Hi Glenn
That does sound like a reasonable theory. The 16 or 17 men who were captured, were killed and their bodies never found. Like you said..killed by bushwhackers...that 1st TN roster is on that 3rd TN Mounted page...when Bryson was killed, all of his papers with all of the names of his men and his commission were on him, the papers were taken and probably destroyed. After the war a couple of Bryson's ex-soldiers would forge a list and try to defraud the goverment by using names to get pensions for "survivors "of those killed in action...they asked for the money to be sent to their "law office" to be picked up...they were caught and I believe sentenced to 5 years in prison.