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Benjamin McCulloch Document Signed with Rank. ...
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Description
Texas Ranger Ben McCulloch Requests Forage Returns for his Pursuit of Mariano Arista
Benjamin McCulloch Document Signed with Rank. One
page, 7.75" x 6.5", no place; June 14, 1846.Forage return for McCulloch's company of Texas Rangers. The report reads, in part, "Forage Return for 45 Horses & Mules in Capt. B. McCulloch's company of Texas Rangers for two days commencing the 16th and ending the 17th of June 1846." Supplies were gathered from Fort Brown and include forty-five rations of food, four counts of corn, six counts of oats, and five counts of hay. Signed, "Ben McCulloch / Capt. Texas Rangers." Docketed on verso.
McCulloch prepares for an excursion as the newly minted captain of Company A. In June 1846, the regiment was raised for service in the Mexican American War. As soon as news of Zachary Taylor's call for volunteers reached Texas, McCulloch sprang into action. One of his soldiers, Samuel C. Reid writes, "In thirty-six hours after the express arrived, Capt. Ben McCulloch had raised a choice company on the banks of the Guadaloupe [sic], and set out for the seat of hostilities. This company was perhaps the best mounted, armed, equipped, and appointed corps that was out in the ranging service; and from the time of its arrival at head-quarters until after its disbandment at Monterey [sic], enjoyed more of the trust and confidence of the commanding general than any other volunteer company of the invading army."
McCulloch requested these supplies shortly after receiving the order to follow Mexican General Mariano Arista's army in the direction of Linares. McCulloch set off toward Reynosa from Matamoras with the supplies in question. While on this scouting expedition, McCulloch engaged a group of Mexican rancheros, chasing them so aggressively that several soldiers injured their horses in the pursuit.
Benjamin McCulloch's military career spanned decades and wars. Upon arriving in Texas in 1835, he immediately enlisted in Sam Houston's army. He rose quickly in the ranks and commanded one of the infamous "Twin Sisters" cannons during the Battle of San Jacinto. Shortly after Texas won its independence, McCulloch joined the Texas Rangers and gained a reputation as a skilled fighter against hostile Native American tribes. McCulloch dabbled briefly in politics, but violence seemed to follow him from the battlefield to the congressional chair. His 1839 campaign for the House of Representatives involved a rifle duel with fellow soldier-turned-politician Reuben Ross. Though McCulloch's right arm was partially crippled by Ross, McCulloch continued to develop a promising military career. During the Mexican American War, McCulloch led Company A of the Texas Rangers, part of the First Regiment of Texas Mounted Rifle Volunteers, and served as one of Zachary Taylor's primary scouts. With the outbreak of the Civil War, McCulloch was commissioned as a colonel and was soon promoted to brigadier general. He was killed in the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, when he was shot down from his horse.
Condition: Creased along folds with slight staining and a few minor ink stains. Slight spotting to the upper left corner.
References: Samuel C. Reid, Jr., The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers, 1859
Auction Info
2023 December 2 The Ted Lusher Texas History Collection, Part One Signature® Auction #6281 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2023
2nd
Saturday
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