Thanks for the invite, Mrs. Graybeard. I posted this brief story about my great grandfather over on the Cowboy Action Shooting Forum, but thought it would also be appropriate here. I will (in the near future) be posting other sketches, and a list of family names I am researching.
My maternal great grandfather (James G. Odiorne) was 17 when he joined Company "B", Frontier Forces (commanded by my alias namesake, Captain A.H. (Hamp) Cox), in 1870. He died before I was born, but my mom and uncles said he had some interesting stories to tell. One was about when a 12-man detachment of his Texas Ranger company was sent out to pursue a raiding party of Cammanche, 35-40 strong. They caught up with them in Palo Pinto County, and the fight got pretty serious for a while. My James was going one on one with one of the raiders when his (James') .44 Winchester jammed. Fortunately for James (and for me - I wouldn't be here otherwise) he got the Winchester functioning in time to take the fight out of his adversary (permanently). In this engagement ten of the raiders were killed, forty stolen horses were recoverd, and five of the Rangers were wounded. The Governor Of Texas recognized this Ranger success in General Orders No. 8, May 11, 1871, published by his Adjutant General.
