Lesson 39: Jack Hayes and His Rangers
In the first week of June, 1844, Major Hays, with thirteen of his famous old Texas Rangers, was scouting on the Guadalupe, 50 miles above Seguin.
One day, whilst some of the men were cutting a bee-tree, the spies galloped up with a report of a large body of Indians near at hand, and upon their trail. The Rangers immediately mounted and made ready for fight; by which time the Indians, apparently forty-five or fifty strong, had formed in imposing order upon the level top of a hill in front of the Rangers, and dared "the little Capitan Colorado" to the fight. Nothing daunted, Jack Hays led his little band, in full charge, to the foot of the hill, which, being very abrupt, completely hid them from the Indians. Here wheeling, they swept rapidly around the base of the hill, and spurred up at a point opposite to where the foe were looking for them. The Indians had dismounted and were kneeling, with muskets ready and arrows fixed, for a deadly aim as the Americans rose the steep. By the time they discovered Hays' stratagem, his men were in their midst, and before they could right themselves in their saddles, the revolving pistols of the Rangers had carried the death-stroke to many. But these Indians were on the war path, in full paint and trappings, led by two bold and daring chiefs, bedecked with feathers, buffalo horns, and other insignia of their rank. They rallied, and with terrific yells, closed completely around Hays' band, and fought bravely. But the cool front, and unerring aim of the experienced old Rangers, and even more, to their superstitious minds, the magic working of the revolving cylinder, then wholly unknown to them, and the fall of one of their chiefs, caused a panic in their ranks, and they broke and fled, leaving twenty-three dead on the ground; and just about time the Rangers' balls were nearly all spent.
The Indians, perceiving that the Americans did not immediately pursue, and being joined by twenty or twenty-five fresh men, again showed fight, and manoeuvered to divide the Rangers. Failing in this, they formed in order, with their remaining chief dashing back and forth, on a fresh horse, gesticulating and harranguing them. The Rangers, having reloaded, now charged the Indians impetuously, and soon broke their ranks, when a retreating fight was kept up for three-quarters of an hour. Now the chief performed prodigies of daring, and again succeeded in forming his men, who fought so stubbornly, and so well, that the Rangers were obliged to re-load whilst fighting, and were hard pressed, when Jack Hays called out, "Any man who has a load, shoot that chief," and Ad. Gillespie answering, "I'll do it," dismounted, aimed deliberately, and shot him dead with a yauger. Seeing him fall, the Indians fled in confusion, and the Rangers fell back to the settlements.
Major Hays thought them to have been Camanches, Appaches, and Mexicans, sixty-five or seventy men, intending to rob and murder some settlements on the Guadalupe or Colorado. He believed over thirty of them were killed and many wounded. Hays lost one man.
Peter Fohr, killed, and four wounded--two badly, Ad. Gillespie and Sam. H. Walker, (at the time supposed mortally.) Many arrows passed through the clothes, hats and hair of the Americans, not less than two thousand having been shot into their midst.