Another Ranger of the early days to gain great fame was William "Bigfoot" Wallace who earned his birth name from being a descendent of Sir William Wallace of Scotland and his nickname for being 6'2'' tall and weighing 240 pds of solid muscle. When his brother was killed at the Goliad Massacre in 1836 he came to Texas to take his revenge on the Mexicans. He served with Captain Jack Hays during the Mexican War and no doubt contributed to the earning of the nickname the Mexicans gave the Texas Rangers in that war. "los diablos Tejanos" (the Texas devils". He later took over his own Ranger company and served on the frontier during the Civil War guarding against bandits, Yankees and Indians. The legendary Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker also came to Texas in 1836. He served with Jack Hays and fought against the Mexican invasion of General Adrian Woll in 1842. He fought in the Mier Expedition that made him a prisoner in Mexico where he survived the "black bean" incident. He later served as a scout for Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War and helped Sam Colt make a better pistol. He died in 1847 leading a charge in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
The American Civil War saw alot of Texas Rangers in action. The 8th Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers, was considered the best group of horse soldiers of the whole war, north or south. Many of the biggest names in Texas and Confederate history were from the ranks of the Texas Rangers. Lawrnece Sulivan "Sul" Ross was one of these. He joined the Rangers in 1860 already a veteran of the US Army. He joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and became colonel of the 6th Texas Cavalry in 1862. The following year, for his skillful leadership in covering the retreat of Earl Van Dorn from Corinth he was promoted to brigadier general. He led a briage with "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's cavalry corps in the Army of Tennessee and later became commander of the Texas cavalry in the "Army of the West". After the war he was a political leader in Texas and became president of the Agriculture and Mechanics College of Texas, today's famous Texas A&M University. Another famous Ranger of the Civil War period was Colonel John Simpson "RIP" Ford. He commanded Confederate forces along the Rio Grande border and is most famous for having won the very last battle of the Civil War at Palmeto Ranch near Brownsville.
In my own part of Texas, the Nueces Strip, probably no other Ranger is as famous as Captain Leander Harvey McNelly. McNelly also served in the Civil War, he joined the 5th Texas Cavalry and fought in General Sibley's invasion of New Mexico. He later fought at the battle of Galveston, known as the most humiliating defeat of the US Navy before Pearl Harbor, as well as campaigns in Louisiana. After the war, in 1847 Captain McNelly formed a special Texas Ranger unit known as the Washington County Volunteers. He brought law & order to the Nueces Strip, ended the Sutton-Taylor Feud and fought such notables as John King Fisher and the Mexican bandit chief Juan Cortina. He also had a special distaste for cattle rustlers and had no hesitation about invading Mexico to recover stolen cattle and punish the ones who had taken them. This caused much fuming by the Mexican government, but nothing could stop McNelly.
In the 20th Century the Texas Rangers have continued their legendary reputation in law enforcement. Only the best of the best lawmen are even considered for joining the Rangers and a totally spotless record is an absolute requirement. Over the years they have brought down many of the most feared and dangerous outlaws in the criminal history of the United States. John Wesley Hardin, known as the meanest man in the west; Sam Bass, known as the "Robin Hood of Texas" and the infamous duo Bonnie and Clyde were all taken down by the Texas Rangers. In the era of televsion Hollywood was quick to cash-in on the legend of the Texas Rangers producing such hit shows as the 50's classic "The Lone Ranger" and the 90's family drama "Walker, Texas Ranger". In 1935 the Texas Rangers came under the jurisdiction of the Texas Department of Public Safety. They are limited to 116 spread in 6 companies across the state, and they never have more than they can handle. Recently women were allowed to join the Texas Rangers and they now use a great deal of hi-tech tools of the trade instead of horses and 6-guns (which Rangers always wore backwards on each hip for a quicker draw). They are regarded as one of the most elite law enforcement agencies in the world. Because of their cavalry background the only other unit often recognized as comparable is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In modern crime fighting they have often been grouped along with the FBI, Scotland Yard and Interpol. So remember, like the song says, "when you're in Texas look behind you -'cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be" -bad guys beware!
