Texas Ranger Tales

John Wesley Hardin 1853-1895 was an American outlaw, gunfight, and controversial folk-hero of the Old West, born in Texas. Hardin became famous as a gun slinger so mean that he reputedly killed a man for snoring! He killed his first man at age 15 and by the time he was finally arrested by Texas Rangers, he claimed to have killed 42 men. The newspapers of the day said it was "only" 27. Various Texas myths say the number topped 60! Whatever the number, Hardin was one of the most feared desperadoes of his time. The Texas Legislature authorized the Governor to issue a $4,000 reward for his capture. A detachment of Texas Rangers was assigned to hunt him down, arrest him, and bring him back to stand trial, which they eventually did in 1878. "The Life of John of John Wesley Hardin as Written by Himself" by John Wesley Hardin is his autobiography, written while he was in prison. It is his view of his life and its circumstances in his own words. Although self serving and selective, it paints an exciting picture of Reconstruction Texas and the violence of the "gunfighter" era in the Old West. A must read for the student of Texas history, The Texas Rangers, and the frontier in the period 1860s and-70s. There are approximately 48,550+ words and approximately 161+ pages at 300 words per page in this e-book.

"The Scouting Expeditions Of McCulloch's Texas Rangers In Mexico In 1846" by Samuel Reid is a first-hand view of the Mexican-American War exploits of Ben McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger, Texas frontiersman, & later Texas Confederate General. Sam Reid 1818-1897 was a surveyor, lawyer, Texas Ranger, newspaper reporter & author who joined the Texas Rangers, who were organized to provide vital scouting duties for the army of Zachary Taylor. He stated he joined because, "the idea of enthusiastically assisting his country in a foreign land appealed to him." Reid's book was unusual, as his later books were, in that he, like Mark Twain, incorporated local amusing & colorful anecdotes making them readable to a larger audience. In addition, Reid described the local scenery so that the book reads like an interesting travelogue in many places. In this book, Reid paints a vivid picture of McCulloch's services during the Mexican-American War, when his command of his Rangers helped General Taylor defeat the Mexican Army at Monterrey & Buena Vista. Reid also gives short biographies & accounts of some of the operations of Texas Ranger notables Sam Walker & Jack Hays while giving a complete description of the skirmishes & battles of the war. A must read for the student of history, both that of the Texas Rangers & the Mexican-American War.