Timeline: October 1861

Tuesday, October 1

News Article - New Orleans Picayune, p.1, c.2

Harry Macarthy's performance at the New Orleans Acadamy of Music will lose some of their liveliness following the departure of the Texas Volunteers.

Wednesday, October 2

News Article - Houston Weekly Telegraph

.

Enlistment - B. C. Thomas, Co. G

Enlisted in Liberty, TX by Capt. Houston..

Thursday, October 3

Letter - B. F. Terry

to A. S. Johnston (CSRs)

Enlistment - T. W. Wiley, Co. C

Enlisted in Marshall, TX by Capt. Alexander.

Friday, October 4

Letter - W. Nicholson, Co. D

to

Saturday, October 6

Letter - B. F. Burke, Co. F

Writes his father from Nashville, TN. States that he arrived in New Orleans, LA on September 29 where he found his company had already left for Grand Junction, TN. He Left New Orleans on October 1 with four companies of his regiment proceeding to Grand Junction then to Nashville, TN. He states that there are just five companies in Nashville, TN.

Enlistment - E. T. Hendley, Co. E

Enlisted in Lake Charles, LA by Capt. Rayburn.

Sunday, October 7

Letter - E. H. Ross, Co. A

Writes to his wife from Lake Charles, LA that he left Houston six days ago with the last division of Lubbock and Terry's Regiment.

Monday, October 8

Letter - B. F. Terry

to A. S. Johnston (CSRs)

Death - Thomas A. Hart, Co. D

Died in Nashville, TN from "congestion of brain" or an overdose of opium. Family lore states that he died after becoming ill from eating rotten cucumbers.

Unidentified October Date

Letter - EH Ross, Co. A

Written to his wife along the route from Texas to New Orleans. Mentions being sick.

Wednesday, October 10

Letter - William Lynch, Co. C

to William N. Calvit

News Article - Natchez Daily Courier

New Orleans description of Terry's Texas Rangers

Enlistment - F. W. McGuire, Co. D

Enlisted in Nashville, TN by Capt. Ferrill.

Enlistment - W. Kyle, Co. I

Enlisted in Iberia, LA by Capt. Jones.

Thursday, October 11

Letter - William Nicholson, Co. D

to Mary Ann Nicholson

Friday, October 12

ORs - W. W. Mackall, Assistant Adjutant-General

Sends a message to Col. Terry from Columbus, KY ordered to move his men from Nashville, TN to Bowling Green, KY.

Enlistment - C. M. Bradshaw, Co. I

Enlisted in Gonzales, TX by Lt. W. E. Jones.

Enlistment - A. T. Harris, Co. I

Enlisted in Gonzales, TX by Lt. W. E. Jones.

Enlistment - L. M. Kokernot, Co. I

Enlisted in Gonzales, TX by Lt. W. E. Jones.

Enlistment - A. S. Miller, Co. I

Enlisted in Gonzales, TX by Lt. W. E. Jones.

Enlistment - J. L. Norwood, Co. I

Enlisted in Gonzales, TX by Lt. W. E. Jones.

Saturday, October 13

Letter - EH Ross, Co. A

Writes his friend from New Orleans, LA that he expects to leave for Louisville, KY that evening.

Sunday, October 14

Letter - William Nicholson, Co. D

Writes to his sister from Bowling Green, KY that they recieved orders in Nashville on October 13 to prepare 3 days rations. The left Nashville at sundown and arrived in Bowling Green around 1 AM. They are camped about .25 miles from town and engaged in cleaning weapons and making bullets.

Tuesday, October 22

Letter - J. W. Rabb, Co. F

Writes to his brother from Bowling Green, KY that his division of five companies is in camp and recieved thier horses yesterday.

Letter - E. H. Ross, Co. A

Writes to his wife from Bowling Green, KY telling of a five day trip from New Orleans on the railway.

ORs - General A. S. Johnston

Report sent to Secratary of War Judah P. Benjamin from Bowling Green, KY. Mentions that only 350 horses have been purchased for Terry's Regiment.

Thursday, October 24

Enlistment - W. S. J. Adams, Co. C

Enlisted in Bowling Green, KY by Capt. Evans.

Saturday, October 26

Enlistment - J. C. Clepper, Co. K

Enlisted in Bowling Green, KY by Capt. J. G. Walker.

Sunday, October 27

Letter - E. H. Ross, Co. A

Writes to his parents from Bowling Green, KY that he arrived ther 8 days ago and recounts his journey since leaving home.

Monday, October 28

Event - Regimental Elections and organization

C. C. Jeffries identifies this as the date in his book Terry's Rangers.

Enlistment - T. W. Wiley, Co. C

Enlisted in Marshall, TX by Capt. Alexander.

Enlistment - T. U. Lubbock, Co. K

Enlisted in Houston.

Wednesday, October 30

Death - M. G. Harbour, Co. F

Died from "congestion of brain" at Bowling Green, KY.

Letter - E. H. Ross, Co. A

To his friend Arch Houston from Bowling Green, KY that he has been there ten days. Many have colds from the trip and his company is still waiting for arms and horses.

October 30, 1861 - Report from B. F. Terry to William W. Mackall

B. F. Terry file (CSRs)

Thursday, October 31

Muster Roll - Co. A

Muster Roll (9/26/61-10/31/61) for Company "A" , 1st Regiment of Texas Rangers 92 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. B

Muster Roll (9/7/61-10/31/61) for Company "B" , 1st Regiment of Texas Rangers 116 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. C

Muster Roll (9/12/61-10/31/61) for Company "C" , 1st Regiment of Texas Rangers 94 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. D

Muster Roll (9/7/61-10/31/61) for Company "D" , 1st Regiment of Texas Rangers 116 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. F

Muster Roll (9/7/61-10/31/61) for Capt. Louis M. Strobels' Company, Col. B. F. Terry's Regiment of Texas Mounted Rangers 113 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. G

Muster Roll (9/13/61-10/31/61) for Company "G" , 1st Regiment of Texas Rangers 75 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. H

Muster Roll (9/7/61-10/31/61) for Capt. John T Holt's Company, Col. B. F. Terry's Regiment of Texas Mounted Rangers 100 names (National Archives)

Muster Roll - Co. I

Muster Roll (9/11/61-10/31/61) for Capt. Isham G. Jones' Company, Col. Terry's Regiment of Texas Rangers 83 names (National Archives)

Other October Notes

History - Claiborne's History of Terry's Texas Rangers

"At the camp at Bowling Green, Ky., in October 1861 they began to feel the trip to the seat of war. Here the germ of swamp fever of Grande Marle, Louisiana, bloomed, and the "flower was death. Undeveloped boys, scarcely from the leading strings of mothers, from a perennial climate transported to this frigid zone, could scarcely bear the transition, and the fell destroyer, was among them, yet, while filling the homes of the good people of Nashville, Tenn., with the sick, and their grave yards with the darling sons of agonized mothers in Texas, the fire of patriotism burned as brightly and as beautiful as ever, while the few that were unstricken did the duty for the many, along the line, at the front, they being constituted both the eyes and ears of the army."

History - Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers by JKP Blackburn

When Colonel Terry reported to General Johnston's headquarters, at Bowling Green, he was ordered to assemble his regiment at Oakland, fifteen miles north of Bowling Green.About the first business attended to in the new quarters was to hold an election forregimental officers and to cast lots for assignment of companies to their places in the regiment. This resulted in the election of B. F. Terry for Colonel, Thos. S. Lubbock for Lieutenant-Colonel, and Thos. Harrison for Major. Martin Royston was selected as Adjutant and W. B. Sayers as Sergeant Major. Captain Strobel's company, to which I belonged, drew the letter F for its number of place in the regiment. The other companies drew other letters of the alphabet, from A to K inclusive, except J, and thereafter the companieswere called and known by letters instead of by captains' names. The organization now being complete, a roster was made out and sent to the Secretary of War at Richmond, Virginia, and an application made for numbering the regiment, and for commissions for allcommissioned officers of the same. The number assigned us was 8th Texas Cavalry, when we would have been 2nd Texas Cavalry but for the two or three months interval between our enrollment and our final organization. The first duty assigned us was to patrol and picket all that section from Bowling Green north as far up as Woodsonville on Green River, Kentucky.

See also:

Blackburn, James K. P., "Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers", Southwest Historical Quarterly, Vol. 22, 1918-1919. pgs. 38-77, 143-179. (Part 1)

Harcourt, A. P., "Terry's Rangers", Southern Bivouac, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Nov. 1882), p89-97.

Fitzhugh, Lester N., Terry's Texas Rangers, 8th Texas Cavalry, CSA. An Address by Lester N. Fitzhugh before the Houston Civil War Round Table, March 21, 1958, Houston Civil War Round Table, Houston, 1958. (Call To Arms).

Giles, Leonidas B., Terry's Texas Rangers, Von Boeckman - Jones Co., Austin, 1911. (Chapter 1 ).

Scott, Paul R. Eighth Texas Cavalry, CSA. Arlington: The University of Texas at Arlington, July 1977. Unpublished MA Thesis. (Chapter 1).

 

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