Texas Rangers – Order Out of Chaos
(Verse from an unknown Ranger ballad)
When at the age of sixteen, I joined a merry band.
We marched from San Antonio down to the Rio Grande.
Our captain he informed us perhaps he thought it right,
“Before we reach the station, we’ll surely have to fight.”
The Texas Rangers, an iconic symbol of the American West, stand as the second oldest state-level law enforcement agency in the United States. Their origins are deeply intertwined with the early settlement of Texas, emerging from a need for order and protection in a vast and often lawless territory. This storied organization, born from the chaos of the frontier, has evolved over nearly two centuries, leaving an indelible mark on the history and culture of the Lone Star State.
The seeds of the Texas Rangers were sown in 1823, a mere two years after formal white settlement began in Texas. Following the Mexican War of Independence, the allure of new opportunities drew approximately 600 to 700 families to the region. However, the fledgling territory lacked a formal military presence capable of safeguarding its new inhabitants. Recognizing the vulnerability of the settlers, Stephen F. Austin, the influential Empresario, took the initiative to organize experienced frontiersmen into informal groups, aptly named "rangers." These early Texas Rangers were tasked with the vital responsibility of shielding the settlers from the ever-present threats of Native American raids and the depredations of criminal elements.
The formal establishment of the Texas Rangers as a recognized force occurred on October 17, 1835. This marked a significant step in solidifying their role as a vital component of Texas’ security apparatus. Shortly thereafter, on November 24, 1835, Robert McAlpin Williamson was chosen as the first Ranger Major, providing a centralized command structure for the burgeoning organization.
Initially comprised of 56 men spread across three companies, the ranks of the Texas Rangers swelled rapidly, exceeding 300 by 1837. Despite their official sanction and growing numbers, the Rangers saw limited action in their formative years. Their duties during Texas’ struggle for independence from Mexico were often relegated to scouting, serving as couriers, and performing other support roles. These included tasks such as retrieving livestock, escorting refugees to safety, and destroying supplies and equipment abandoned by the retreating Mexican forces.
With independence secured and the Republic of Texas established, the role of the Texas Rangers remained somewhat diminished under President Sam Houston. Houston favored a policy of peaceful coexistence with the Native American tribes, which curtailed the need for extensive Ranger activity. However, the ascension of Mirabeau B. Lamar to the presidency in 1838 ushered in a dramatic shift in frontier policy. Lamar vehemently rejected Houston’s amicable approach to the Native Americans, opting instead for a policy of aggressive engagement. He swiftly deployed the Rangers in a full-scale war against the various tribes inhabiting Texas. The Texas Congress authorized Lamar to recruit eight companies of mounted volunteers and maintain a company of 56 Rangers. Furthermore, he authorized five similar companies in Central and South Texas a month later.
The ensuing three years witnessed the Texas Rangers engaged in relentless warfare against the Native American tribes. They participated in several key battles, including the bloody Council House Fight in San Antonio, the raid on Linnville, and the Battle of Plum Creek. By the end of Lamar’s administration, the Rangers had significantly weakened the most powerful tribes, effectively altering the balance of power on the Texas frontier.
When Sam Houston was re-elected to the presidency in December 1841, he recognized the effectiveness of the Rangers, despite his previous hesitations. On January 29, 1842, he approved a law that officially provided for a company of mounted men to “act as Rangers.” This resulted in 150 Rangers, under the command of Captain John Coffee “Jack” Hays, being assigned to protect the southern and western portions of the Texas frontier. Houston’s foresight in this decision proved successful in helping to repel the Mexican invasions of 1842 and shielding the white settlers against Indian attacks over the next three years.
Hays also played a crucial role in elevating the standards of the Ranger force. He implemented rigorous training programs for new recruits and fostered a strong "esprit de corps" within his command. His leadership produced a cadre of celebrated Ranger captains, including luminaries such as W. A. A. “Big Foot” Wallace, Ben and Henry McCulloch, Samuel H. Walker, and Robert Addison “Ad” Gillespie.
The annexation of Texas by the United States in 1846 and the subsequent Mexican-American War marked another turning point in the history of the Texas Rangers. As the U.S. sought to establish its boundary at the Rio Grande, the Rangers were called upon to assist the American Army. Their prowess in combat quickly earned them international recognition as a formidable fighting force. Superbly mounted and armed with an array of weapons, the Rangers proved highly effective against Mexican guerillas. Their reputation for relentless pursuit and unwavering resolve earned them the moniker "los diablos Tejanos," or the "Texas Devils."
Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848, the United States assumed responsibility for protecting the Texas frontier. With their official function diminished, the Rangers experienced a decline in activity, leading to the departure of several of their renowned captains and frontier defenders. However, a decade later, in the spring of 1858, they briefly returned to action when dispatched north to the Red River to address a band of Comanche Indians.
The secession of Texas from the United States during the Civil War in 1861 led to the creation of Terry’s Texas Rangers in Houston. Led by Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry, this unit attracted many former Rangers who enlisted under his command, eager to serve the Confederacy.
The Reconstruction period from 1865 to 1873 marked a tumultuous chapter in the history of the Texas Rangers. Re-designated as state police, they were tasked with enforcing unpopular new laws associated with rejoining the United States. This role led to a decline in their reputation among war-weary Texans. During this era, the Rangers functioned as a military-type police unit when enforcing the new laws or fighting Indians or Mexicans. However, when hunting down outlaws, they functioned more as lawmen and posses.
A significant shift occurred in May 1874, when the state Democrats regained power. Governor Richard Coke and the Legislature allocated $75,000 to organize six companies of 75 Rangers each. By this time, Texas was plagued by outlaws, Native American raids on the western frontier, and Mexican bandits terrorizing the Rio Grande region. These new troops were strategically stationed throughout the state and were known as the Frontier Battalion. During this era, the Ranger Service held a place between an army and a police force.
In 1877, the Texas Rangers found themselves on the trail of the notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Hardin, who had killed Charles Webb, a deputy sheriff in Brown County, in 1874, fled the state to evade capture. However, Texas Ranger John Barclay Armstrong, known as “McNelly’s Bulldog,” received permission to pursue Hardin across state lines. Armstrong finally apprehended Hardin on a train in Pensacola, Florida, leading to a shootout. Hardin was knocked unconscious, one of his gang members was killed, and the rest were arrested on July 23, 1877.
The spring of 1878 saw Sam Bass and his gang perpetrate a series of robberies, holding up two stagecoaches and four trains within 25 miles of Dallas. This prompted a spirited chase across North Texas by a special company of Texas Rangers led by Junius Peak. Bass managed to evade his pursuers until Jim Murphy, a member of his gang, turned informant. As the Bass Gang prepared to rob a bank in Round Rock, Murphy informed Major John B. Jones, commander of the Frontier Battalion of Texas Rangers.
In Round Rock, Jones set up an ambush, resulting in a fierce battle between the gang and the Rangers on July 19, 1878. Seaborn Barnes, Bass’s accomplice, was killed, and Bass himself was wounded. He managed to escape but was later found helpless in a pasture north of town and brought back to Round Rock, where he died on July 21.
Over the next several years, the Frontier Battalion captured more than 3,000 Texas outlaws. By 1882, the "frontier" was beginning to disappear, signaling a shift in the Rangers’ role.
During the subsequent three decades, the Rangers’ prominence and prestige gradually waned. However, they continued to play a role in intercepting cattle rustlers, confronting Mexican and Native American marauders along the Rio Grande, and occasionally protecting blacks from white lynch mobs. By the turn of the century, critics began calling for the curtailment or even the abolition of the Texas Rangers. As a result, the Frontier Battalion was disbanded in 1901, and the Ranger force was reduced to four law enforcement companies of twenty men each.
Ranger activities shifted towards law enforcement among Texas citizens, but escalating violence along the Rio Grande led to numerous bloody skirmishes with Mexican nationals.
In 1914, during the early days of World War I, the Rangers faced the daunting task of identifying and apprehending spies, conspirators, saboteurs, and draft dodgers. In 1916, Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico, intensified tensions between the United States and Mexico. The Rangers, along with hundreds of special Rangers appointed by Texas governors, killed approximately 5,000 Hispanics between 1914 and 1919, leading to scandal and embarrassment.
In response, the Texas legislature overhauled the force in January 1919, addressing issues of ranger brutality. The four companies of Ranger recruits were reduced from 20 to 15 per unit. Salaries were increased to attract higher-caliber individuals, and procedures were established for citizen complaints.
Following the enactment of Prohibition in 1920, the Rangers’ primary function became patrolling the Rio Grande to combat tequila smugglers and cattle rustlers.
During the Great Depression, the Ranger force was further reduced to 45 men. Their open support for Governor Ross Sterling against Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson in the Democratic primary in the fall of 1932 proved costly. When Ferguson took office in January 1933, she fired every Ranger for his partisanship, slashed salaries, and further reduced the force to 32 men. This led to Texas becoming a haven for outlaws such as Raymond Hamilton, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Clyde Barrow, and Bonnie Parker.
In 1934, Frank A. Hamer, a long-time Ranger who resigned during Ferguson’s cutbacks, was tasked with tracking down Bonnie and Clyde. The pair had previously broken out a gang member from the Huntsville Prison, killing a guard in the process.
After tracking the Barrow gang across nine states, Hamer and law enforcement in Louisiana learned that Bonnie and Clyde had visited Bienville Parish on May 21, 1934, and that Clyde had designated a rendezvous point near there with gang member Henry Methvin. Methvin, cooperating with law enforcement, participated in assisting with an ambush along the route to the rendezvous.
A posse, led by Hamer and Manny Gault, including two Louisiana lawmen and two more Texans, lay in wait on Highway 154 between Gibsland and Sailes. On May 23, 1934, they ambushed Bonnie and Clyde, killing them in a hail of gunfire.
In 1935, James Allred became the Texas governor after running on a better law enforcement platform. The legislature established the Texas Department of Public Safety, which the Texas Rangers became a part of on August 10, 1935. The new department also included the Highway Patrol and a scientific crime laboratory and detection center known as the Headquarters Division.
Over the years, the Texas Rangers have investigated crimes ranging from murder to political corruption, kept the peace during riots, protected the Texas governor, tracked down fugitives, and functioned as a quasi-military force.
Today, the Texas Rangers are an investigative division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The more than 100 highly trained men and women are posted across the State of Texas and are recognized as one of the world’s most effective investigative law enforcement agencies, continuing their legacy of bringing order out of chaos.