texas rangers revisited

[williamlayton]

dang if all this hasn't brought me to the point of revisiting walter prescott webbs' "the texas rangers". had not thought about that book for 40 years since a graduate course in texas history. very good reading and about as accurate and documented as they come--and the road goes on forever.
                                                                   blessings

[williamlayton]

this is just a sticky--mainly for me i guess--if anybody else is interested, well--god bless and my personal condolances.
been at it pretty hard on w.p. webbs "the texas rangers" and i havn't put a dent in it. spend too much time thinking and looking up references, shouldn't read the footnotes--they lead you to other trails-interesting-but it dont get you to the butler in the pantry part.

[sjc1]

I read the book, The Texas Rangers, last year and I felt that it was an excellent book that was very well researched.
I have just begun to read Texans, Guns & History by Col. Charles Askins. So far, it appears to be pretty good.

[williamlayton]

give an overview of the book--we would all be interestd.

[sjc1]

Will do. I have just begun to read it. Until I purchased this book last week I was unaware that Askins had ever written anything like this. Also, earlier I had mentioned the book on Wyatt Earp by Stuart Lake which I will begin to read as soon as it arrives from England. I had to purchase one in England in order to get a first edition, in very good condition, at a reasonable price.

[williamlayton]

thanx for the info--we will be looking for the reviews.  didn't you hate to do these in hi-school ?  i read a lot of them now. maybe miss manley did know something after all.
                                                                blessings

[Capt Hamp Cox]

I have it and it is definitely worth reading.  Has been quite a while since I read it, but the thing that struck me as making it different from most other books that cover the same topics is that Col. Askins had been in numerous gunfights, and had (at least once) permanently turned out the lights of his adversary (be sure and read chapter XXI The Border Patrol).  Most historians don't have that in their resume.  Askins' accounts of otherwise familiar historical events reflect his "been there, done that" familiarity with life threatening situations, and, from my perspective, add something to the subject matter.  The book has chapters on:

The Long Horn Trail
Indian Fights
Hunting Victorio
The Fight at Adobe Walls
The Last Indian Fight
McNelly’s Rangers
McNelly Rides into Mexico
Outlaws of the Brush Country
Ben Thompson and King Fisher
Lee Hall and John Armstrong
John Wesley Hardin, Texas Badman
Dallas Stoudenmire, Marshal of El Paso
The Buffalo Runners
Sam Bass, the Merry Outlaw
Frontier Skirmishes
Gunfire on the Salt Flats
John Hughes, a Straight Shooter
The Long Ride
Busted Fences
Bandit Troubles
The Border Patrol
Bonnie and Clyde

sjc1, Col. Askins also wrote Gunfighters, another good read.

[williamlayton]

adobe walls was an interesting episode wasn't it. what was his take?
                                                     blessings