the homes and hearts of the women of this queenly rock city. After a star was seen by a lady she began to scheme to get the owner out of the hospital and in the scheming showed all the tact and ingenuity of a diplomat fair means smiles, tears and blandishment was first used, and if the obdurate heart was unrelenting and the surgeon could not be reached, then began a secret scheming, and the poor, incarcerated, diseased men were stolen at night, often in the open light of day, and but few Rangers ever remained longer than two days in these places of pestilence. Private hospitals were established all over the city and her women stood guard over the men and employed their family physician to wait and administer upon them; in this way, hundreds when ready to return to the command they were comfortably clothed with warm woolen goods, God bless them, then, now, and forever. We do not know all these ladies nor do we intend to make invidious distinction in the mention of a few of the names of those who we have heard the Rangers speak of in after years with tears in their eyes: Mrs. Mary Ramage hired a house next to her home in which she brought back to life (as it were) sixteen Rangers, some of them are yet living. Mrs. Felicia Grundy Porter, Mrs. James K. Polk, the widow of President Polk, Mrs. Harriet Overton, Mrs. McCall, Mrs. Fogg. Mrs. Kirkman; Mrs. Porterfield and many others. In this they were assisted by the young ladies in every walk of life, and they will never, never be forgotten while life lasts, and they will leave their love for these people as an inheritance to their children. This action was not sporadic, it continued throughout the entire war.

From the very best information obtainable the Terry Texas Rangers were the first body of organized Texan soldiers properly, in the field, to engage in a pitched battle and with the 11th Texas cavalry; the last to engage in battle, at least this is true as to the army at the theater of action, beyond the father of waters. The Rangers were the fourth regiment to leave the state going beyond the Mississippi river, and the first of Texas cavalry. The general supposition might be that they reached the seat of war numerically; The number of the regiment as appears in the war department, being the eighth leaves the impression that there were seven other cavalry regiments ahead getting into hostilities, is the reason I make this note."

The first, fourth, and fifth Texas Infantry left the state for Virginia just twenty eight days before Terry. They traveled the same route that the Rangers traveled, and enjoyed the same Identical privileges that the Rangers did going through Louisiana, and the same experience in the Grand Maire of Louisiana and all the way to the Crescent City, New Orleans. They also had about the same experience with disease at Dumfries, Va., that the Rangers had at Bowling Green, Ky. The same Heroism was shown by them as was shown by the Rangers, but they were longer to recover and get into actual hostilities. The Rangers made the first pitched battle on the 17th of December 1861, and the grand old Texas Brigade in Virginia, made their first pitched battle at Elthames Landing on May the 7th, 1862 just 29 days before the Rangers engaged in their second great pitched battle. In the meantime however, Hoods people were to the army of Virginia what the Rangers were to the army of Tennessee, "The trusted troops" again on the 31st of May, 1862, they went into the great battle of Seven Pines while the Rangers were in the front at Corrinth, obtaining information to aid Gen. A. S. Johnson in bringing on, six days later, the great battle of Shiloh church.

This grand command of Texas was surrendered at Appomattox, while they were still in the front ready to meet the enemy. Twelve days thereafter, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston met Gen. W. T. Sherman at Hillsboro, North Carolina, and surrendered the Rangers with all the army to him, but the Rangers would have no surrender and all except two, left for the Trans-Mississippi department under officers of their own selection, and if they ever surrendered it was by a man at a time, but more than two-thirds of them never surrendered or took a parole or the oath of allegiance until the days of reconstruction in 1867 and 1873.

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