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Thomas HarrisonAmerican cavalryman of the Confederate Army
Date of Birth: 01.05.1823
Country:  USA |
Content:
Thomas Harrison: A Confederate Cavalryman
Early Life and Legal CareerThomas Harrison was born on May 1, 1823, in Jefferson County, Alabama. He was raised in Monroe County, Mississippi, and moved to Texas in 1843. Harrison studied law under his brother-in-law William H. Jack. After qualifying as an attorney, he returned to Mississippi and briefly practiced law in Aberdeen before the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.
Military Service
Harrison joined the 1st Mississippi Riflemen under Jefferson Davis. After the war, he settled in Houston, Texas, and was elected to the state legislature in 1850. In 1860, he became a captain of Texas Rangers under William Cornelius Dalrymple and fought against the Comanche.
With the beginning of the Civil War, Harrison was elected captain of a local militia company that surrendered Federal troops at Camp Cooper. He was then promoted to the 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment, known as "Terry's Texas Rangers." Following the deaths of Benjamin Franklin Terry and Thomas S. Lubbock, Harrison became colonel of the regiment just before the Battle of Murfreesboro.
Harrison and his Rangers participated in several major campaigns under Joseph Wheeler, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. They also fought against Sherman in defensive battles in Georgia and the Carolinas. Harrison was known for his strict discipline, which led to resentment among some of his men. Lieutenant Frank Bacheloer criticized Harrison for his excessive drinking, blaming it for "lessening the confidence of the men in him and our efficiency in battle."
General and Post-War Life
Harrison was wounded in a skirmish near Johnsonville, South Carolina, in early March 1865. While recovering, he received word of his promotion to brigadier general. However, he was unable to take the oath due to his injury and the imminent surrender.
After the surrender of Johnston's army in April 1865, Harrison and his Texans refused to surrender and tried to break through Federal lines to Mississippi. They surrendered in Macon and were paroled.
Harrison returned to Waco, Texas, took the oath of allegiance, and became politically active. He was elected district judge in 1866, but his election was later annulled by the occupying Union authorities. Harrison unsuccessfully ran for U.S. president on the Democratic ticket in 1872. He died in Waco on July 14, 1891.
Legacy
Thomas Harrison's "Terry's Texas Rangers" were known for their discipline and lack of desertions during the Civil War. Harrison's strict approach to military discipline played a significant role in this achievement, despite the unpopularity it earned him among some of his troops.
