"Ben McCulloch, Texas Ranger: The Scouting Expeditions Of McCulloch's Texas Rangers In Mexico In 1846 & The Life & Services Of General Ben McCulloch" (2 Volumes In 1), respectively, by Samuel Reid & Victor M. Rose cover the life of the famous Texas Ranger, Texas frontiersman, & Texas Confederate General, Ben McCulloch.
Book I, "The Scouting Expeditions Of McCulloch's Texas Rangers In Mexico In 1846" by Sam Reid is a first-hand view of McCulloch's Mexican-American War exploits. Reid paints a vivid picture of McCulloch's services during the Mexican-American War, when his Rangers helped General Taylor defeat the Mexican Army at Monterrey & Buena Vista. Reid also gives short biographies & accounts of some of the operations of Texas Ranger notables Sam Walker & Jack Hays while giving a complete description of the skirmishes & battles of the war. It gives a short biography of McCulloch's early life then extensively his operations during the early part of the Mexican-American War.
Sam Reid 1818-1897 was a surveyor, lawyer, Texas Ranger, newspaper reporter & author who joined the Texas Rangers, who were being organized to provide vital scouting duties for the army of Zachary Taylor. He stated he joined because, "the idea of enthusiastically assisting his country in a foreign land appealed to him." Reid's book was unusual, as his later books were, in that he, like Mark Twain, incorporated local amusing & colorful anecdotes making them readable to a larger audience. In addition, Reid described the local scenery so that the book reads like an interesting travelogue in many places.
Book II, "The Life And Services Of General Ben McCulloch" by Victor M. Rose is the complete biography of this famous Texas' Ranger, frontiersman, & Confederate General in the American Civil War. Rose paints a vivid picture of this famous Texan's entire life & services to the Lone Star Republic & later the state of Texas. McCulloch fought in the Texas revolution that created the Republic of Texas. He then joined one of the companies of the famed Texas Rangers & helped protect the settlers from Indian attacks often fomented by the Mexican government, eager to reclaim Texas. During the Mexican-American War, his command of Rangers helped General Taylor defeat the Mexican Army at Monterrey & Buena Vista. When Texas seceded from the Union, McCulloch was made a general & commanded the frontier of Northern Texas. In this capacity he commanded at the Confederate victory at Wilson's Creek, Missouri (1861). He was killed leading his command at the Confederate defeat at Pea Ridge, Arkansas (1862).
Victor M. Rose (1842-1893), the author, was an editor, lawyer, poet, and Texas historian born in Victoria Texas. When Texas seceded from the Union, Rose joined the Third Texas Cavalry which was incorporated into a brigade, later commanded by General Laurence Sullivan Ross. Ross indelibly stamped his identity on the unit so that it became known as Ross' Texas Brigade. While a member of Ross' Texas Brigade, Rose was wounded at least three times, once severely.
Both books in one inexpensive e-book----containing over 201,500+ words, approximately 671+ pages at 300 words per page & the illustrations originally contained in the two volumes that together, cover this great Texan's life.
