Claiborne's History of Terry's Texas Rangers (Part 3)

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

-continued from last issue.

It is now twenty days before the battle of Shiloh. During this period of twenty days there was no action by the command as a whole. All the duty was performed by company, squads, and secret service by individual members developing some talent in the ranks, that was in after struggle found to be of very great service. Here the men and line officers began to show the amount of strategy they were possessed of. There were among them men found capable of doing any deed of daring individually. They went into the camp of the enemy and all over through, and around their camps. One of the men developed was Lieut. Gordon, of Company "A," Private Archer Company "C," Geo. B. Zimpleman Company "D," and many others unknown to the regiment, but well known to the field and staff. Here it was shown that the captains many of them at least, had the ability to command an army--shown by the way they handled expeditions in the front on perilous expeditions. Here the officers obtained more confidence in the men and the men become better satisfied with the field staff and their company officers. Here they were recruited by many distinguished citizens of Texas who went into the battle with them. Judge George Quinine, a lawyer of great distinction in Texas, Judge Clinton Terry, Judge Dave Terry, Dr. Cowan of Kentucky, Paul Anderson, Jim Brittain and possible many others not now in memory, all was activity. A part in front and a part in camp and each day receiving instructions in the school of a soldier. Here they were joined by the recovered sick and some of the wounded, and nearly every man was in his place. All knew that a great battle was to be fought and that it would be one of great moment to the confederacy, and all were eager for the fray.

SHILOH'S SANGUINARY FIELD.

Whilst the Rangers had become, to all extent and purposes, veterans as an individual independent command, [line lost at fold] pated in an engagement with the other arms of the service. There was more than two-thirds of them who had not been able to be present at Woodsonville the previous December. The regiment had the prestige or an inheritance and a name written high up in the temple of fame to sustain, (and right here I desire to say that this name and heritage was not of their own creation, as will be shown further on. There was some trepidation [illegible] among the recruits and the officers looked anxious as to whether they could perform all that was expected of them by the general commanding, who said that he should rely greatly upon them at all critical periods during the great battle to come soon.

The eventful morning has arrived. Those who have been so faithfully in front are brought in and the whole regiment and the amateurs are for the first time, for a long period, altogether. Before daylight they are in their saddles, and with all the ammunition needed and two full days rations, and all superfluous baggage left in camp with the servants, and they are off, to go deep into the great impending fight. This was Friday morning, April the 4th, 1862. The day that the battle was originally intended to have been begun was on Saturday the 5th of April, but for some cause a delay of 23 hours was had, (and this was a fatal error. We do not propose to criminate any of the noble division commanders in this battle, but the fault lay in the fact that the orders of General Johnson were not obeyed literally by more than one of his first lieutenants, both of whom were gallant men, but failures throughout the entire war,) both Friday and Saturday, and until Sunday morning at 5:30, the rangers were engaged in definitely locating the exact position of the Federals. The scouts who had been across the Tennessee river knew that reinforcements, both by land and water, were coming, and these scouts, were Rangers, and there was chaffing at the unexpected delay. Many of them had been on the river nearly all night of Saturday, and many had been on special and picket duty, but at the critical hour the men and officers were in line and ready and eager for the signal given and the order to advance. It was a grand picture to see these men on that morning. I rode along the line once or twice, and their faces were marked with a full determination. No man exhibited a desire to back out that could be seen or told, and again there were many jokes, and some things ludicrous in the extreme. There seemed to be an ungovernable disposition to witness the battle--there was an anxiety to begin--they seem to desire to witness the pomp and circumstances of war. In twenty minutes after the formation, "forward, march" was passed along the line, and freedom to the bridle rein was given--guns freshed capped pistols and knife drawn well to the front, and they were moved to the left front of the confederates line of battle, and to the right front of the Federal line, on Owl creek and a little to the left of Shiloh church my recollection is, possibly not as clear as it should be just at this period, but if I am served properly, the Rangers fired the first gun in that battle, in hostility, at least.) In a very few seconds the regiments struck the enemy and were in their camp charging the lines of a Michigan regiment., their pickets captured and confusion was among them worse than confounded. The regiment moved like the wind and the men wild with the excitement; the six-shooter dealing death and even the knife is used when the six-shooter became empty. The men seemed to pay no attention to the foe and swept on and on in the savageness of battle. All along the long battle line was heard the terrible roll of the drum, the firing of small arms and the ominous thunder of the cannon. All day long the Rangers pushed the lines in front of them back through the entire Federal camp until only a mile lay between the Federals and the river. At 3:15 p.m., the order had was by companies, form fours march, whether, only Col. Jno A. Wharton knew at a terrible pace they are moved nearly a mile, and the fleeing enemy in front of Hardee were pointed out and Col. Wharton is informed that he must make the rout complete, and to move them right along onto their gun boats or into the river, without reflection, and, notwithstanding, a majority had been in the saddle since Friday morning, and all for more than eighteen hours, had been active without feed or water for beasts, they responded in the same gallant and dauntless style that increased with them during the entire war. The forward move was instantly made, and in a minute or less the fatal six-shooter was doing [illegible] upon the German troops fleeing in the front. After a pursuit of nearly 600 yards, possibly more, it was found that the command had penetrated beyond the main Federal line, because they received an enfilading fire from both sides and to the rear. They had not been cautiously led, still the order had not been filled, "onto their gun-boats or into the river," was the order. By this time the Rangers were to all intents and purposes in the rear of the entire Federal army and found themselves confronted by an abatis on the top of a commanding hill fortified, and cannon and small arms were turned loose upon them from both front and the rear and they are literally bottled. They have literally a contract on hand that only a large army could handle, and they fell back and out from under a galling fire of musketry and artillery,performing the most wonderful feat in war. In the mean time the entire army of the Federals had moved back and the Rangers were again in line with their own people. The memory of that charge will remain with the Ranger during his life. Sixty-six men received a leaden welcome from their Yankee or Dutch brothers. Some of the best blood of the regiment is spilled, the vital spark leaves the tenement of many of that devoted and patriotic band of men, sealed into a brotherhood in the cause of a general right. Here another Terry yields up the spirit, Judge Clinton Terry is killed right at the abatis, charging gallantly with Col. Wharton and the best mounted of the men and officers, (for the full list of casualties, see muster roll Company H. being the heaviest sufferers.) Soon they were dismounted to fill a gap in the Confederate infantry line and sent forward deployed as skirmishers. This the men could do with the expertness of the best infantry men, and often did so, but it was not their business, and in the latter part of the war, were very rarely dismounted. Night came and they were ordered to their horses and on to the flanks, scouts, picketing and secret service. The night is a memorable one. The day had been a severe one, both bodily and mentally. The men were akin either by blood or affinity. The death loss among them had been fearful. Again the news had reached them that Gen. A. Sidney Johnson, their idol and their friend was dead, and that Bragg and Beauregard did not agree and, were each contending for command, that Johnson's plan of battle had been abandoned, that reinforcements were crossing the river, that the army of the enemy was fast falling back, that they were even panicky and that confusion was everywhere seen. The terrible minute gun of the enemy was continuous in its firing. A gentle April rain fell the whole night, the hospital corps were out with the glare of torch lights. No sleep fell upon their eyes; they were at the post of honor; they were guarding the front; they were watching the enemy; they were gaining in [torn]tion their Colonel was wounded and had left the field, and Major Thomas Harrison wa in command. [torn] did splendidly; they kept their organization; they became each minute of that long night better soldiers and better men morally and mentally. From their standpoint they felt the outrage of the abandonment of so great a victory, but they were given little time for reflection. They were on duty and seemingly, all that were on duty intact. But Monday morning came at last and the longest night in this life had been passed by the Rangers. How they gathered together on Monday morning, no man can tell because details for so varied duties had been made right in the jaws of death that no man could keep up with them but at an early hour on Monday morning they were together, all that were able for duty. They had during the night obtained the bodies of their dead and wounded, and had done all that could be done, and were again facing the enemy, covering the retreat. Mud, rain, fatigue and hunger was all theirs, but no complaint. The enemy began their advance at the hour of 5 a.m., in fact, as they landed during the night, they were pushed out until confronted by the Confederate pickets, and at 5 p.m. began to drive them in all along the line. Cavalry must go to their rescue, and the Rangers were sought for the duty, and all day long they were in front firing and stubbornly falling back retarding the whole army as far as they could by their tack and dauntless courage and endurance. Their behavior was superb.

They certainly will get rest tonight was the universal verdict. They have known no rest except while nodding in the saddle since Friday night previous. The Federals stopped the advance at sun down on Monday Rangers in their front--will they be allowed to move back, camp [illegible] and sleep. And the joyful news came that they do move back and feed their horses and eat. They are met by the commissary and stores are issued and they feed and make a spread prepared to sleep the sleep of the brave and the just scarcely had they slumbered before aroused and were ordered to saddle up, that the enemy were advancing and they must go to the front. There was here exhibited some discontent, but soon they are in their accustomed good humor and are ready for a long nights duty, whatever that might be. It turned out that there was no advance, but that the guards that had gone ahead with the army were uneasy because the line was not fully covered, and the Rangers, as usual must be on guard. While the compliment was of a gentle and tender nature they would have at that time preferred it extended in some other direction.

The night was expended as were the others in watching and reporting what could be seen in front. Daylight again came, and they thought certainly some rest would be granted, but not so, but instead a day of unremitting toil and danger. All day long it was a skirmish and a fall back until evening, when it was almost a certainty that if something was not done, and speedily done the entire division of John C. Breckenridge would be captured, and [fold] the Rangers were brought into action. This was possibly as game an affair as they were ever engaged in.

The circumstances surrounding were peculiar. The men were exhausted; they felt that the burden put upon them was too heavy, but they saw the necessity. They saw the situation and conditions, and the girded themselves to make one among their most daring and successful fights. It seemed then, and seems yet to have been in the nature of a forlorn hope. They must make a fight that seemed to be in the very jaws of death. The number was in all scarcely 300. The enemy were in such numbers as was thought sufficient to capture the entire body under Breckenridge. A charge was the only way to meet the emergency, [A] charge was ordered and led by Maj. Thomas Harrison, that has one other parallel, (and that the last one made in the war.) It was magnificent terrific and successful.

The only order heard was from the gallant little major, as he said, "follow the Jimtown Major," and he swept in to the enemy surrounded by the Rangers and the havoc was terrible to witness. The fatal fourteen-shot act was performed and terror seemed to strike the enemy and the advance brigade of the federals fell back in confusion that was confounded, and over a quarter of a mile they ran with the Rangers pouring the deadly missiles into their backs, until they met their reserve and even this body of two large divisions, halted and were fully hours determining what was to be done. Yet the Rangers held this whole in inactivity until Breckenridge was safe under cover. And the battle of Shiloh is ended. The first and last charge by the Rangers; and the first and last gun fired by them.

After this charge and its eminent success, the Rangers were sent out on the Hamburg road to watch it during the night, as it had been reported that the enemy was making a flank to get into Monteray, where a large number of troops and the entire disabled were in camp, that had not been able to get farther away. [fold obscures one line of text] the Rangers had expended, and here, as elsewhere, and always, they showed that patriotism, that unconquerable heroism that stuck to them like the shirt of Nemesis through the entire war. This character of service was continued with but little or no rest until a few days before starting on the great raid in the rear of the Federal army. The first of a severe service so often repeated in after years by this regiment of men.

While it has been the resolve of the compiler not to individualize any man or officer, in any way, until he reached the muster roll, he will be pardoned by them if at this time he makes mention of one officer, especially in relation of the Tuesday's fight.

Capt. Thomas Harrison had been at the organization at Bowling Green selected as major. He was personally unknown to all except a few. He had been a district judge of a then, frontier district. While at the front he was so situated on Green and Barron rivers that he had made only one scout, and that was to a little village called Jimtown, in Kentucky. In the Rangers, as every other command, there was 25 or 30 hair trigger fellows that wanted to fight all the time. They went with Maj. Harrison on the scout. Maj. Harrison had his instructions. It is unnecessary to say that he obeyed those instructions to the letter, (he always did.) The enemy were discovered from the hill down in the village valley, in a number five to twenty times as large as had Maj. Harrison, (but had he orders to fight, this would not have hindered him from obeying them.) Finding all he wanted and having to curb the impetuosity of his hair triggered soldiers, and finally moving off without a fight, gave them a big disgust, and they attributed it to cowardice. The major was taken with a relapse, he having just returned from a sick furlough and the regiment saw but little of him until in camp at Corinth, Miss., several days previous to the battle of Shiloh. These hair triggered gentlemen in the mean time had dubbed him by way of derision the "Jimtown Major," and the entire regiment, with few exceptions joined in the belief that the liver of Tom Harrison was white. During the battle of Shiloh he simply filled his place as major, which is about like the 5th wheel of a cart. The exigencies of that battle gave him supreme command. The duties were plain and he performed them in the regular way, until Tuesday evening. Then Major Tom Harrison pulled himself to the top of respect and admiration of the men whom he so signally handled in after time[Fold obscures most of a line] charge, and that charge seemed to be into a yawning inviting grave. He put himself at the head and the only and solitary words spoke was,

"FOLLOW THE JIMTOWN MAJOR."

The result has been set forth in this history heretofore. After this respect began, then an admiration, then a sincere regard, and in battle it amounted to a species of hero worship.

In the next issue we will not any longer be an independent command, but associated with other cavalry, and while this narrative will deal with the Rangers, all the cavalry brigaded with them are entitled to their moelty of the praise given and success obtained.

I have not been as full on Shiloh as I might or should have been, but I find that if I give rein to full descriptions [illegible] would have no end.

SHILOH

NOTE: If we were to take up the exploits and details, the gallantry of the individual officers and men in the various engagements the task of writing this history would be almost interminable. The actions of Jno. A. Wharton and Thomas Harrison would consume chapters. There are individual acts to describe when pages would be required.

The regiment started with a prestige so that each man thought it incumbent on him to sustain. This prestige was unsought and they were not parties to it but they had it and required eternal vigilance, bravery and ability to protect and keep it unsullied, but it was done as no other troops ever did it, or can ever do again in a war, with the same nation of people.

It is possibly not amiss or out of place or in bad taste to say right here that thee was in the opinion of the men in the front at 4 o'clock p.m. Sunday, on the picket that night that there was mismanagement and want of generalship displayed by the two men in command, that in their opinion was almost a crime. The confusion of the enemy along the river was of that nature that is properly called a panic. The man of the army--the great chief, had fallen, but the army did not know it until the next day. Yet in a moment, apparently, there was a hush and a army victorious and in pursuit of a fleeing enemy, were stopped and a hush and ominous silence went all along the line, and the soldier asked the soldier, "What is this." Why do we stop." Let us put them into the river. In this condition they remained until the order to fall back was received, and the army in victory that was grand in an hour became panicky and in retreat. The Rangers being in front witnessed all this. They saw victory perched on the Confederate banner if pursuit had been made, or rather continued. They also witnessed the landing of fresh troops from 9:00 a.m. [fold obscures about two lines] heavy; they also knew that there was a great confusion they also realized that they were almost alone in front of the enemy. They at once saw what they were expected to do. They were a column of their own height they were untrammeled by attachments to a command, they were independent. They were not at the time under orders. The Major in command could have moved from the field and gone into camp at rest, and in the security of the advance, had he so desired, but he stayed and they stayed and as set out in the foregoing. They did battle every hour of that eventful Monday. Where the fault rested it is unnecessary to say, rather, to give the opinion of a private soldier. The developments of the career of both the commanders in after times would suggest that the honors were between them, or it is possible that the battle had been lost before it was finished, and the private soldiers and line officers did not know it.

This must have been the case with the Rangers, because if they were ever whipped they did not know it. It is true they often got tired of fighting all day and all night ten times their numbers, at a great disadvantage and wanted to rest and let the army of pets at the _____ be brought out a______ rested that, it ______ that incompete _____ rank, lost Shilo_____.

TERRY'S TEXAS RANGERS - CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

In this section, with now and then a skirmish, and they are ordered to East Tennessee, which campaign will be given in our next issue; possibly the most severe campaign in the entire war, to them.

GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.

This battle was a trying ordeal on the physical structure of the men; a severe test of both their endurance as well as their courage, for 21 days previous and up to the battle, and during the battle, and for the next several days, the labor was incessant both day and night; their ranks being depleted, as is shown by the muster roll and their duty doubled. The recollection is, and I am bourn out in the statement by others that the Rangers did more continual fighting in this battle and for a longer period, than in any other in which they were engaged. Here as at Shiloh they dismounted and went in side by side with the infantry until the enemy was moved, then mounted to follow up the route. Men slept in their saddles in line of battle, from shear exhaustion, captured and ate their rations in the saddle. They were not many at best, but of those that reported for duty on the 1st day of October, 47 percent had been killed, wounded and captured, and nearly one fourth off duty forever.

The causalities did not all occur in this battle but in the daily skirmishes from the 18 or 20 days previous and the 20 days after. They were in the rear of the enemy no less than three times; attacked by charge five different batteries, and captured five times their number of prisoners. Taking everything into consideration this was their greatest fear during the war.

For causalities, see muster roll.

Go back to Claiborne Index | Go on to part 4.

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