urn:taro:utexas.cah.01694 A Guide to the Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865 Original EAD encoding by Megan Mummey according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. June 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Bunting, Robert Franklin Bunting, Robert Franklin Papers 1861-1865 Materials are written in English. 1944; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 95-266 6 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, a diary, sermon materials, and first hand accounts comprise the Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865, and document Bunting’s activities as the chaplain of Terry’s Texas Rangers during the Civil War. The papers contain accounts of the Civil War, the actions of Terry’s Texas Rangers, and evidence of an army chaplain’s daily activities. Biographical Note

Robert F. Bunting (1828-1891) was a Presbyterian minister as well as the chaplain of Terry’s Texas Rangers. The Presbyterian Church sent Bunting, a Pennsylvanian born minister, to Texas as a missionary in 1852. By 1856, Bunting had established churches in La Grange, Columbus, Round Top, and San Antonio. Bunting helped form the Presbyterian Church of the Confederate States of America, by participating in the secession of the Southern Presbyterian Church from the Northern in 1861.

Bunting was the chaplain and historian for Terry’s Texas Rangers (the Eighth Texas Cavalry) starting in 1861 until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Additionally, Bunting served as a war correspondent for the Houston Daily Telegraph and Tri-Weekly Telegraph and the San Antonio Herald, contributing ninety-five letters concerning the actions of the regiment. Furthermore, during the war Bunting ran a private postal service as well as the Texas Hospital for Texas soldiers in Auburn, Alabama. Bunting continued to serve as a Presbyterian minister all over the South, including Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas, until his death in 1891.

Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Bunting, Robert Franklin," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbu22.html (accessed June 30, 2010).

 Scope and Contents

Correspondence, a diary, sermon materials, and first hand accounts comprise the Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865, and document Bunting’s activities as the chaplain of Terry’s Texas Rangers during the Civil War. The papers contain accounts of the Civil War, the actions of Terry’s Texas Rangers, and evidence of an army chaplain’s daily activities.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Bunting, R. F. (Robert Franklin), 1828-1891--Archives. Terry, Benjamin Franklin, 1821-1861 Subjects (Organizations) Confederate States of America. Army. Texas Cavalry Regiment, 8th Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Synod of Texas Subjects Atlanta Campaign, 1864. Places United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Chaplains. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories. Auburn (Ala.) San Antonio (Tex.) Preferred Citation

Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Related Material

See also the Henry S. Bunting Papers

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Separated Material

Some material separated to the Artifact Collection. List of separated items in 3H40.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3H40 Correspondence, 1861-1865 Diary, 1863 2Q256 Typescript of letters: Volume I, November 1861-June 1863 (2 copies) Volume II, July 1863-April 1865 (2 copies) 2Q457 Robert F. Bunting diary typescript, 1863 (2 copies)