Roll of Honor
His Life
Private William M. Bohanon enlisted in Company C of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers on November 11, 1883 under the command of Captain George Schmitt. The rangers were troubled with fever and illness during the summer of 1885, which resulted from high water caused by heavy rains. On May 13, 1885, Private J. G. Wood, a new recruit, died from illness. Captain Schmitt received a very terse letter from Captain John O. Johnson of the Adjutant General’s office in Austin regarding expenses incurred by the company while on recent duty in Fredericksburg; in his reply, which gives some indication of conditions, Schmitt related that several men were sick with fever from “exposure and swimming the rivers” and that one man was not expected to live.
Private Bohanon became ill from typhoid fever on June 22 and died on July 2. He was reportedly buried in Pearsall, Frio County, and had no relations in Texas.
Pvt. Bohannon, On today, the 140th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of the state of Texas.
BPA Mike Casey United States Border Patrol(Retired) July 2nd, 2025
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-469FD3D3- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
141 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Bohanon gave the Texas Rangers 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
His Life Details
Private William M. Bohanon is one of 3,037 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.3% of all 32,586 officers honored here.
In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points below the national rate of 9.3%.
At Texas Rangers, 7 of 122 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William M. Bohanon's cause is highlighted.
How William M. Bohanon Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. William M. Bohanon is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
121 officers from Texas Rangers are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
