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A.N. Erskine
(1826 - 1862)
Home State: Texas
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 4th Texas Infantry
Before Sharpsburg
Born in Virginia, he moved with his family to Alabama, Mississippi, and finally Texas by 1839. His father established a very large ranch - "El Capote" - at Seguin in what became Guadalupe County.
At age 16 he joined the Texas Rangers and saw action with them against raiding Mexican forces at Salado Creek near San Antonio in September 1842. He returned to the ranch at Seguin and worked as a surveyor. In 1852 he took over his father-in-law's gristmill and ferry on the Guadalupe River, and later added a sawmill. He also ran the stage post and an inn. That area is still known as Erskine Ferry. He was elected County Clerk in 1856 and was Lieutenant in a local militia company by 1859.
In April 1862, the 36 year old County Clerk enlisted with his brother Alexander in Company D, 4th Texas Infantry.
On the Campaign
He was in action with his Company at Fox's Gap on South Mountain on 14 September and was killed in action by a gunshot through his temple at Sharpsburg on 17 September 1862.
References & notes
Basic service information from Davis1 and Polley.2 Further details from a bio sketch in the Handbook of Texas Online. His picture from Susannah J. Ural's Hood's Texas Brigade (2017), from a collection of his family papers. Personal information from family genealogists and the US Census for 1860. His memorial is on Findagrave. Thanks to Andy Cardinal for the pointer to Andrew's picture.
He married Ann Theresa Johnson (b. 1830) in December 1847 and they had 6 children by 1860. Her father was Joseph F. Johnson (1806-1856), a prominent businessman and Mayor of Seguin.
More on the Web
For much more about the Erskine family in Texas and their ranch, see Duncan G. Muckelroy's History of El Capote Ranch, published in the East Texas Historical Journal, Volume 12 (1974), No. 2, online from the United States History Commons.
Andrew's photograph may also be found accompanying a biographical sketch by his son Blucher Hayes Erskine (1849-1929) in Volume 4, No. 9 (June 1927) of the Frontier Times.
Birth
03/12/1826; Sweet Springs, Monroe County, VA
Death
09/17/1862; Sharpsburg, MD