The Men Who War the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers (3 page)

Sam Houston greatly influenced the development of the Rangers, first as president of independent Texas and later as governor of the state.

Those who knew Capt. John Coffee Hays by reputation alone were startled when they first met him. Young and small, with boyish features, Hays nevertheless was a superb leader and outstanding frontiersman. His Rangers, many of whom were older than he, respectfully called him “Captain Jack.”

GLORY AND INFAMY IN THE MEXICAN WAR

Gen. Zachary Taylor, commander of U.S. forces in northern Mexico, appreciated the Rangers as scouts and fighters but detested them for their tendencies to murder and plunder.

Capt. Samuel H. Walker, shown here in the uniform of the U.S. Mounted Rifles, introduced the first specifically military revolver, based on his experiences as a Ranger. Walker’s reputation helped make the Rangers famous throughout the United States.

INDIAN FIGHTS AND BORDER RAIDS

Affectionately known as “Sul,” Capt. Lawrence Sullivan Ross was one of the most intellectually gifted Rangers. A noted Indian fighter, he also served as a Confederate general, member of the committee that drafted the present state constitution, governor of Texas, and president of Texas A&M. Sul Ross State University in Alpine was named in his honor.

A Tonkawa chief known variously as “Johnson” and “Charley Johnson” typified the friendly Indians who scouted for Rangers and soldiers against their ancient enemies, the Comanches, from the 1830s through the l870s. He holds one of the early cap and ball Colt’s, probably the Army model.

Capt. John Salmon Ford, shown here later in life, served under Jack Hays in the Mexican War and later gained fame for pacifying the Lower Rio Grande frontier.

An old man with a young wife in this photo, Juan N. Cortina still shows the stubborn determination that made him the terror of the Texas-Mexico border for more than two decades.

CONFEDERATE RANGERS

Capt. Ben McCulloch gained fame fighting for the Republic of Texas and, later, during the Mexican War. After trying his luck in California during the Gold Rush, he returned to Texas on the eve of the Civil War and was instrumental in organizing the state’s defense following secession.

The Alamo, then a U.S. military installation, flies the Texas flag after its surrender to Ben McCulloch’s Rangers in 1861. The drawing erroneously depicts the white bar as at the bottom of the flag.

“A Texan Ranger,” an unidentified newspaper clipping that satirizes McCulloch’s Rangers. The tone indicates it probably came from a Union-held border state early in the Civil War. Even so, the description of Ranger equipment is detailed and accurate.

THE FRONTIER BATTALION

Reconstruction governor Edmund J. Davis is often accused of abolishing the Rangers and replacing them with a state police to enforce federal edicts. Ironically, he worried about Indian depredations and authorized Ranger companies to deal with them. His state police demonstrated the need for a permanent constabulary, which led to the creation of the Ranger Frontier Battalion.