OVERVIEW:
1st (McCulloch's) Regiment Mounted Rifles was organized with about 1,000 men in May, 1861, and served in the Department of Texas on the frontier. In April, 1862, the unit was reduced to five companies and redesigned the 8th Texas Cavalry Battalion. Its commanders were Colonel Henry E. McCulloch, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas C. Frost, and Majors James B. Barry and Ed. Burleson.