John Barclay Armstrong

John Barclay Armstrong
Born(1850-01-01)January 1, 1850
McMinnville, Tennessee,
DiedMay 1, 1913(1913-05-01) (aged 63)
Armstrong, Texas
OccupationsTexas Ranger, United States Marshal.
Known forhis role in the pursuit and capture of John Wesley Hardin.


John Barclay Armstrong (January 1, 1850 – May 1, 1913) was a Texas Ranger lieutenant and a United States Marshal. He is usually remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighter John Wesley Hardin.

Early life

Armstrong was born in McMinnville, Tennessee, son of Dr. John B. Armstrong and Maria Susannah Ready on January 1, 1850. Among notable relatives were his maternal grandfather Charles Ready, a U.S. Representative from Tennessee and his cousin Confederate States Army Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan. After living in Arkansas and Missouri for a short time, Armstrong moved to Austin, Texas in 1871.

Career

In 1875, after a brief stint as a lawman, he joined the Special Force under Captain Leander H. McNelly, a newly created quasi-military branch of the Texas Rangers that was to operate in southern Texas. His role as McNelly's second-in-command and right-hand man earned him the promotion to sergeant and the nickname "McNelly's Bulldog" after the battle of Plano Alto for his marksmanship

With the death of McNelly and the absorption of the Special Force by the Texas Rangers' Frontier Battalion in 1876, Armstrong was promoted to Lieutenant. He was involved in several notable cases,

On August 24, 1877,[1][2] Rangers and local authorities confronted John Wesley Hardin on a train in Pensacola, Florida. He attempted to draw a .44 Colt cap-and-ball pistol but it got caught up in his suspenders. The officers knocked Hardin unconscious. They arrested two of his companions, and Ranger Armstrong killed a third, a man named Mann, who had a pistol in his hand.[3][4][5] Hardin claimed that he was captured while smoking his pipe and that Duncan found Hardin's pistol under his shirt only after his arrest.[6]

including the capture of Hardin and the pursuit and killing of noted bank robber Sam Bass.

Armstrong resigned from his position at the Rangers in 1881, and was appointed as a U.S. Marshal shortly afterwards. He later established himself in Willacy County, Texas, where he founded a very large ranch.

Death

Armstrong died at his home in Armstrong, Texas, on May 1, 1913.

The ranch was later reorganized into Kenedy County, Texas

Films

The film Texas Rangers (2001) portrays the exploits of Armstrong, who is played by actor Robert Patrick.

References

  1. ^ "Hardin credited with 27 killings". Wichita City Eagle. August 30, 1877. p. 2.
  2. ^ Whiting, Ala., August 21. To-day as a train was leaving Pensacola, the sheriff, with a posse, boarded the cars to assist Texan officers to arrest the notorious John Wesley Hardin, who is said to have committed twenty-seven murders, and for whose body $1,000 reward has been offered by an act of the Legislature of Texas. His last murder in Texas was the killing of the sheriff of Comanche county. He has lived in Florida for several years under the name of John Swain. About twenty shots were fired in making the arrest, and Hardin's companion, named Mann, who had a pistol in his hand, was killed.
  3. ^ Wise, Ken (March 2012). Hunter, Michelle (ed.). "The Trial of John Wesley Hardin". Texas Bar Journal. 75 (9). Austin, Texas: State Bar of Texas: 202. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "Armstrong". Daily Fort Worth Standard. The McClatchy Company. September 1, 1877. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  5. ^ "Hardin". The Iola Register. September 1, 1877. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  6. ^ Hardin 2008, p. 119.

Sources



allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barclay_Armstrong