Winchester Warriors: Texas Rangers of Company D, 1874-1901 (review)

For years, Bob Alexander has been a noted historical writer of outlaws and lawmen in the Old West. In this work the author has put together an authoritative account of a single company of the Frontier Battalion. The contents of the book can be viewed from several vantage points: a look at the lifestyles of the officers and the rank and file of the company, their involvement in bringing the Indian wars to an end, the need for the personnel of the company to maintain order and carry out criminal investigations, and the exchange of gunfire between Rangers and desperadoes.

The officers in charge of the companies of the Frontier Battalion had to carry out administrative and investigative duties. Camps had to be set up here and there; rations and equipment had to be purchased; personnel had to be hired and fired; and these same Rangers had to be assigned to scouts and patrols. The author stresses the thoughts and actions of several captains who stood out: Daniel W. "Dan" Roberts, Lamartine P. "Lam" Sieker, Frank Jones, and John Hughes. At the same time the author looks at the lifestyles of the rank and file, as, for example, Ira Aten, Thalis Cook, and William T. "Billy" Clements, a noted marksman. Alexander made the viewpoints of the enlisted men the focus of the book.

The Rangers of Company D had to keep the peace and carry out the criminal process. The former called for taking part in Indian battles, such as the Lost Valley fight against Kiowa raiders, and for handling mob disorders in the towns and countryside, like the Jay Bird-Woodpecker War. The latter, on the other hand, meant examining crime scenes, questioning suspects, and making arrests. The setting up of substations in the towns by members of the company could even be considered, in the words of the author, "an early day effort at community policing" (179).

The word "detective" began to appear in the records of the Frontier Battalion at the end of the 1800s. The Rangers defined this word in two ways. For one thing, being a detective meant concealing your identity and doing undercover work, as, for example, the actions of Ira Aten in the fence-cutting cases in the l880s. For another thing, a detective in Company D learned to analyze physical evidence found in a crime, such as dental records to identify dead bodies discovered in a river. At times the personnel of Company D also took a proactive stand to prevent crimes from being committed. They carried out sting operations and took part in aggressive patrols to remove lawbreakers, one way or another, from an entire area (i.e., the Kimble County roundup at the end of the l870s).

To some the smell of gunsmoke defined the old-time Rangers. In the use of revolvers, shotguns, and rifles (which the members of Company D preferred), Rangers and outlaws were wounded and killed. Those felled in the line of duty included Private George R. "Red" Bingham, Private Frank Sieker, Sergeant Charles Fusselman, and Captain Frank Jones. The death of Jones in the 1890s resulted in the promotion of John Hughes to the captaincy. He became one of the "Four Great Captains," along with James Brooks, William J. "Bill" McDonald, and John Rogers, by the early 1900s.

Alexander tells a good story. The book is written in the popular vein: a breezy style, apt quotes, and facts galore. At times the main points in the narrative can be obscured by a blizzard of information. Yet the wording still flows in an interesting, stimulating, and impressive way.