Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker
by Betty Dunn
Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker was on a mission when he arrived in New York City in early 1846. It had
been a wearisome trip from the Indian and Mexico battles in Texas. (This is the same Samuel Walker whose name was used for the 2nd naming of Walker County. See “Settlers –Twice Named Walker County” by Dr.
Robin Montgomery.”)
Walker was meeting with Samuel Colt, inventor of the five-shot Colt revolver. He and fellow Texas
Rangers had some ideas for Colt on how to improve the revolver following the successful use of the gun in a particular battle with Comanche Indians in the wilds of Texas near the Pedernales River.
The outcome would be the re-design of the revolver by Colt with Walker’s ideas. The gun would become widely known as the Walker Colt.
Somehow, and the “how” is somewhat unclear, a number of Colt’s early five-shot revolvers had made their
way to Texas into the hands of Texas Ranger Colonel John (Jack) C. Hays’ company of which Walker was a member. The Rangers were able to fire the Colt revolver from horseback rather than the commonly used rifles that required repeated moves of advancing, dismounting to fire, reloading guns, and then remounting to pursue.
But Colt’s gun had some problems. To reload, it had to be broken down into three parts. It also had a ‘hidden’ trigger that only appeared when the gun was cocked. It was also light in weight and had an awkward handle. After Walker and Colt worked together the revolver evolved into a much heavier gun with a modified handle that itself could be used as a club. It was now a six-shot cylinder revolver with a visible trigger protected by a trigger guard. The caliber had been increased from .34 to .44. Colt named the gun the Walker Colt.
The dates of just when all this occurred vary in researching historical articles about the Walker Colt. The general consensus is that Walker made the trip to New York in early 1846. There are several theories as to ‘how’ Colt’s first revolving pistol had found its way to Texas. In author/historian Walter Prescott Webb’s book The Texas Rangers (pgs. 84-86), that many readers consider the Bible of the Rangers’ history, Webb
states:
“In some manner a few of the (Colt) revolvers found their way to Texas and fell into the hands of Jack Hays
(Texas Ranger Colonel) and his Rangers at San Antonio. One account has it that they were brought to Texas by S. M. Swenson, a merchant who was a friend of Sam Houston. Another account states that ‘two arms dealers from Texas happened along, snapped up almost the whole lot and took them back West’ where they were sold….falling into the hands of Texas Rangers who found them admirably adapted to the needs of a man who had to fight on horseback.”
However, it is possible that Walker himself may have brought the first Colt revolver to Texas. Colt first patented his five-shot revolver in 1836 and began manufacturing the gun at Paterson, New Jersey. In
efforts to promote the gun for purchase by the United States government, the revolver was offered for first use in 1837 by U. S. troops fighting the Seminole Indians in Florida and the Southeast.
Coincidentally, Walker, who was born in Maryland in 1817, enlisted in May of 1836 with the Washington City Volunteers for the Creek Indian campaign. He was stationed in Florida. When his enlistment ended a year later Walker continued to stay in Florida as a scout until 1841. In early 1842 Walker arrived at Galveston joining Captain Jesse Billingsley’s company against the Mexicans. Is it possible that Walker, himself, may have brought the Colt revolver from Florida?
Colt’s business plan for the gun failed and his business became insolvent in 1842 only to be revived with Walker’s visit to New York. At this time Colt, no longer having a manufacturing facility, approached the Eli
Whitney machine works that was already producing rifles and single shot pistols. Within months the Whitney plant had the newly designed Walker Colt six-shot revolver in the hands of the Texans. It was the revival of Colt’s invention that would continue for decades outliving the inventor who died in January 1862 near the beginning of the Civil War when demand for the gun exploded.
When Walker first came to Texas he served with Billingsley, next enlisted with the Somervell Expedition and then in 1843 joined Fisher’s infamous Mier Expedition into Mexico. He luckily drew a white bean and the survivors were imprisoned at Mexico City and then the Castle Perote prison on the Vera Cruz road. When Walker was freed and returned to Texas ‘he joined Colonel John (Jack) C. Hays’ Texas Ranger Company.
The timeline then leads to the successful fight with the Comanche Indians near Pedernales on June 8th prompting Walker’s later mission to meet Colt in New York.
Walker arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico in late 1846 armed with the newly designed revolver where he met up with Colonel Hays’s Texas Ranger Company. For the next year he fought extensively in Mexico until the fateful day of October 9th, 1847 when his company reached Huamantla. Here they met Santa Anna’s forces head on in a street battle. During the hand to hand battle, Walker was killed. Historical reports vary as to whether he was shot in the back or killed by a man on foot wielding a lance, or both.
Walker was first buried in Mexico at Hacienda Tamaris. In 1848 his remains were carried to San
Antonio. Eight years later on, April 21, 1856, he was reburied in the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery in San Antonio as a part of a San Jacinto Day celebration.
Adored by his men, Walker, who survived the inhumane treatment of the Mier survivors as prisoners of the Mexicans at the Castle Perote, had apparently become vindictive and became known as an officer who “seldom brings in prisoners”.
According to Webb in The Texas Rangers, (pg. 116), when Walker arrived at the Castle Perote during the
Mexican War in May of 1847 he relived the suffering of he and the Mier survivors. Webb states that
during Walker’s imprisonment he had declared to fellow prisoners that the American flag would one day fly from the turret of the castle. Webb continues with the story that “when the Mexicans made him and the other (Mier) prisoners to dig a hole in the yard and erect a flagpole, Walker placed an American dime under the pole, promising to return as a victor and claim it.” He fulfilled his prophecy but only a couple months before his death.
J. J. Oswandel in Notes on the Mexican War, (pp. 171-172) also wrote: “Should Capt. (sic) Walker come across the guerrillas God help them, for he seldom brings in prisoners."
Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker was on a mission when he arrived in New York City in early 1846. It had
been a wearisome trip from the Indian and Mexico battles in Texas. (This is the same Samuel Walker whose name was used for the 2nd naming of Walker County. See “Settlers –Twice Named Walker County” by Dr.
Robin Montgomery.”)
Walker was meeting with Samuel Colt, inventor of the five-shot Colt revolver. He and fellow Texas
Rangers had some ideas for Colt on how to improve the revolver following the successful use of the gun in a particular battle with Comanche Indians in the wilds of Texas near the Pedernales River.
The outcome would be the re-design of the revolver by Colt with Walker’s ideas. The gun would become widely known as the Walker Colt.
Somehow, and the “how” is somewhat unclear, a number of Colt’s early five-shot revolvers had made their
way to Texas into the hands of Texas Ranger Colonel John (Jack) C. Hays’ company of which Walker was a member. The Rangers were able to fire the Colt revolver from horseback rather than the commonly used rifles that required repeated moves of advancing, dismounting to fire, reloading guns, and then remounting to pursue.
But Colt’s gun had some problems. To reload, it had to be broken down into three parts. It also had a ‘hidden’ trigger that only appeared when the gun was cocked. It was also light in weight and had an awkward handle. After Walker and Colt worked together the revolver evolved into a much heavier gun with a modified handle that itself could be used as a club. It was now a six-shot cylinder revolver with a visible trigger protected by a trigger guard. The caliber had been increased from .34 to .44. Colt named the gun the Walker Colt.
The dates of just when all this occurred vary in researching historical articles about the Walker Colt. The general consensus is that Walker made the trip to New York in early 1846. There are several theories as to ‘how’ Colt’s first revolving pistol had found its way to Texas. In author/historian Walter Prescott Webb’s book The Texas Rangers (pgs. 84-86), that many readers consider the Bible of the Rangers’ history, Webb
states:
“In some manner a few of the (Colt) revolvers found their way to Texas and fell into the hands of Jack Hays
(Texas Ranger Colonel) and his Rangers at San Antonio. One account has it that they were brought to Texas by S. M. Swenson, a merchant who was a friend of Sam Houston. Another account states that ‘two arms dealers from Texas happened along, snapped up almost the whole lot and took them back West’ where they were sold….falling into the hands of Texas Rangers who found them admirably adapted to the needs of a man who had to fight on horseback.”
However, it is possible that Walker himself may have brought the first Colt revolver to Texas. Colt first patented his five-shot revolver in 1836 and began manufacturing the gun at Paterson, New Jersey. In
efforts to promote the gun for purchase by the United States government, the revolver was offered for first use in 1837 by U. S. troops fighting the Seminole Indians in Florida and the Southeast.
Coincidentally, Walker, who was born in Maryland in 1817, enlisted in May of 1836 with the Washington City Volunteers for the Creek Indian campaign. He was stationed in Florida. When his enlistment ended a year later Walker continued to stay in Florida as a scout until 1841. In early 1842 Walker arrived at Galveston joining Captain Jesse Billingsley’s company against the Mexicans. Is it possible that Walker, himself, may have brought the Colt revolver from Florida?
Colt’s business plan for the gun failed and his business became insolvent in 1842 only to be revived with Walker’s visit to New York. At this time Colt, no longer having a manufacturing facility, approached the Eli
Whitney machine works that was already producing rifles and single shot pistols. Within months the Whitney plant had the newly designed Walker Colt six-shot revolver in the hands of the Texans. It was the revival of Colt’s invention that would continue for decades outliving the inventor who died in January 1862 near the beginning of the Civil War when demand for the gun exploded.
When Walker first came to Texas he served with Billingsley, next enlisted with the Somervell Expedition and then in 1843 joined Fisher’s infamous Mier Expedition into Mexico. He luckily drew a white bean and the survivors were imprisoned at Mexico City and then the Castle Perote prison on the Vera Cruz road. When Walker was freed and returned to Texas ‘he joined Colonel John (Jack) C. Hays’ Texas Ranger Company.
The timeline then leads to the successful fight with the Comanche Indians near Pedernales on June 8th prompting Walker’s later mission to meet Colt in New York.
Walker arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico in late 1846 armed with the newly designed revolver where he met up with Colonel Hays’s Texas Ranger Company. For the next year he fought extensively in Mexico until the fateful day of October 9th, 1847 when his company reached Huamantla. Here they met Santa Anna’s forces head on in a street battle. During the hand to hand battle, Walker was killed. Historical reports vary as to whether he was shot in the back or killed by a man on foot wielding a lance, or both.
Walker was first buried in Mexico at Hacienda Tamaris. In 1848 his remains were carried to San
Antonio. Eight years later on, April 21, 1856, he was reburied in the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery in San Antonio as a part of a San Jacinto Day celebration.
Adored by his men, Walker, who survived the inhumane treatment of the Mier survivors as prisoners of the Mexicans at the Castle Perote, had apparently become vindictive and became known as an officer who “seldom brings in prisoners”.
According to Webb in The Texas Rangers, (pg. 116), when Walker arrived at the Castle Perote during the
Mexican War in May of 1847 he relived the suffering of he and the Mier survivors. Webb states that
during Walker’s imprisonment he had declared to fellow prisoners that the American flag would one day fly from the turret of the castle. Webb continues with the story that “when the Mexicans made him and the other (Mier) prisoners to dig a hole in the yard and erect a flagpole, Walker placed an American dime under the pole, promising to return as a victor and claim it.” He fulfilled his prophecy but only a couple months before his death.
J. J. Oswandel in Notes on the Mexican War, (pp. 171-172) also wrote: “Should Capt. (sic) Walker come across the guerrillas God help them, for he seldom brings in prisoners."