Alamo Personnel - Colonel Neill's Muster Roll

Introduction
Transcription of Colonel Neill's Muster Roll
Summary

Previous: N/A
Next: Alamo Personnel - February 1, 1836 Voting Roll

Introduction

James C. Neill was lieutenant colonel of artillery in the Texian army at the Battle of Bexar. The Texians fought Mexican General Cós to a surrender on December 10, 1835 and Cós took his army out of San Antonio, leaving the town in control of the Texians. The Texians expected the Mexican army to return, but they didn't expect that to happen soon. Many, including General Edward Burleson, left San Antonio starting in December. Some went to go find other Mexicans to fight. Many had volunteered in October, November, or December to serve in the army for three months, and took the opportunity from their discharges to go back to their homes. Neill was left in command of about 110 men, most of whom had recently immigrated to Texas and did not yet have homes there.

Figure 1. Signature of James C. Neill.

Public Domain

Figure 2. Ward specimen of Neill's muster roll(enlarge).

Public Domain

Figure 3. Copy of Neill's muster roll in the GLO archives (enlarge).

Public Domain

During January and February, some reinforcements arrived. The companies of men brought by James Bowie, William H. Patton, William B. Travis, and David Crockett raised the size of the garrison - which was still simultaneously losing some of the men who fought against Cós - up to about 150. Then Neill received word that his entire family in Bastrop had fallen ill. On February 11, he took a leave of absence, placing the San Antonio garrison under the temporary command of Lt. Colonel Travis. On February 23, while Neill was still gone, Santa Anna's army arrived. Travis and his men, plus a few residents of San Antonio who opposed the dictator, took shelter in the makeshift fortress where they would make their stand - the Alamo.

At some point during his two months in command at San Antonio, Neill made a muster roll of the men serving under him. According to the heading on the document, it was made "at the time when Col. Neil left." It does not, however, have the names of Travis, Bowie, Crockett, or any of the men who arrived with them. It also does not have the names of many men who voted in an election for convention delegates on February 1. A careful study of the names on the roll indicates that it had to have been made on or before January 14.¹ The most logical assumption is that Neill made it upon or shortly after assuming command. It is probably the same document he enclosed with a letter he sent to the provisional government on January 6, in which he praised the men under his service and wrote, "they whose names are herewith inclosed [sic] are to a man those who acted So gallant in the 10 weeks open field Campaign..."²

There are two surviving specimens of Neill's muster roll. One is a copy that was made after the revolution (see the document here). It is part of a collection of muster rolls from the Texas Revolution in the archives of the Texas General Land Office. It originally contained the names of 110 men: 9 staff and field officers, a 3-man ordnance department, 56 artillerymen, and 42 infantrymen. Tears have removed 8 names completely and partially removed about a dozen more. The other specimen was found in the papers of Thomas William Ward, who was Texas Land Commissioner from 1841 to 1848. It is now property of the Alamo.³ Misspellings aside, the first 108 names on the two specimens are the same and in the same order, with three exceptions: 1) surgeon Amos Pollard, who is documented by his own letters to have been in San Antonio on January 16, is not on the Ward specimen, but he is on the GLO copy; 2) the GLO copy places Charles S. Smith after William Smith, whereas the Ward copy mistakenly lists William Smith twice; and 3) the order of two names is switched. The handwriting is not fully legible on either specimen, so some of the names are uncertain. In several cases, the handwriting of one copy is used to interpret the other. There are a few spelling variations between the two versions. Many are varations on the same pronunciation, but some variations change the name significantly, such as Duel becoming Dust, and Pevehouse becoming Preehouse.

Both lists continue after Asa Walker, who is the 108th name on the GLO specimen, but they are ordered and formatted differently. From what we know of at least two the men listed after Walker, they were not in Bexar when Neill was in command, so the reason for their inclusion on a Neill muster roll is not apparent.⁴ For this reason, TexasCounties.net does not consider anyone listed after Walker to be a member of the Bexar garrison during Neill's time in command.

The table below contains our transcription of both specimens of Neill's muster roll. "Do" is an abbreviation for "ditto," or "same as above," which is also sometimes indicated by quotation marks. The third column, "Normalized Name," is the preferred version of the name on TexasCounties.net, and is the one used consistently throughout our articles and tables, no matter how it appears on a given source document. In most cases, it is the man's name as it appears on official government paperwork, such as land grants. The fourth column, Status, shows whether the man was killed in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836 or, if not, what became of him.

Note: although every effort has been made to be accurate, it is possible that we have missed something or made a copy-and-paste error or typo. If you spot something wrong, please contact us.

Transcription of Colonel Neill's Muster Roll

	Ward Specimen front back	GLO Specimen page 1 page 2	Normalized Name	Status
	Return of the men remaining in the Garrison of Bexar at the time ~~which~~ when Col. Neil Left. Those marked * were not present when the Texian troops stormed the town	Return, made by Col. J. C. Neil, of the men remaining in the garrison of Bexar when he left.
	Staff & Field Officers	Field and Staff Officers
1	Lieut. Coln. J. C. Neil,commd	J. C. Neil Lieut Colonel, commanding	Neill, James C.	voted on 2/1, left on 2/11/1836
2	Major G. B. Jameson, Engineer	J. B. Jamison Maj.	Jameson, Green B.	KIB on 3/6
3	E. Melton — Q. Master	E. Melton Qr. Master	Melton, Eliel	KIB on 3/6
4	J. Baugh — Adjutant	J. Baugh Adjutant	Baugh, John J.	KIB on 3/6
5	A. Anderson — Q. Mast. Seagt.	A. Anderson Qr. Master Sergt.	Anderson, A.	KIB on 3/6
6	H. J. Williamson — Seargt Major	H. J. Williams Sergt. Major	Williamson, Hiram J.	KIB on 3/6
7	J. Fitch — Instt of Arty	J. Fitch Inst. of Art.	Fitch, Jabez	discharged, voted on 2/1, survived the revolution
8	W. M. W. Hart — Assistant Surgeon	W. H. W. Hart Asst. Surgeon	Hart, William M. W.	unknown
9		Amos Pollard Do.	Pollard, Amos	KIB on 3/6
	Ordinance Department.	Ordinance Department.
10	Geo Evans — Master Ord.	George Evans. Mast of Ord	Evans, Robert	KIB on 3/6
11	S. C. Blair — Asſistant	S. C. Blair Asst.	Blair, Samuel C.	KIB on 3/6
12	Chas. Lance —	Charles Lance "	Zanco, Charles	KIB on 3/6
	Artillery Company	Artillery Compy.
13	W. R. Carey — Captain	[torn] R. Carey Captain	Carey, William R.	KIB on 3/6
14	F. W. Jackson — 1st Lieut	[torn] W. Jackson 1stLieut	Jackson, Francis W.	left before 2/4
15	B. F. Fry — 2nd do	[torn] F. Fry 2nd do	Fry, Benjamin F.	survived the revolution
16	Wm. Hersee — Sgt. wounded	[torn] Hersee (wounded) 1 Sergt.	Hersee, William D.	died at the Alamo
17	J. Mc. Gregor — 2nd Sgt	[torn] M. Gregor 2nd do	McGregor, John	KIB on 3/6
18	J. W. Healee — 3rd do	[torn] W. Heallie 3rd do	Healer, John W.	discharged on 2/10, survived the revolution
19	J. Robertson — 4th do	[torn] Robertson 4th do	Robinson, J.	KIB on 3/6
20	P. J. Jennings — 1st Corporal	[torn] J. Jennings 1st Corpl.	Jennings, P.J.	unknown
21	Wm Lightfoot — 3rd do	[torn] Lightfoot 3rd "	Lightfoot, William W.	voted on 2/1, discharged on 2/10, survived the revolution
22	M. B. Atkinson —	[torn] B. Atkinson	Atkinson, Milton B.	voted on 2/1, fought at San Jacinto
23	L. Boatright —	[torn] Boatright	Boatright, Lewis	survived the revolution
24	J. Byrnes —	[torn] Byrnes	Byrnes, John	voted on 2/1, KIB on 3/6?
25	J. Balentine	[torn] Balentine	Ballentine, James J.	KIB on 3/6
26	R. Cockran	[torn] Cockran	Cochran, Robert	KIB on 3/6
27	P. Conrad	[torn] Conrad	Conrad, Peter	survived the revolution
28	R. W. Cunningham	[torn] W. Cunningham	Cunningham, Robert W.	KIB on 3/6
29	W. Leerduff	[torn] Leerdoff	Dearduff, William	KIB on 3/6
30	S. Damon	[torn] Damon	Damon, Squire	KIB on 3/6
31	L. Duel	[torn] Dust	Duel, Lewis	KIB on 3/6
32	J. L. Ewing Secty. to Commdt	[torn] Ewing Sec to com.	Ewing, James L.	KIB on 3/6
33	G. Navan—Secty Enginr dept	[torn] Navan " Engineer Dept.	Navan, Gerald	in San Felipe before 3/24
34	William Edwards —	[torn].. Edwards	Edwards, William	unknown
35	C. Gaymes —	[torn]mes	Gaymes, G.	voted on 2/1
36	T. Holland —	[torn]	Holland, Tapley	KIB on 3/6
37	C. Heiskell —	[torn]	Heiskell, Charles M.	KIB on 3/6
38	L. Johnson —	[torn]	Johnson, Lewis	KIB on 3/6
39	T. Kain —	[torn]	Cain, John	KIB on 3/6
40	J. Kenney —	[torn]	Kenney, James	KIB on 3/6
41	P. Lindley —	[torn]	Lindley, Jonathan	KIB on 3/6
42	J. Lewis —	[torn]	Lewis, James	voted on 2/1, alive as of 3/23
43	A. B. Mitchell —	A. B. Mitchell	Mitchell, Napoleon B.	KIB on 3/6
44	M. T. Malone —	W. T. Malerne	Malone, William T.	KIB on 3/6
45	J. Northcroſs —	J. Northcross	Northcross, James	KIB on 3/6
46	P. Pevehouse —	P. Preehouse	Pevehouse, Preston	voted on 2/1, discharged on 2/10 survived the revolution
47	J. Pevehouse —	J. Preehouse	Pevehouse, John	voted on 2/1, discharged on 2/13, survived the revolution
48	R. Perry —	R. Perry	Perry, Richardson	KIB on 3/6
49	J. Rutherford —	J. Rutherford	Rutherford, Joseph	KIB on 3/6
50	T. Ryan —	T. Ryan	Ryan, Thomas	voted on 2/1, fought at San Jacinto
51	R. W. Russell —	R. W. Russell	Russell, Robert. W.	voted on 2/1, survived the revolution
52	William [torn]	William Smith	Smith, William H.	KIB on 3/6
53	William Smith	C. S. Smith	Smith, Charles S.	KIB on 3/6
54	B. Trommel	R. Tommel	Trammel, Burke	KIB on 3/6
55	F. Taylor	F. Taylor	Taylor, Felix	discharged, fought at San Jacinto
56	G. Tomlinson	G. Tomlinson	Tumlinson, George W.	KIB on 3/6
57	Thos. Waters	Thomas Walters	Waters, Thomas	KIB on 3/6
58	G. Wyatt	G. Wyatt	Wyatt, C. C.	voted on 2/1
59	A. Wolf	A. Wolf	Wolf, Anthony	KIB on 3/6
60	J. Bartlett	J. Bartlett	Bartlett, J.	unknown
61	S. [?] Connell	S. C Connell	Connell, Sampson C.	survived the revolution
62	J. Ingram	J. Ingram	Ingram, James	KIB on 3/6
63	H. Johnston	H. Johnston	Johnston, Harrison	voted on 2/1
64	J. Walker	J. Walker	Walker, Jacob	unknown
65	J. Shud	J. Shudd	Sheid, Manson	KIB on 3/6
66	J. Warnall	J. Wamull	Wamull, J.	unknown
67	W. Howard	W. Howard	Howard, W.	unknown
68	D. Bowe	D. Borne	Bourne, Daniel	KIB on 3/6
		Infantry
69	Wm. Blazeby Captn	Wm Blazeley Captain	Blazeby, William	KIB on 3/6
70	John Jones 1st Lieutnt	John Jones 1st Lieut	Jones, John	KIB on 3/6
71	B. F. Muzellman Sgt.	B. F. Musselman Sergt.	Musselman, Robert F.	KIB on 3/6
72	James Dickin -do-	James Dockon do	Dimpkin, James	KIB on 3/6
73	Robt. Croſsen wounded	R. B. Moore	Moore, Robert B.	KIB on 3/6
74	R. B. Moore	Robt Crosser (wounded)	Crossman, Robert	voted on 2/1
75	Wm. Spratt	Wm. Spratt	Spratt, William	KIB on 3/6
76	John Moran	J[?] Mo[??]	Morcan, John	voted on 2/1, possible KIB John Morman, if not then unknown
77	Saml. Holloway	Saml. Holloway	Holloway, Samuel	KIB on 3/6
78	Wm. Bell	William Bell	Bell, William	voted on 2/1, survived the revolution
79	J. W. Garrand	J. W. Garrand	Garrard, James W.	KIB on 3/6?
80	Stephen Dennison	Stephen Dennison	Denison, Stephen	KIB on 3/6
81	Wm. Lynn. taken prisoner	W. Lynn (taken prisoner)	Linn, William	KIB on 3/6
82	Wm. Howell	W. Howell	Howell, William	KIB on 3/6
83	H. J. Nelson. wounded	H. J. Nelson (wounded)	Nelson, George	KIB on 3/6
84	Richd Starr	Richard Starr	Starr, Richard	KIB on 3/6
85	James McGee wounded	James M.Gee (wounded)	McGee, James	KIB on 3/6
86	Mills D. Androſs. Sick	Mills D. Andross (sick)	Andross, Mills D.	voted on 2/1, died at the Alamo
87	Wm Thomas wounded	Wm. Thomas (wounded)	Thomas, William	voted on 2/1
88	Wm Marshall	Wm Marshall	Marshall, William	KIB on 3/6
89	S. M. Edwards	S. W. Edwards	Edwards, Samuel M.	killed at Goliad on 3/27
90	G. A. Faſsett Captain	G. A. Fassitt Captain	Fassett, G. A.	left before about 2/5
91	Robt. White Lieutnt	Robt. White Lieut	White, Robert	KIB on 3/6
92	W. A. Erwin Sgt	Wm. A. Erwin Sergt.	Erwin, William A.	discharged on 2/14, left Bexar
93	Jn T. Hobbs	Jona T. Hobbs	Hobbs, Jonathan T.	discharged on 2/14, survived the revolution
94	Wm Parks	Wm. Parks	Parks, William	KIB on 3/6
95	Isaac Ryan	Isaac Ryan	Ryan, Isaac	KIB on 3/6
96	Johno. Pickering	John Pickering	Pickering, John	left before 1/20, survived the revolution
97	A. Devault	A. Devault	Duvalt, Andrew	KIB on 3/6
98	A. S. Sumerlin	A.S. Summerlin	Summerlin, A. Spain	KIB on 3/6
99	Thos. Hendrick	Tho. Hendrick	Hendrick, Thomas	discharged on 2/14, survived the revolution
100	T. Harris	T. Harris	Harris, Temple C.	fought at San Jacinto
101	Chester Gorbit	Chester Gorbit	Gorbet, Chester S.	survived the revolution
102	H. K. Day	H. K. Day	Day, F. H. K.	KIB on 3/6
103	* G. Washington	G. Washington	Washington, George	voted on 2/1, unknown
104	* Mitchell	Mitchell	Mitchell, Edwin T.	KIB on 3/6
105	* S. Sewill	S. Sewell	Sewell, Marcus L.	KIB on 3/6
106	* David Davis	David Davis	Davis, David	discharged on 2/14
107	G. W. Main. confined in Hospital	S. W. Main (in hospital)	Main, George W.	KIB on 3/6
108	W. Walker do do	W. Walker do	Walker, Asa	KIB on 3/6
On the Ward specimen, the names below are listed after Walker, without any break. The GLO specimen of the muster roll contains the next two names, then, on a new page, continues on Muster Roll 21 under the heading "Col J. C. Neill cond." beginning with T. W. Ward.
109	T. Ward wounded	W. Maze	Ward, Thomas W.	survived the revolution
110	Peacock dea d captn	[torn]	Peacock, John W.	died before the Alamo siege
111	Flodens Captn.	T. W. Ward Capt artillery. wounded.	unknown	unknown
112	W. Hage	Peacock do	unknown	unknown
113	T. C. Goodrick	Floddens do	Goodrick, T. C.	unknown
114	Ge. Pagan	George Pagan	Pagan, George	unknown
115	Jas Nolan. wounded	James Nolan wounded	Nolan, James	unknown
	Recapitulation	Recapitulation
	Staff & Field Officers 10	Field and Staff Officers 15
	Ordinance Department 3
	Artillery 54	Artillery 54
	Infantry 47	Infantry 48
	Total 114 [total is correct since there is no name on Line 9]	Total 117

Summary

This is a breakdown of the first 108 men listed on Colonel Neill's muster roll.

63 have been confirmed to have been killed in the battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.
An additional 4 are believed to have died at the Alamo, possibly in the battle, or possibly earlier.
1 died in the Goliad massacre.
20 are known to have left the Alamo before the battle and survived the revolution. All of them presumably left before the siege began on February 23.
8 voted in the delegate election held on February 1, but their status after that is unknown.
3 left before the election, or left without voting, and it is unknown whether they survived the revolution.
The status of 9 are unknown following their appearance on this muster roll.

A study of Neill's muster roll shows how freely men were moving in and out of the Texian garrison at San Antonio in early 1836. Fewer than two thirds of the men who were under Neill's command in mid-January entered the Alamo with Travis and Bowie, the others having either gone to other posts or gone back to civilian life. By the same token, of the 150 or so men who were present at the beginning of the Alamo siege, fewer than half had been in San Antonio for more than about five weeks. With a dysfunctional provisional government and a commanding general who was absent, men made their own decisions about whether their services were needed in the army and, if so, where.

By David Carson
Page last updated: August 28, 2025

Previous: (beginning)
Next: Alamo Personnel - February 1, 1836 Voting Roll

¹Samuel M. Edwards left on the 14th, William M. W. Hart was gone before the 16th, and John Pickering left before the 20th. Neill also wrote two letters on the 14th about a significant number of departures that had either already occurred or were anticipated that would leave him with 80 men or fewer.

²James C. Neill letter to the provisional governmnet, 1/6/1836.

³The Alamo claims that this specimen is either the "original" or a "draft." The Alamo further claims this specimen was inside the Alamo for the siege and battle and theorizes that it was found by the Mexican army and then later recovered by the Texians, possibly at San Jacinto. TexasCounties.net doubts these claims. The heading on the document reads like something that was written by an archivist or editor, not its creator, and it is incorrect about when the document was made. The document lacks the signature of the preparer, the date, and a testament of its accuracy, all of which would be expected on an original muster roll. Furthermore, Neill's own name is misspelled on it three times. More than likely, this specimen was copied from the original that Neill sent to the General Council in January 1836. The copyist was someone who misunderstood when the document was created and did not pay attention to how Neill's name was spelled.

⁴Thomas W. Ward was severly wounded in the Battle of Bexar. His leg was amputated onsite and then he soon went to New Orleans for treatment. He was believed to be in Alabama as of January 5. John W. Peacock was mortally wounded in the battle and died soon after. He is indicated as deceased on the Ward specimen.

Sources:

Neill, James C. - Muster roll taken at the Alamo, January 1836
Muster rolls of the Texas Revolution kept at the Texas General Land Office.