8th Cavalry Regiment, usually called Terry's Texas Rangers, was organized with 1,170 men at Houston, Texas, in Deptember, 1861. Its members were raised in Houston, Richmond, Columbus, Gonzales, and Wharton, and Bastrop County. The regiment was one of the hardest fighting cavalry units in the war. It was assigned to Wheeler's, Wharton's, and T. Harrison's Brigade, and fought at Shiloh, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga. Later it was active in the Knoxville and Atlanta Campaigns, the defense of Savannah, and the campaign of the Carolinas. On April 26, 1865, it surrendered with about 30 men. The field officers were Colonels Gustave Cook, Thomas Harrison, Thomas S. Lubbock, Ben. Franklin Terry, and John A. Wharton; Lieutenant Colonels Samuel P. Christian, Marcus L. Evans, Stephen C. Ferrill, and John G. Walker; and Majors William R. Jarmon and Leander M. Rayburn.