Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution: The Bloodiest Decade, 1910-1920 - Hardcover

Harris, Charles H.; Sadler, Louis R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0826334830 ISBN 13: 9780826334831

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 2004

Synopsis

The decade 1910-1920 was the bloodiest in the controversial history of one of the most famous law enforcement agencies in the world - the Texas Rangers. Much of the bloodshed was along the thousand-mile Texas/Mexico border because these were the years of the Mexican Revolution. Charles Harris III and Louis Sadler shed new light on this turbulent period by uncovering the clandestine role of Mexican President Venustiano Carranza in the border violence. They document two virtually unknown invasions of Texas by Mexican Army troops acting under Carranza's orders. Harris and Sadler suggest the notorious 'Plan de San Diego', usually portrayed by historians as a plot hatched in South Texas, was actually spawned in Mexico by Carranza. This irredentist conspiracy, which called for the execution of all Anglo males sixteen and older and the establishment of a Hispanic republic, was designed to cause a race war between Hispanics and Anglos. One of Carranza's goals was to end the support being given by border residents to his rival Pancho Villa. The 'Plan de San Diego' caused the governor of Texas to order the Texas Rangers to wipe out the insurgency along the border. This resulted in an estimated 300 Hispanics being killed by the Rangers and others without benefit of judge and jury. The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution is the first Ranger history to utilise Mexican government archives and the voluminous declassified FBI records on the Mexican Revolution.

About this title

Review:

"A thorough introduction to the real history of the Texas Rangers." ""The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution" represents an important addition to the scholarship on the history of Texas, Mexico, and the Borderlands." "The research by the authors is impeccable and their conclusions are based on notarized and verifiable documents and records. As part of our western history, this book will be a prized addition to the library of western history readers, students, and teachers." "The unique and in ways controversial activities of the Texas Rangers in this complex, volatile, and fluid situation is the subject the authors hone in on. Harris and Sadler. . bring to light little-known dimensions of the historical events, which continue to affect relationships and feelings between white Texans and Hispanics in the area." "Relying on historical records from both sides of the Rio Grande. . this volume of more than 500 pages doesn't miss a trick. If you happen to be a student of Texas Ranger history or to have descended from one you'll likely find it heady reading. To the casual student of history, its value is to clear political fog that has enveloped this critical period." "This balanced and well-written account is recommended for all libraries in Texas as well as Western collections." "This book does not glorify the Rangers. . . Rather, it suggests that a considerable gap exists between the myth of the Texas Rangers and the reality." " Harris and Sadler present a highly detailed recounting of the activities of the various Ranger companies, their commanders, and the individual law enforcement officers involved in these events. . Recommended. General and undergraduate collections and up." "This is one of the best works of western history I have ever read. I quite literally could not put this book down, and took extensive marginal notes throughout. Everyone I know in Texas is now devouring this book. "The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution" is for anyone who likes a fast-paced, exciting story well told." "This book is a must-read for those who follow Texas history in general and Texas Ranger and Mexican Revolution history in particular. . "The Texas rangers and the Mexican Revolution" is highly recommended. It provides excellent reading, is accurate history and covers the era from not only the Texas Ranger but also the Mexican Revolution viewpoints." "A fascinating account of a troubled decade, "The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution" will keep you reading..." "Harris and Sadler...clearly have done their homework." "Previous accounts have paid little attention to this decade and tend to be pro- or anti-Ranger...this balanced and well-written account is recommended for all libraries in Texas as well as Western collection." "A fascinating account of a troubled decade, ["The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution"] will keep you reading..." "It is a fascinating book giving new and refreshing reappraisal of the Texas Rangers. . . . [The authors] have provided readers with many new and exciting insights about the Rangers and the Mexican Revolution. The book is a mighty one." ." . . a broad, highly researched, and well-written study. It is a work that will prove to be the standard for decades to come. . . . The key word describing [Harris and Sadlers] research is 'exhaustive.'. . . These two authors provide exciting reading." "[Harris and Sadler] present a highly detailed recounting of the activities of the various Ranger companies, their commanders, and the individual law enforcement officers involved in these events. . Recommended. General and undergraduate collections and up." "Harris and Sadler provide the first definitive evaluation of the Texas Rangers and their activities during the first and most violent decade of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920. This is a really outstanding, important work." ""The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution" is hefty proof that thoroughgoing scholarship is not incompatible with an entertainingly good read. . Decades of painstaking and insightful work has been directed at a colorful and controversial subject to get at the truth that has been concealed beneath layers of myth, obfuscation, and plain damn lies." "Aficionados of Texas Ranger history will be grateful for Dr. Harris and Dr. Sadler's insightful revision of earlier studies. Their book includes 48 illustrations and a complete list of Ranger names with dates of service between 1910-1920. Densely packed with personal histories, detailed accounts of Ranger activities and extensive footnotes to archival material, this evenhanded account memorializes the daunting complexities besetting the Rangers' effort to police a state so large that it inspired a 19th-century humorous rhyme: 'The sun has riz, the sun has set, and here we is in Texas yet.'"

About the Author:

Charles H Harris III is professor emeriti of history at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. Louis R Sadler is professor emeriti of history at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0826334830
• ISBN 13: 9780826334831
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 673