Robert Johnson Gilleland: Pioneer and Soldier in Texas History (1793–1840)
Published: 1952
Updated: September 5, 2022
Robert Johnson Gilleland (known by his middle name), soldier and pioneer, was born in Virginia in 1793, the son of William Felix and Nancy (Johnson) Gilleland. He and his wife, the former Mary Barbour, came with their two children to Texas in 1837. After living for a time in Matagorda or Brazoria they settled near the Don Carlos Ranch in Refugio County. Gilleland served in the company of Capt. John J. Tumlinson, Jr., in the protection of the frontier. In the spring of 1840 he and his wife were near their home when they were attacked by Comanche Indians. Both Gilleland and his wife were killed, and their children, William and Rebecca, were taken captive. The children soon escaped and were recovered by a contingent of regulars and rangers led by Albert Sidney Johnston.
Bibliography:
Andrew Jackson Sowell, Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas (Austin: Ben C. Jones, 1900; rpt., Austin: State House Press, 1986).
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Stephen L. Hardin, “Gilleland, Robert Johnson,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/gilleland-johnson.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
FGI20
- 1952
- September 5, 2022
