- John Barclay Armstrong
John Barclay Armstrong (
January 1 ,1850 –May 1 ,1913 ) was a Texas Ranger lieutenant and aUnited States Marshal, usually remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighterJohn Wesley Hardin .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 fromTennessee and his cousin Brigadier GeneralJohn Hunt Morgan , CSA. After living inArkansas andMissouri for a short time, Armstrong moved to Austin,Texas in 1871. After a short experience as a lawman, in 1875 he joined the Special Force under CaptainLeander H. McNelly , a newly created quasi-military branch of the Texas Rangers that was to operate in southernTexas . His role as McNelly's second in command and right hand earned him the promotion to sergeant and the nickname "McNelly's Bulldog".With the death of McNelly and the absorption of the Special Force within the Texas Rangers' Frontier Battalion in 1876, Armstrong was promoted to Lieutenant. He was involved in several notable cases, like the capture of Hardin and the pursuit and killing of noted bank robber
Sam Bass .Armstrong resigned his position at the Rangers in 1881, and was shortly after appointed U.S. marshal. He established in
Willacy County ,Texas , where he founded a considerably large ranch. He died at his home in Armstrong,Texas onMay 1 , 1913.The ranch was later reorganized into
Kenedy County, Texas , and in 2006 was the site of ahunting accident involvingVice President of the United States Dick Cheney .Films
The film "Texas Rangers" (2001) portrays the exploits of Armstrong, who is played by actor
Robert Patrick .External links
*Handbook of Texas|id=AA/far10|name=John Barclay Armstrong
*John Barclay Armstrong [http://www.texasranger.org/halloffame/Armstrong_John.htm] from the "Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Online"
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