Texas Adjutant General's Department:

An Inventory of Reconstruction Military Rolls at the Texas State Archives, 1865-1866, 1870-1877, undated (bulk 1870-1874)

Agency History

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). These troops were federal (i.e. United States) troops, and their records would be federal records, not held by the Texas State Archives.

Within months of Texas' readmission to the Union under Radical Republican Governor Edmund J. Davis (1870), the 12th Texas Legislature, Called Session, 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. (The first Adjutant General so appointed, James Davidson, absconded with over $37,000 of state funds in 1872.) On November 25, 1871, the 12th Legislature, 2nd Session, added a fifth organization, the Minute Men.

Governor Davis called out six companies of Provisional State Troops for martial law duty in Limestone County during October and November of 1871, when citizens rioted against the State Police.

The 13th Texas Legislature merged the State Guard and Reserve Militia into a simple state Militia on March 19, 1873, and abolished the State Police force on April 22, 1873. The Frontier Forces were replaced in 1873 and 1874 by the Rangers (also known as the Frontier Men), and finally by the Frontier Battalion, organized by an act of the 14th Texas Legislature, 1st Regular Session, 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.

To recap: the Reconstruction era in Texas saw the formation of the following types of military units:

• State Police (unlike any other unit until perhaps the Department of Public Safety troopers);
• rangers (Frontier Forces, which became Rangers/Frontier Men in 1873, which became Frontier Battalion in 1874);
• militia (State Guard and Reserve Militia, which became Militia in 1874, which became Texas Volunteer Guard after 1877);
• others (Minute Men--two encarnations, 1865-1866 and 1870-1877--and Provisional State Troops, 1871).

Scope and Contents of the Records

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 "Description List of State Police from Bexar County," under Sheriff H. D. Bonnet, giving office, name, station, age, color, and nationality; and one "Descriptive List of Galveston City Police Force," giving name, rank, height, age, complexion, eyes, hair, nativity, and race. Texas law had made all local law-enforcement officials ex-officio members of the State Police.

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 "organized January 4, 1872."

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 "Ranger Rolls" card index: Frontier Forces, Minute Men (1872-1877), most of the Texas Rangers (1873-1874), and Texas Militia (1874-1877).

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 non-Civil War military rolls (muster rolls, payrolls, etc.) held in the Texas State Archives are included in this index. To repeat, this index of company commanders does NOT include Civil War units except for Union troops, listed as Army of the United States (1860-1861, 1864-1865).

This finding aid describes nine series of military rolls. If you are reading this electronically, click here for an overview of the Texas Adjutant General's Department, Military rolls. If you are reading this in paper, the overview is at the beginning of the first binder labeled Military rolls.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Restrictions on Use

Some of the military rolls may be too large and/or too fragile for photocopying.

Technical Requirements

None.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Reconstruction military rolls, Military rolls, Texas Adjutant General's Department. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 1933/001, 1937/004, 1988/130, and unknown

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Adjutant General's Department in 1920 (approximately 800 muster rolls and payrolls, dating 1860-1886); and on February 21, 1934.

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 "U. S. Pension Office, October 26, 1920." A second accession document lists the Texas Adjutant General's Office as transferring these same rolls back to the Archives on March 8, 1921. These were assigned accession number 1988/130 for purposes of control.

Processing Information

Tony Black, July 1986

Detailed Description of the Records