DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker's the word on this one, and here's how I tell it. Now, some men just pass through Texas history like tumbleweeds — here one moment, gone the next. James B.
Dosher was not that kind of man. He was the kind who planted himself deep and kept showin' up wherever history needed him. He moved to Texas in 1847, and right away he wasn't content to watch from the sidelines.
He signed on with Cureton's Company of the Texas Rangers. Discharged in 1848, he turned to a quieter chapter — marrying Velma Eddings in 1851. But quiet never stayed quiet long around Dosher.
By early 1855, he and Velma had settled in Jack County, working their farm south of Jacksboro, building something out of raw Texas ground. And yet — and here's where the story keeps turning — the man also served with Captain Tackett's Company of the Texas Rangers. Two Ranger companies on his record before the country even split apart.
Then the Civil War came, and Dosher was active in both the Texas State Troops and the Confederate Army. When that war was over, you might think a man had seen enough. But 1870 found James B.
Dosher back in the field — this time as a civilian guide for the U.S. Army. And it was in that role, during an engagement at Bluff Creek, Texas, that he showed the kind of gallantry that gets remembered.
He received the Medal of Honor for it. A Texas Ranger twice over, a Civil War soldier, and a Medal of Honor recipient as a civilian guide — James B. Dosher managed to be present for history at every turn.
Some men just can't help it.
What the marker says
James B. Dosher moved to Texas in 1847 and served in Cureton's Company of the Texas Rangers. Discharged in 1848, he married Velma Eddings in 1851. They settled in Jack County in early 1855 and worked their farm south of Jacksboro. Dosher also served with Captain Tackett's Company of Texas Rangers. During the Civil War he was active in the Texas State Troops and the Confederate Army. In 1870 as a civilian guide for the U.S. Army, he received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action during an engagement at Bluff Creek, Texas. (1997)