Ranger James B. Gillett Describes the Texas Rangers of the 1800s
Read this primary source describing the life and character of the historic Texas Rangers.
You don’t have to be from Texas to appreciate the allure of the Texas Rangers of the 1800s. These were men that traveled the vast expanses of the Texas frontier (and sometimes beyond) in pursuit of a myriad of criminals. They have earned a reputation as having been brave, steadfast, and hardy frontiersmen. Although some modern historians may wish to diminish the accomplishments of these men, what they did was truly noteworthy. In the broadest sense, they were men fighting in a dangerous land to make a peaceful home for their families and communities. It’s what the heroes of people around the world have done, and the Texas Rangers of the 1800s fit that description perfectly.
One Texas Ranger in the 1800s was a man named James B. Gillett. Gillett rangered in the years from 1875 to 1881, and was involved in many great adventures during this time. After he finished as a ranger, he spent time as a marshall, but he eventually spent time cowboying and managing ranches. However, even into old age he “still cherish(ed) the memory of my Ranger days…”. In fact, he enjoyed them so much that he eventually wrote a book of his experiences, titled Six Years with the Texas Rangers. If you click on the link, you can download a free e-book if you have a Google account. I highly recommend reading it, as it comes from a man who very much lived the experience. As with any source of information, you have to remember any bias and perspective that Gillett may have. However, that doesn’t negate all that he knew, experienced, and accomplished during his Ranger years. It just means that he can only describe events from his position and perspective.
One great excerpt comes early on in the book, not long after he first volunteered. It is found in Chapter II, in which he gives a general description of the Texas Rangers and their history. He discusses their general activities and region, and the chapter gives someone with no knowledge some basic information. Near the end of this chapter, he gives a general description of the Texas Ranger, his dress, equipment, and character.
“Sketchy as has been this history, it will show a ranger record of continuous duty throughout the forty-six years of its existence in guarding the lives, the liberty and the property of Texas citizens. And the ranger has been content to perform his duty unheralded and almost unsung. Performance of duty, it matters not where it may lead him, into whatever desperate situation or howsoever dangerous the thing demanded, has always been the slogan of the organization. For courage, patriotic devotion, instant obedience and efficiency, the record of the Texas Ranger has been equalled by nobody of constabulary ever mustered.
“Though formed into military units and officered as a soldier, the ranger is not a military man, for scant attention is paid to military law and precedent. The state furnished food for the men, forage for their horses, ammunition and medical attendance. The ranger himself must furnish his horse, his accoutrements and his arms. There is, then, no uniformity in the matter of dress, for each ranger is free to dress as he pleases and in the garb experience has taught him most convenient for utility and comfort. A ranger, as any other frontiersman or cowboy, usually wears good heavy woolen clothes of any color that strikes his fancy. Some are partial to corduroy suits, while others prefer buckskin. A felt hat of any make and color completes his uniform. While riding, a ranger always wore spurs and very high-heeled boots to prevent his foot from slipping through the stirrup, for both the ranger and the cowboy ride with the stirrup in the middle of the foot. This is safer and less fatiguing on a long ride. For arms, the ranger after 1877 carried a Winchester rifle or carbine, a Colt's .45 revolver, and a Bowie knife. Two cartridge belts, one for Winchester and one for revolver ammunition, completed his equipment, and so armed he was ready to mount and ride.
“‘We live in the saddle and the sky is our roof,’ say the old rangers, and this is literally true. The rangers are perfect centaurs and almost live in the saddle. They take horse where they will and may arrest or search in any part of the state. There is very little of what a West Point graduate would call drill. A ranger is expected simply to be a good rider and a quick and accurate shot. Every one of them are skilled horsemen and crack shots. No crack cavalryman in any army can mount a horse more quickly or more expertly than a ranger, and he can keep a constant stream of fire pouring from his carbine when his horse is going at top speed and hit the mark nine times out of ten! Should a ranger drop anything on the ground that he wants he does not even check the speed of his horse, but, bending from the saddle as if he were made of India rubber, he picks up the object in full gallop.
“While not on active duty the rangers amuse themselves in various ways. Some play cards, others hunt, while the studious spend their time over books and good literature. Horse racing is popular, and the fastest horse in the company is soon spotted, for the rangers match their mounts one against the other. At night around their campfires the men are constantly telling stories of their own or some comrade's adventures that put to shame all the inventions of the imaginative fiction writers. But when on duty all this is changed. No pace is too quick, no task too difficult or too hazardous for him. Night and day will the ranger trail his prey, through rain and shine, until the criminal is located and put behind the bars where he will not again molest or disturb peaceful citizens. For bravery and endurance and steadfast adherence to duty at all times the ranger is in a class all to himself. Such was the old ranger, and such is the ranger of today. Is it surprising, then, that I was early attracted to the force and wished to join them in their open, joyous and adventurous life?”
As you can see, Gillett certainly had a high degree of respect for the Texas Rangers he worked with during the 1800s. In our modern world, it’s hard to even imagine what this world would have been like. Small companies of Rangers would set out across hundreds of miles of desolate plains, often with just a few items tied to their horse or pack horse. In this spartan manner, they would travel for weeks at a time pursuing their duty to establishing peace in a violent place. It is no wonder the Texas Rangers have gone down in history as some of the best-remembered hereos of the Ameircan frontier.