Terry's Texas Rangers Memorial 100th Anniversary

Terry’s Texas Ranger Memorial, Austin, Texas. 16 June 2007

Remarks by Jeffrey Murrah

Today we honor the men of Terry’s Texas Rangers, who one hundred years ago voluntarily contributed to this memorial statue. Without government aid, it took them forty years to raise and pay for this landmark to guide future generations.

These men came from many nations and states for a common cause. Blacks, Whites and Hispanics left homes, families, homelands and businesses in defense of liberty. They fought side by side for their beliefs and Texas.

They believed in a government accountable to the people, that people can choose and change their government. They believed that freedom was a gift from God and not something allowed by government. They believed in a government that allowed Liberty, often referring to themselves as “freemen”. They showed the world what freemen from Texas could do.

Who were they? What did they do? What are they telling us with their lives and monument?

-They were all volunteers who swore in for the duration of the war. They were led by the best Texas had to offer.

-Benjamin Franklin Terry-A self-made wealthy man. He came to Texas with his mother. His mother soon died, and he was raised by relatives. As a young teen left home with his brother to join General Sam Houston’s army. His Christian hospitality was legendary in Fort Bend County. He gave Sugarland its name and with Sidney Sherman, brought the first railroad to Texas. He is the namesake of Terry County.

-Thomas Saltus Lubbock-Another self-made wealthy man. He was the first of the five Lubbock brothers who came to Texas. He was a member of the New Orleans Grays, whose flag is revered as a trophy in Mexico City, and a veteran of the Santa Fe and Mier expeditions. He is the namesake of the city and the County. He married Sarah Obedience Smith, a cousin of the Terry’s.

-John Austin Wharton. He was another self-made wealthy man. His father served as the Texas’ first minister to the United States. He refused taking the oath of allegiance when captured running guns to Texas even at the threat of imprisonment. He also refused being appointed to political office and the exemption that would have brought.

None of these three founders lived to see the wars end. Their dream was to raise a regiment of Texas’ best horsemen and best families to show the world what they could do in defense of liberty. Terry’s last charge was “…follow your leader and obey his commands, which will be few. Every man will do his duty as a Texan knows how, in the hour of danger, and in the patriotic discharge of his duty to his state, his country, and his mother. Forward, March.”

What did they do?

The 1100 volunteers fought in 1000+ engagements across eight states. Do the math-1302 days of service, being under fire 1000 times. The maximum number of days a US unit has been under fire is 305 days for the 2nd Infantry division in World War II. After 200 days, PTSD sets in. Terry’s Texas Rangers served three times the longest duration of the US Army record. That qualifies them as the fightingest’ unit ever.

They earned respect from friends and foes alike. They turned down political office and exemptions from service in order to stand and be counted. Unlike politicians who send others to fight for them, they took the lead. They were true to their cause, with only 1 desertion. The current US rate is 1%. In Vietnam the desertion rate was 3.41%. The rate for Terry’s Texas Rangers was 1/10 of 1%. That qualifies them as the truest to the cause.

There were only two times that a standing infantry square was broken by a cavalry charge during the war, and both times it was by the Rangers. They also managed capturing naval vessels on their campaigns. General John Bell Hood often claimed that one Confederate Cavalryman was worth two Yankee Cavalrymen. The Rangers proved him correct when they defeated an invading Yankee force twice their size at Newnan, Georgia. Such actions show their courage.

They produced three generals (John Wharton, Thomas Harrison, and John G. Walker) and three colonels (Alexander Shannon, Gustav Cook, and David Smith Terry). Their list of engagements includes Shiloh, Chickamauga, Murfreesboro, Perryville, Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain, Knoxville, and Bentonville. They were often outnumbered and never had more than 600-700 men in shape to fight. They served under Generals Albert Sidney Johnston, Nathan Bedford Forrest, “Fighting” Joe Wheeler and Wade Hampton.

Testimonies:

“They know their duty and do it in a way that is most satisfactory and commendable…They are a grand body of men worthy of the name Rangers and Texas”.

“The defenders of Thermopylae, the old guard of Napoleon, the Cossack or the 600 at Balaclava were not their equals. Such men can never be defeated, they can only be calmed in death”-General William Hardee after witnessing the charge at Bentonville, NC.

“When the Rangers are on picket…You’re as safe as if you were in the breastworks, they will hold their place until ordered away of hell freezes over”-Nathan B. Forrest

“They are the most dangerous set of men which the war turned loose upon the world.”-William T. Sherman

After the war they continued supporting causes dear to them. Maverick Park in San Antonio, the Brownson Home and First National Bank of Victoria, and the Littlefield gifts to the University of Texas. Kyle, Texas and the famous Kyle field have Ranger connections as well. It was Fergus Kyle who co-sponsored the Alamo Purchase bill. It was Ranger Alexander Shannon who first suggested the Galveston seawall. They were gallant fighters and noble gentlemen who gave on and off the battlefield. Their exploits changed the world around them. It was the memoirs of Ranger William Fletcher that inspired Margaret Mitchell to write Gone With the Wind. He also laid the foundation of Kirby lumber company. It was the exploits of some unnamed Ranger that served as the model for Rooster Cogburn’s famous charge in “True Grit”. They did these things under the watchful eyes of occupational troops from the very units they faced in combat.

What are they telling us with their lives and monument?

-The monument consists of an equestrian statue. The horse is alert, spirited and under control of a vigilant Ranger. He carries two sets of six-shooters, and a rifle. Historically such statues commemorated feats of the noble families within a community. The items they left inside the monument convey their love of their flag, Texas and true accounting of history. On one Confederate dollar inside is the inscription, ‘Representing nothing on God’s green earth now. And nothing in the water below it. As the pledge of a nation that is dead and gone. Keep it, dear friend and show it”.

What have their lives shown us?

-Do what is right, no matter what the odds. Doing right cost many of them their lives, fortunes and reputations. In dedicating the monument they stated “We have conscientiously done what we conceived to be our duty. Trusting the approval of the living and a love feast with those beyond the river in that grand reunion before Him, our God, who calls the roll of all”.They stood against the tyranny of Lincoln, against socialism and against unconstitutional government. When Lincoln issued the call for troops to supress Southern opposition even before he took the oath of office, these men recognized the marks of tyranny.

-Be prepared to stand. Each Ranger carried two or more pair of six shooters plus a rifle or shotgun. They lived the right to bear arms and were alert to danger. The army depended on their preparedness.

-Pay as you go. The Rangers raised the money and hired Pompeo Coppini, an Italian born and trained sculptor. They paid him $10,000 for the monument. Coppinni went on to design statues across Texas that have daily touched the lives of more Texans than Picasso or Rodin.

-Live to the fullest. The Rangers were known for antics of wearing bear skin robes, sombreros and raising cane. They brought rodeos to Tennessee and taught to respect the Texas flag. They made their own western saddles, and brought a Texas style of style of fighting, using six-shooters rather than sabers for cavalry. When they partied, they did so with gusto. Champagne, Cuban cigars, coffee and chocolate abounded at their reunion celebrations. They delighted in dancing and story telling. They were equally at home on the dance floor and twice daily revival meetings when the last great revival swept through the armies in 1864.

At their reunions they did not say the “Pledge of Allegiance” or play the “Star Spangled Banner”. Those songs were abhorrent to them. They sang “Dixie”, they sang songs composed during their campaigns like “The Old Grey Mare came Tearing Out of the Wilderness”. They did not open and close prayer with some non-sectarian ditty that does not offend. They prayed in Jesus’ name, they called out to Almighty God. They were not cowed into the servile submission to other cultures.

Would Terry’s Texas Rangers be welcome today in Texas? Ignorance and lies about the war have removed the welcome mat. They had a commitment to doing what was right. Many people no longer tolerate moral absolutes. They would be labeled as extremists. They believed in respecting landmarks, which some outspoken students are trying to remove. The government has declared the Cuban cigars contraband, their weapons would be registered, and their flag condemned as racist and subversive.

At the 100th anniversary of this monument, let us remember the true account of these men drawn from many nations and races who fought for Texas and Liberty. Our age needs men like the Rangers to inspire us to stand more, live more and do more.

• Woodsonville, Kentucky

• Shiloh, Tennessee

• Chickamauga, Tenneessee

• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Bentonville, North Carolina
• Atlanta, Georgia

• Perryville, Kentucky

• Knoxville, Kentucky

• Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia

• Newnan, Georgia
• Dalton, Georgia
• Aiken, South Carolina

• New Hope Church, Georgia

• Griswoldville, Georgia

The following nations were the birthplace of members of Terry's Texas Rangers:

• Republic of Texas
• Republic of Mexico
• Jamaica
• Germany
• Hungary
• Prussia
• Scotland
• England
• Ireland
• United States