The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 23
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CAPTAIN McCULLOCI. 23
which, it may be remembered, fought so bravely, and was almost
entirely cut up. The market-house is very poor, and the principal
houses which surround it are grog-shops and groceries.
There were several public houses opened, with billiard rooms,
and a great deal of gambling going on. The population of Matamoras
is about 4000.
The next day, in company with some officers of the army, we
called on the American consul, Mr. Schatzel, who has been residing
here for a great many years. He treated us very hospitably,
and said he should always be glad to see us. We then visited
the late quarters of Generals Arista and Ampudia, which were
nothing more than clever buildings, though finely fitted up inside,
and now occupied by the departments of our army. Returning,
we met Mr. Kendall, of the Picayune, who introduced us to
Capt. Benjamin McCulloch, the celebrated partisan scout. Capt.
McCulloch is a man of rather delicate frame, of about five feet ten
inches in height, with light hair and complexion. His features
are regular and pleasing, though, from long exposure on the frontier,
they have a weather-beaten cast. His quick and bright blue
eye, with a mouth of thin compressed lips, indicate the cool, calculating,
as well as the brave and daring energy of the man.
Being told that we were anxious to join his company, after running
his eye over us, he asked, "Have you a good horse, sir?
for," said he, , I have refused a great many because their horses
would not do for our service." Our horse was then inspected,
and being pronounced "a good horse," we were immediately
made a "*Texas Ranger." Capt. McCulloch had just come in
from a scout towards Linares, and a detachment of his company
had been left at Reynoso, under the command of Lieut. McMullen;
and it was expected that we would move up to Reynoso in
a few days.
Benjamin McCulloch was born in Rutherford county, state' of
Tennessee, about the year 1814. His father, Alexander McCulloch,
was aid-de-camp to General Coffee, and fought under Gen.
Jackson at the battles of Talladega, Tallahassee, and Horse-shoe,
during the Creek war. While McCulloch was very young, his
father emigrated to Alabama, and Benjamin was sent back to
Tennessee to school, where he remained until he was about fourteen
years lcd. Shortly after, however, his father moved back to the
western district of Tennessee, and settled in Dyer county. There,
Ben was kept hunting until he was near twenty-one. At that
time the bears were so bad that hogs could not be raised on their
account, and the settlers principally depended upon bear-meat for
stosistence. In those days, if a man's gun snapped, he lost his
breakfast, for hunting bears in the cane requires much caution.
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Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/26/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.