page 16: "Starting around 1840, the Texas Rangers were organized by the Republic of Texas to go after the Indians."
This statement was a little confusing in that the Republic of Texas came into being on March 2, 1836 while the Texas Rangers were unofficially started by Stephen Austin in 1823 and officially started on November 24, 1835....prior to the Republic.
The official start of the Rangers found Texans in the midst of the Texas Revolution under a leadership (Sam Houston) who had a good relationship with the Indians. It was a later president (Mirabeau Lamar) that dispatched the Rangers after the Indians.
By 1840 (the date in the statement), the Rangers were certainly battling the Indians.
However, back in the unofficial days, the groups of rangers did defend against raiding Indian parties and outlaws....
Thus the bit of confusion on my part from the statement....
Source: Texas Rangers
Source: Republic of Texas
(the photo depicts the memorial on the grounds of the Texas Capitol)
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