Read Online The Men Who War the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers by Charles M. Robinson III - Free Book Online
Authors: Charles M. Robinson III
Tags: Fiction
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moved that his brother Silas, Garrison Greenwood, and D. B. Fryer be authorized to form companies of “rangers whose business shall be to range and guard the frontiers. . . .”
The motion, as approved, designated Silas Parker, Greenwood, and Fryer as superintendents. The companies would elect the officers who would hold immediate command. The duties of the superintendents included enlisting and organizing the companies, overseeing their operations, and arranging their provisions, obligating public funds for the purpose. They were specifically enjoined “not to interfere with friendly tribes of Indians on our borders.” The companies would elect their own officers. Each Ranger—from this point the term can reasonably be capitalized—was to provide his own horse, arms, ammunition, and equipment, and would receive $1.25 a day. The government would indemnify any losses of personal gear. Greenwood’s company would muster at Houston, while Parker and Fryer would assemble “at the Ouaco [Waco] village on the Brazos” where the city of Waco now stands. 30
The parsimonious pay initially may have been an expediency for a provisional government that was barely organized and had no treasury or means of revenue. However, it would become standard practice. Not until the oil boom of the early twentieth century did the government of Texas have financial resources appropriate to its responsibilities. Throughout the nineteenth century, the government had to carefully nurse its limited monies, and chronic underfunding would become the bane of the Ranger Service. 31
Over the next few weeks, the concept was refined. A military ordinance was approved, creating a regular army of 1,120 men enlisted for two years under command of a major general. As part of the overall defense establishment, the ordinance stated:
There shall be a corps of rangers under the command of a major, to consist of one hundred and fifty men, to be divided into three or more detachments, and which shall compose a battalion under the commander-in-chief, when in the field. 32
Rangers were enlisted for one year rather than the two required of soldiers, and if discharged prior to the end of their enlistments, they were to hold themselves available in case they were needed. A separate article created a state militia, so that the line between Rangers and militia was now clearly defined, although both served under the jurisdiction of the military.
More refinements were made until finally, on November 28, the council elected officers. Robert McAlpin Williamson, a tough, self-reliant jurist known as “Three-Legged Willie” because he reinforced a polio-wasted right leg with a wooden peg, was named major of the proposed corps of Rangers. Company captains were Isaac W. Burton, William H. Arrington, and John J. Tumlinson. Various lieutenants were also elected. Despite Williamson’s title as corps major, the real authority rested with the company captains; the corps itself was considered in service only when all three companies were assembled as a single unit. 33
MOST HISTORIES OF the War of Independence center around the conflict with Mexico. In reality, it was a two-front war, not only against the Mexicans in the south and east, but against the Plains Indian tribes in the north and west. The fighting on the frontier was especially serious because it now involved the Comanches. Although initially indifferent to the Americans, they had begun growing restless when white expansion pushed other tribes into their hunting grounds. Then the whites themselves moved onto the edge of the Plains. Between these two groups, the buffalo herds on which the Comanches depended began to dwindle, and they retaliated. 34
Trouble erupted in the spring of 1835, when a band of warriors raided one of the Colorado settlements, killed a wagoner, and stole some horses. A company hastily formed by pioneer Indian fighter Edward Burleson started in pursuit. On the trail, they encountered the friendly
The motion, as approved, designated Silas Parker, Greenwood, and Fryer as superintendents. The companies would elect the officers who would hold immediate command. The duties of the superintendents included enlisting and organizing the companies, overseeing their operations, and arranging their provisions, obligating public funds for the purpose. They were specifically enjoined “not to interfere with friendly tribes of Indians on our borders.” The companies would elect their own officers. Each Ranger—from this point the term can reasonably be capitalized—was to provide his own horse, arms, ammunition, and equipment, and would receive $1.25 a day. The government would indemnify any losses of personal gear. Greenwood’s company would muster at Houston, while Parker and Fryer would assemble “at the Ouaco [Waco] village on the Brazos” where the city of Waco now stands. 30
The parsimonious pay initially may have been an expediency for a provisional government that was barely organized and had no treasury or means of revenue. However, it would become standard practice. Not until the oil boom of the early twentieth century did the government of Texas have financial resources appropriate to its responsibilities. Throughout the nineteenth century, the government had to carefully nurse its limited monies, and chronic underfunding would become the bane of the Ranger Service. 31
Over the next few weeks, the concept was refined. A military ordinance was approved, creating a regular army of 1,120 men enlisted for two years under command of a major general. As part of the overall defense establishment, the ordinance stated:
There shall be a corps of rangers under the command of a major, to consist of one hundred and fifty men, to be divided into three or more detachments, and which shall compose a battalion under the commander-in-chief, when in the field. 32
Rangers were enlisted for one year rather than the two required of soldiers, and if discharged prior to the end of their enlistments, they were to hold themselves available in case they were needed. A separate article created a state militia, so that the line between Rangers and militia was now clearly defined, although both served under the jurisdiction of the military.
More refinements were made until finally, on November 28, the council elected officers. Robert McAlpin Williamson, a tough, self-reliant jurist known as “Three-Legged Willie” because he reinforced a polio-wasted right leg with a wooden peg, was named major of the proposed corps of Rangers. Company captains were Isaac W. Burton, William H. Arrington, and John J. Tumlinson. Various lieutenants were also elected. Despite Williamson’s title as corps major, the real authority rested with the company captains; the corps itself was considered in service only when all three companies were assembled as a single unit. 33
MOST HISTORIES OF the War of Independence center around the conflict with Mexico. In reality, it was a two-front war, not only against the Mexicans in the south and east, but against the Plains Indian tribes in the north and west. The fighting on the frontier was especially serious because it now involved the Comanches. Although initially indifferent to the Americans, they had begun growing restless when white expansion pushed other tribes into their hunting grounds. Then the whites themselves moved onto the edge of the Plains. Between these two groups, the buffalo herds on which the Comanches depended began to dwindle, and they retaliated. 34
Trouble erupted in the spring of 1835, when a band of warriors raided one of the Colorado settlements, killed a wagoner, and stole some horses. A company hastily formed by pioneer Indian fighter Edward Burleson started in pursuit. On the trail, they encountered the friendly
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