A Guide to the Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator: | Bunting, Robert Franklin | |
| Title: | Bunting, Robert Franklin Papers | |
| Dates: | 1861-1865 | |
| Abstract: | 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. | |
| Accession No.: | 1944; 1945; 1946; 1947; 1948; 95-266 | |
| Extent: | 6 in. | |
| Language: | Materials are written in English. | |
| Repository: | Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin | |
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.
Restrictions
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.) | ||
Related Material
See also the Henry S. Bunting Papers |
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Separated Material
Some material separated to the Artifact Collection. List of separated items in 3H40. |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Robert Franklin Bunting Papers, 1861-1865, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
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.
Detailed Description of the Papers