Some Civil War military rolls have been determined too fragile for retrieval, and the numbers of those do not appear in the inventory for that series. No other restrictions on access.
Civil War military rolls are very fragile. The names on almost all of the Civil War rolls have been abstracted onto 3-by-5 inch index cards in the Texas State Archives' search room, giving all of the information that is found on the roll itself for that individual. Researchers are encouraged to use the abstracts, and/or to request copies of the abstracts, in lieu of the actual military rolls themselves. The photocopying of rolls may also be restricted by their physical condition.
Since the Civil War rolls are often too fragile to photocopy, copies of the index cards have always been accepted as proof of service by organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Some of the military rolls in other series may also be too large and/or too fragile for photocopying.
None.
On November 13, 1835, the Consultation created the office of Adjutant
General, as one of five heads of departments under the Commander-in-Chief
of
the Texian Army (the other offices being Inspector General, Quartermaster
General, Surgeon General, and Paymaster General). On December 20, 1836, the
1st
Congress passed
The Texas Navy at first operated under a separate Secretary of the Navy, appointed by the President as authorized by an act of Congress approved October 25, 1836. On January 18, 1841, Congress abolished this office and created a Naval Bureau under the Secretary of War and Marines. Of course, the end of the Republic in 1846 meant the end of the Texas Navy as well.
Whereas under the Republic the Adjutant General was subservient to the
Secretary of War, under statehood the position was elevated to that of head
of
all military departments. After annexation, the 1st Legislature provided
for an
Adjutant General to be appointed by the Governor, in
With the Civil War came the reorganization of the office, an act of December 25, 1861 creating an Adjutant and Inspector General, who would also serve as Quartermaster and Commissary General, and Ordnance Officer. Oversight of the 33 Brigades of the Texas State Troops plus the Frontier Regiment fell to this office, just as later Adjutant Generals would split their time between the Militia and the Rangers (whatever the prevailing terminology). The demands of the Confederate States Army, often conflicting with the needs and desires of the State of Texas, would affect the entire period of the War.
During the Congressional phase of Reconstruction, the military affairs of the State of Texas, and many aspects of civil government, were controlled by the commander of the District of Texas (1866-1868), or of the 5th Military District (1868-1870). Within months of Texas' readmission to the Union under Radical Republican Governor Edmund J. Davis (1870), the Legislature created the Frontier Forces (June 13), the State Guard and Reserve Militia (June 24), and the State Police (July 1), all of which were commanded by a newly restored state Adjutant General. On November 25, 1871, the Legislature added a fifth organization, the Minute Men. The first Adjutant General so appointed, James Davidson, absconded with over $37,000 of state funds in 1872. The State Guard and Reserve Militia were merged into a simple state militia on March 19, 1873, and the State Police force was abolished April 22, 1873.
The place of the Frontier Forces was taken in 1873 and 1874 by the
Rangers and the Frontier Men, and finally by the Frontier Battalion,
organized
by an act passed April 10, 1874. At about the same time one can date the
evolution of the Texas Volunteer Guard as the definitive militia
organization
for the state. On July 22, 1876,
The Spanish-American War (1898) saw the nationalization of the Texas Volunteer Guard, which was organized into four regiments of infantry and one of cavalry, and designated the Texas Volunteers. After the war they were de-nationalized, and reorganized on April 1, 1903 as the Texas National Guard. On August 5, 1917, the Texas National Guard was drafted into federal service, forming the 36th Division, which was to be mobilized during World War II as well.
The Frontier Battalion was reorganized as the Ranger Force by an act of the Legislature on March 29, 1901. From time to time this regular force was supplemented by specially commissioned Special Rangers, Railroad Rangers, Cattlemen's Association Rangers, and Loyalty Rangers. Finally, on August 10, 1935, the Ranger Force was transferred to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
These records consist of muster rolls, muster-in rolls, muster-out rolls, muster and payrolls, payrolls, receipt rolls, and lists of officers and/or men, for the various military and para-military organizations (primarily Rangers and Militia units), of both the Republic and the State of Texas. They date 1835-1915, 1917, 1935, and undated. Except for some of the Republic rolls which were drawn up after the fact, these military rolls were compiled at the time, usually by the company commanders. The information contained on the rolls varies considerably, ranging from mere lists of names to detailed physical descriptions. Most of the rolls are in the form of oversize single sheets, and are housed in oversized boxes or drawers; twentieth century rolls tend to be stapled or sewn booklets. There are also some bound volumes, for official copies of Union troops in Texas during the Civil War, and for Spanish-American War muster-out rolls. The Texas State Archives retains approximately 7,972 individual military rolls: approximately 664 of these date from the Republic, approximately 1,500 from the Civil War, and approximately 5,808 from statehood (excluding the Civil War).
Note: Occasionally a researcher knows the name of a company commander,
but does not know which military unit (Ranger or militia or otherwise) he
commanded, or where to search for the appropriate military roll.
Researchers
using the finding aid electronically may search for names of captains. For
researchers using a print copy, an alphabetical list of captains is
provided in
the Texas State Archives search room, matching the captain with the
military
organization. All of the
These records are organized into seven subgroups containing a total of twenty-six series:
Tony Black, July 1986, April 1988, September 1988
Accession numbers: 1933/001, 1933/003, 1937/004, 1976/048, 1988/130, and unknown others
Although accession records are sketchy, military rolls were probably
the earliest records transferred from the Texas Adjutant General's office
to
the Texas State Archives. The earliest transfer recorded (in the Reports of
the
Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History) was in
1905,
of Republic muster rolls dated 1842. In 1920, approximately 800 muster
rolls
and payrolls, dating 1860-1886, were transferred by the Texas Adjutant
General's office to the Texas State Archives. On February 21, 1934, the
following groups of military rolls were transferred:
Twenty-eight rolls, all of Lt. Henry Schwethelm's company from Kerr
County, dated November 1874 through 1877 (the only rolls dating after
mid-1874), were donated to the Texas State Archives on October 22, 1920 by
Mr.
August Fischer, a former member of that company. All bear the stamp
(Identify the item and cite the series), Military rolls, Texas Adjutant General's Department. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The names on almost all of the Civil War rolls have been abstracted onto 3-by-5 inch index cards in the Texas State Archives' search room, giving all of the information that is found on the roll itself. Many of the other military rolls (e.g. Ranger rolls) have also been abstracted onto 3-by-5 inch index cards, with varying degrees of detail as to the other information on the roll.
These records consist of muster rolls, payrolls, receipt rolls, and lists of officers and/or men, for the various military and para-military organizations of the Republic of Texas. They date 1835-1846, and undated. Except for some of the Republic rolls which were drawn up after the fact, these military rolls were compiled at the time, usually by the company commanders. The information contained on the rolls varies considerably. Most of the rolls are in the form of oversize single sheets. There are also some bound volumes.
There are Texas Revolution muster rolls, of the companies of eight captains at the seige of Bexar of 1835, plus Colonel Fannin's division, plus the men at San Jacinto under General Houston, 1836. Although the information dates 1835-1836, these lists were compiled sometime after the fact. Information on each soldier includes name, rank, and remarks. The researcher should be aware that most of the rolls for the Revolution were destroyed in the 1855 fire which swept through the Adjutant General's office.
There are United States Volunteers muster rolls, of 11 captains, commanding volunteers from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee, who were recruited for service to the Republic of Texas, dating 1835-1837 and 1842 (mostly in 1842).
There are muster rolls and receipt rolls (payrolls), of Companies A through I, 1st Regiment, Infantry, plus two cavalry companies, plus various detachments, of the Army of the Republic of Texas (or regular army). They date 1836-1842 (mostly 1839-1841). They are usually recorded on pre-printed forms. The receipt rolls do not include officers, but include the signature of each soldier.
There are muster rolls and receipt rolls, of Republic of Texas
Militia companies commanded by approximately 145 captains, dating 1836-1845
(the bulk of them 1838-1839). This series had previously been arranged into
There are 96 muster rolls and receipt rolls for units specifically
called
There are eight lists compiled sometime after the fact, for the companies of 15 captains during the various campaigns of 1842. These include the Vasquez Campaign, prisoners of General Woll taken at San Antonio de Bexar, Dawson's Massacre, the Somervell Expedition, and the Mier Expedition, all dated 1842.
There are 45 muster rolls and payrolls, dating 1836-1846, for
officers and seamen of 11 ships of the Republic of Texas Navy (
These records consist of muster rolls, payrolls, muster roll/payrolls, rosters, returns, and election returns, of military units stationed in Texas on both sides of the Civil War, dating 1860-1865.
The
The Army of the United States (or Union) military rolls consist of 29 rolls, from 24 captains plus 4 colonels, plus one volume of official copies from the U. S. War Department (1865), of Union troops stationed in or near Texas immediately before and during the Civil War, dating 1860-1861 and 1864-1865. The rolls from 1860-1861 and 1864 are mainly of the 2nd Regiment of Texas Cavalry; those from 1865 are from 1st Regiment of Texas Cavalry (San Antonio) and the 2nd Regiment of Texas Cavalry (Brownsville). The rolls, which are combination muster and payrolls on pre-printed forms, include the following information: name and rank; when, where, by whom, and for what period enlisted; by whom and to what time last paid; bounty paid and due; and remarks (1860-1861). The later rolls include, in addition, the following information: age, miles travelled to place and rendezvous and from place of discharge to home, amount alloted for clothing, accoutrements, forage, etc.; they also make a distinction between joining for service and mustering into service.
These records include muster rolls, muster/payrolls, rosters, and lists, dating 1865-1866, 1870-1877, and undated (bulk 1870-1874). They comprise the military rolls maintained by the Texas Adjutant General's Department, of the various units serving in Texas during the Reconstruction era, including Minute Men (1865-1866 and 1872-1877), State Police, Provisional State Troops, State Guard, Reserve Militia, Frontier Forces, and Militia. The amount of information listed for each man on each roll varies considerably depending on the unit and the type of roll.
There are muster rolls, muster/payrolls, and payrolls, for Texas minute men companies, dating 1865-1866. They represent five counties (Montague, Parker, Travis, Wise, and Young). Information given includes: name, rank, age, when and where enlisted, by whom enrolled, number of days served on regular scouts, number of days served on extra calls, total amount due, remarks, and (for Parker County only) signatures.
For the Texas State Police, there are rosters, muster
rolls/payrolls and lists, dating 1870-1873 and undated. One undated roster for
the State Police is arranged alphabetically under each rank. There are 12
combination muster and payrolls, for five captains of the State Police,
arranged by district (1st through 4th District, plus a sub-district); and 19
rolls without designation of district. They date 1870-1871. The pre-printed
forms contain the following information: name, rank, date of entry into
service, station, by whom and to what time last paid, remarks, period of
service, pay per month, amount of pay, and voucher number. Also included is one
roll designated
The Texas State Guard produced muster rolls for about 59 captains, commanding companies organized into 10 regiments, dating 1870-1872 (mostly 1870-1871). The mostly pre-printed forms usually contain simply name and rank; occasionally, age, color, occupation, post office, and remarks are also given.
The Texas Reserve Militia produced muster rolls for approximately 616 captains, commanding companies organized into 97 regiments of infantry and two companies of cavalry, dating 1870-1872 (mostly 1870-1871). Mostly pre-printed forms, the rolls normally give only name and rank, but sometimes add date of entry into service, station, age, color, residence, and occupation.
There are muster and payrolls for six companies of Texas Provisional State Troops called out for martial law duty in Limestone County during October and November of 1871. Information on these pre-printed forms includes number, name, rank, date of entry into service, station, remarks, period, pay per month, amount of pay, signature, and witness.
The Texas Frontier Forces are listed on muster rolls and muster/payrolls for about 19 captains, commanding companies A through P, dating 1870-1872 (mostly 1870-1871). The preprinted forms include the following information: name, rank, date of entry into service, station, and remarks; in addition, the muster/payrolls also include valuation of horses, number of cartridges due the state, by whom and to what time last paid.
In addition, there are two volumes. One, dating 1870-1873, lists officers of the State Guard, the Reserve Militia and the Frontier Forces, giving date of commission, name, rank, age, regiment and company to which assigned, date of acceptance, post office address (town and county), and remarks. The other is an undated index to the Roster of Reserve Militia, State Guard, and Frontier Forces, letters U through Z only.
There are muster/payrolls, for about 39 lieutenants of Texas
Minute Men companies, dating 1872-1877 (bulk 1872-1874). The counties
represented include: Bandera, Blanco, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Coleman,
Comanche, Cook, Edwards, Erath, Gillespie, Jack, Kendall, Kerr, Lampasas,
Llano, Mason, Maverick, Medina, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, San Saba, and
Wise. Information given includes: name, rank, dates from and to, pay per day,
total pay, last paid to include (date), signatures (many of which are not the
originals), and remarks. In addition, there is one volume entitled Roster of
Minute Companies, organized by Company (A through Z), which gives the following
information: county, number, name, and remarks (mostly blank). Most of the
companies are listed as
For Texas Rangers, there are muster/payrolls for eight captains of companies, plus muster/payrolls for 3 lieutenants (for units which were formed after the creation of the Frontier Battalion). They date 1873-1874. Often referred to as Frontier Men, these companies represented the following counties: Brown/San Saba, El Paso, Erath/Comanche, Jack, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Webb, Wise, and Young, plus the region between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. Some of the forms are pre-printed. They include name, rank, dates from and to, total pay, signatures, and remarks.
Finally, there are rolls for five captains of Texas Militia units dating 1874-1877. Most are for Captain McNelly's company from Washington County. In addition, there are two detachments used as escorts to a trial in Indianola County (September, 1874); plus two companies on duty quelling disturbances occasioned by removal of the county seat of Van Zandt County (1877). Including muster-in rolls, muster-out rolls, payrolls, and muster/payrolls, these rolls give name, rank, dates from and to, signatures, remarks, pay, plus various amounts alloted for travel and equipment. These rolls are included in this subgroup despite the fact that they date after the time that Reconstruction was considered complete in Texas.
The men listed in the rolls of four of these series have been
included in the Texas State Archives' search room
These records include muster rolls, muster-in rolls, muster/payrolls, and payrolls for various Ranger organizations of the State of Texas, maintained by the Texas Adjutant General's Department. They date 1846-1861, 1874-1910, 1913-1914, and undated. These military rolls were compiled at the time, usually by the company commanders. The information contained on the rolls varies considerably. Most of the rolls are in the form of oversize single sheets; many of the rolls are in duplicate, triplicate, or even quadruplicate. They represent five organizational groups: Rangers of the pre-Civil War era, the Frontier Battalion, Special State Troops, the Special Force, and the Ranger Force. For the middle three organizations, there is a chronological overlap.
Texas Ranger (pre-Civil War) military rolls consists of muster rolls and payrolls, dating 1846-1861. The series combines Rangers, Mounted Volunteers, and Minute Men, as the terminology is interchangeable for the decade and a half before the Civil War. The county is included on the item inventory whenever it is known. Many of the payrolls do not indicate the name of the captain, and are therefore listed under the name of the lieutenant or sergeant.
Frontier Battalion military rolls date 1874-1901. Most are
muster/payrolls, each covering a two- or three-month period. Approximately once
a year the commanders compiled muster or muster-in rolls. Most members of the
Frontier Battalion during the 1870s, and in most companies those during the
early 1880s, have been included in the search room
Special State Troops military rolls consists of muster/payrolls
for two captains of the Special State Troops, dating 1876-1880. Individuals in
Captain McNelly's company are included in the search room
Special Force military rolls consists of a muster-in roll and three muster/payrolls, for one captain of a Special Force company called out for special service in San Diego, Duval County, 1880-1881.
Ranger Force military rolls consists of payrolls for all four companies of the Ranger Force (A, B, C, and D), dating 1901-1910, 1913-1914, and undated. Each payroll reflects one month's service. In addition, there are four muster-in rolls, one for each company, dated July 8 or 9, 1903. These rolls are interfiled.
The military rolls of other Texas Ranger units are found in other
finding aids, including:
This series consists of approximately 1,320 muster rolls (1880-1903), approximately 100 muster/payrolls (1881-1903), and 11 muster-in rolls (1902-1903), all interfiled, maintained by the Texas Adjutant General's Department, of companies in the Texas Volunteer Guard. Overall dates are 1880-1903 and undated. The rolls are on pre-printed forms. Since the letter designation of a given company--and even the regiment to which it was assigned--was in a constant state of flux during the two decades of the Texas Volunteer Guard's existence, an organizational cross-reference chart is included below.
Information included in the muster rolls for 1881-1900 includes: name, rank, date of enlistment, occupation, nativity, age, color of eyes, hair, and complexion. In addition, the company commanders were required to fill in answers to detailed questions concerning the state of the company: e.g., Is the company uniformed? How often are they drilled? Are they proficient? What is the rental paid for the armory? Number of guns? etc. The muster rolls for 1901 through 1903, which are in stapled booklets, include name, rank; when, where, by whom, and for what period enlisted; names present, years of continuous service, and remarks.
The muster and payrolls include: name, rank, dates from and to, period, pay per month, amount of pay, signatures, remarks, amount of stoppages, and balance due.
The muster-in rolls (1902-1903) include: name, rank, age, height, complexion, eyes, hair, where born, occupation; when, where, by whom, and for what period enrolled; residence, signature to the oath, married or single, name and address of wife or (if single) parent or guardian, and remarks. These are in stapled booklets.
Except for 1900-1903, most of these rolls have been included in
the card index to individual guardsmen in the Archives search room, labelled
In addition, there is a roughly alphabetical index to a roster of the Frontier Battalion and the militia, dated 1874 (but possibly incorporating later dates as well). This index is to both individuals and to companies, with companies underlined in red ink.
There are a series of rosters of officers of the Texas Volunteer
Guard, arranged chronologically, and internally by regiment and company. Five
of these are unbound, and include the following information: for the Staff
Corps, name, rank, department, residence, date of commission, on duty with,
date qualified, and remarks; and for the line officers, letter of the company,
name, rank, name of the company, date of commission, station, date organized,
date qualified, and assignment (usually the General Order/Special Order number
and date). Roster Number 1 is dated January 1, 1882. A piece of cardboard
contains the following notation:
Finally, a bound volume contains a Roster of Officers for 1899-1903, including the following information: date of commission, name, rank, company to regiment to which assigned, date of oath of service, age, state where born, post office address (town and county), service in the Texas Volunteer Guard and the U.S. Volunteer Army, etc., and remarks.
These records consist of muster-in rolls, lists of recruits, muster-out rolls, and payrolls, dating 1898-1899, 1901, and undated, all for the Texas Volunteers for the Spanish-American War. These military rolls list all of the officers and enlisted men enrolled in each unit, plus additional information on each man which varies with the type of roll.
The muster-in rolls, in pre-printed sewn booklets, cover all companies in four regiments of infantry and one regiment of cavalry. Information in the muster-in rolls includes the following: name, rank, age, height, complexion, eyes, hair, where born (town or county, state or kingdom), occupation; when, where, by whom, and for what period joined for duty and enrolled; residence, number of miles from residence to place of rendezvous, valuation of horses and equipments (which is usually left blank), signature to the oath, whether married or single, name and address of parent or guardian (if single), and remarks. These troops were called into the service of the United States by proclamation of the President on April 23, 1898.
There are three sets of lists of recruits for the Texas Volunteers for the Spanish-American War, dating 1898.
There are five bound volumes of muster-out rolls/payrolls, one for
each regiment of the Texas Volunteers for the Spanish-American War, dated
1898-1899. Information contained in these pre-printed volumes includes: name,
rank; when, where, by whom, and for what period joined for duty and enrolled;
when, where, and by whom mustered into service; by which paymaster last paid,
and to what time; place of resident, place of discharge; number of days
subsistence and forage furnished by themselves; valuation of horses and
equipments; amount of money due U.S. and due soldier for clothing; amount of
money due U.S. for arms and equipment, quartermaster stores, and equipage; and
remarks. The pay account includes a place for signature, which is sometimes
blank. At the end of each company is a
The payrolls were drawn up in 1901 for payment from the date of assembly at the rendezvous to the date of muster into United States service for the War with Spain. Information in these pre-printed, stapled booklets includes: name, address, rank, date of enrollment for the war, date of assembly at the rendezvous, date of muster into U.S. service, number of days, rate of pay per month, amount due, and remarks (a stamp of the date paid). Almost all of these payrolls include an affidavit of the commander; this is the date which is used in the item inventory, not the various dates of payment.
These records comprise the muster-in rolls, muster rolls, muster/payrolls, payrolls, and rosters of officers of the Texas National Guard, dating 1902-1913, 1915, 1917, 1935, and undated. The majority of the rolls are sewn or stapled pre-printed booklets. These military rolls list all of the officers and enlisted men enrolled in each unit, plus additional information on each man which varies with the type of roll.
Information on the muster-in rolls includes: name, rank, age, height, complexion, eyes, hair, where born (town or county, state or kingdom), occupation; when, where, by whom, and for what period enrolled; residence, signature by the oath, whether married or single, name and address of wife (if married) or parent or guardian (if single), and remarks.
Information on the muster rolls, which normally cover six-month periods, includes: name, rank; when, where, by whom, and for what period enlisted; names present, years of continuous service, and remarks.
Information on the muster/payrolls includes: name, rank, dates from and to, period, pay per month, amount of pay, signatures, remarks, stoppages, and balance due.
Information on the payrolls includes: name, grade, date of present enlistment or (of officers) date of rank, dates of days for which pay is due, total days, pay per day (state rate), total pay due (state rate), pay per day (U.S. rate), total pay due (U.S. rate), amount paid, signature, and witness. The time periods covered on the payrolls are the one to two weeks during each summer, when camps of instruction were held.
Finally, there are several rosters of officers in the Texas National Guard.