8th Regiment, Texas Cavalry (Terry's) (1st Rangers) (8th Rangers) (Confederate)

Brief History
Organized at Houston, Texas, in September, 1861. Surrendered on April 26, 1865.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,787 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Texas in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Texas in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Texas, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Blackburn, J. K. P. (James Knox Polk). Reminiscences of the Terry Rangers. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * Dodd, Ephraim Shelby, d. 1864. Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd : member of Company D, Terry's Texas Rangers, December 4, 1862-January 1, 1864. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * Fletcher, W. A. (William Andrew), b. 1839. Rebel private, front and rear : experiences and observations from the early fifties and through the Civil War. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * Giles, L. B. (Leonidas Blanton). Terry's Texas Rangers. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990),


 * Knowles, Thomas W. They rode for the Lone Star : the saga of the Texas Rangers ; the birth of Texas, the Civil War. (Dallas, Texas : Taylor Pub., 1999),