Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Los Diablos Tejanos – The Texas Rangers

Welcome to the Hidden History of Texas. this is Episode 41 – Los Diablos Tejanos – The Texas Rangers

The Rangers actually came into existence in 1823, when Stephen F. Austin hired ten experienced frontiersmen, that he wanted to send on an expedition to punish a band of Indians. However, it took another 12 years, in 1835, for Texas lawmakers to create the Texas Rangers actually officially. The initial group consisted of fifty-six men that were broken into three companies. Each company was lead by a captain and two lieutenants, and who an immediate superior who held the rank of major. The major was subject to the commander-in-chief of the regular army and was responsible for recruiting, rule enforcement, and discipline. The officers each were promised the same pay as United States dragoons and privates- a total of $1.25 a day.  Out of that pay, they had to supply their own mounts, and all other equipment including arms, and food rations. They were on call and had to be ready to ride, equipped “with a good and sufficient horse…[and] with one hundred rounds of powder and ball.”

In the beginning the Rangers did not do well. During the Texas Revolution they served occasionally as either scouts or couriers, plus any other task the government wanted them to do.

On March 6, 1836, the Alamo fell and with it came the runaway scrape. I’ve talked about it in earlier episodes, but this was when the Rangers were really called into action. They were tasked with retrieving cattle, helping refugees get past trails covered with mud and streams swollen with rain. They also performed a scorched earth policy and to keep the Mexican army from benefitting from what was left, they destroyed produce or equipment they found.

While these duties were important, the reality is, that during the actual battle of San Jacinto they were relegated to nothing more than escort duty. After independence, their status didn’t really change because President Sam Houston had a well-known friendship with the Indians and the Rangers had been used to raid and attack the various tribes.

When Mirabeau B. Lamar succeeded Houston as president of the republic in 1838 he put into place completely different frontier policies. Part of  his changes was to convince congress to give him more Rangers. He was able to grow the force to eight companies of mounted volunteers and also keep a standing company of fifty-six Rangers. A month after that he was able to build an additional 5 companies in both Central and South Texas. These proved to be instrumental over the next three years as they waged all-out war against the Indians. They participated in multiple pitched battles, including, the July 1839 Cherokee War in East Texas, the 1840 Council House Fight at San Antonio against the Comanches,  and again in 1840 a fight against 1,000 Comanche warriors at the battle of Plum Creek.

If the purpose of the Lamar administration was to eliminate or at least drastically reduce the power of the tribes of Texas, he was successful. Lamar favored the actual expulsion of all native peoples from Texas and was able to force many of the tribes to relocate and give up their historic land. When Sam Houston was reelected to the presidency in 1841, he changed his opinion on the Rangers and believed they were the least expensive and the most efficient way to protect frontier settlers.

In 1842 Captain John Coffee Hays lead a group of  150 Rangers that played an instrumental role in helping to repel a Mexican invasion. Over the next three years, they also worked to defend the settlers against attacks by various tribes.  Hays was responsible for creating several Ranger traditions and esprit de corps and focused on bringing in men who were skilled in frontier warfare.

In 1845 Texas was annexed by the United States and in 1846 war broke out with Mexico. This was when the Rangers became known for their fighting skills on a worldwide basis. During the 1846 battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, General Zachary Taylor’s began to think of them as his “eyes and ears.”  Their knowledge of the deserts of northeastern Mexico, enabled them to find the “most practical route” for the American army to travel to and attack Monterrey. After Taylor successfully stormed the city and an armistice was created in late 1846 they were furloughed in October. They  returned in 1847 and provided enough information to enable the American army to be victorious I the battle of Buena Vista. After Gen. Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz in 1847 he proceeded into the Valley of Mexico and for the next five months the Rangers under Jack Hays and Samuel Walker helped the American army achieve several victories. The Rangers were so very ruthless and deadly when fighting against Mexican guerrillas that the people in the area began to refer to them as “los diablos Tejanos.” .

With the ending of the Mexican War the Rangers became little more than a footnote in history. The United States had taken over responsibility for defending the Texas frontier, so the Rangers had no official duties. in January of 1858 the Rangers were for a moment utilized again as they moved north of the Red River to “chastise” a large band of “hostiles,,”. It was during this battle they killed the noted Comanche chief, Iron Jacket. In March of 1859 they were assigned to the Brownsville area, where, they joined forces with the Amry and fought against, the “Red Robber of the Rio Grande,” Juan N. Cortina. That was their last significant operation for the next fourteen years. Upon secession in 1861, many of the Rangers joined the confederacy. i’ll cover this portion of Ranger history in future episodes.

That’s going to do it for this episode. Please subscribe to the podcast, I try to keep posting new episodes, sometimes though life gets in the way and there’s a gap between. But hey and remember if you want more information on Texas History, visit the website of the Texas State Historical Association. I also have three audiobooks on the Hidden History of Texas one which deals with the 1500s to about 1820,  one 1820s to 1830s, and the latest release the 1830 to 1836, the Texas revolution period. You can find the books pretty much wherever you download or listen to audiobooks. Just do a search for the Hidden History of Texas by Hank Wilson and they’ll pop right up. Links to all the stores are on my website https://arctx.org

Thanks for listening y’all