A person born in 1816 would have likely served in the Texas State Troops from August 1863 to February 1864. This was temporary Confederate service. The Rusk County soldiers were in the 1st Cavalry Regiment, Texas State Troops and the 2nd Infantry Regiment, Texas State Troops. After these units were disbanded in February 1864, the companies were reorganized for another six months but did not serve in the Confederate Army. The Texas Reserve Corps was organized in May 1864 and remained in Confederate service until sometime in May 1865. Anyone who was age 17 or between 45 and 50 during this time period would have probably been in the Texas Reserve Corps. Those from Rusk County served primarily in the 9th Battalion, Texas Reserve Corps. This unit guarded Federal prisoners at Camp Ford, Tyler, Texas.
The Texas State Library has the service records for most of the Texas State Troops. Unfortunately, only a few records for the Texas Reserve Corps exist. Many of the service records are filed under "Miscellaneous Texas" in the National Archives collection.