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John Barclay Armstrong (January 1, 1850 – May 1, 1913) was a Texas Ranger lieutenant and a United States Marshal. He is usually remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighter John Wesley Hardin.
John Barclay Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 1, 1850 McMinnville, Tennessee, |
| Died | May 1, 1913 (aged 63) Armstrong, Texas |
| Occupations | Texas Ranger, United States Marshal. |
| Known for | his role in the pursuit and capture of John Wesley Hardin. |
Early life
editArmstrong was born in McMinnville, Tennessee, son of Dr. John B. Armstrong and Maria Susannah Ready on January 1, 1850.[1] Among notable relatives were his maternal grandfather Charles Ready, a U.S. Representative from Tennessee, and his cousin Confederate States Army Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan.
Career
editAfter living in Arkansas and Missouri for a short time, Armstrong moved to Austin, Texas in 1871, where he married and joined the Travis Rifles.[1]
In May 1875, after a brief stint as a lawman, he joined the Special Force under Captain Leander H. McNelly, a newly created quasi-military branch of the Texas Rangers that was to operate in southern Texas.[1] His role as McNelly's second-in-command and right-hand man earned him the promotion to sergeant and the nickname "McNelly's Bulldog" after the battle of Plano Alto in the Las Cuevas War for his marksmanship.[1]
With the death of McNelly and the absorption of the Special Force by the Texas Rangers' Frontier Battalion in 1876, Armstrong was promoted to Lieutenant.[1]
On August 24, 1877,[2][3] Rangers and local authorities confronted John Wesley Hardin on a train in Pensacola, Florida. He attempted to draw a .44 Colt cap-and-ball pistol but it got caught up in his suspenders. The officers knocked Hardin unconscious. They arrested two of his companions, and Ranger Armstrong killed a third, a man named Mann, who had a pistol in his hand.[4][5][6] Hardin claimed that he was captured while smoking his pipe and that Duncan found Hardin's pistol under his shirt only after his arrest.[7]
In July 1878, he was involved in the pursuit and killing of bank robber Sam Bass at Round Rock.[1]
Armstrong resigned from his position at the Rangers in 1881, and was appointed as a U.S. Marshal shortly afterwards. In 1882 established himself in Willacy County, Texas, where he founded a 50,000 acre ranch.[1] The ranch was later reorganized into Kenedy County, Texas.
Death
editArmstrong died at his home in Armstrong, Texas, on May 1, 1913.[1]
Films
editThe film Texas Rangers (2001) portrays the exploits of Armstrong, who is played by actor Robert Patrick.
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cutrer, Thomas W. (October 2, 2018). "John Barclay Armstrong: The Legacy of McNelly's Bulldog". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Hardin credited with 27 killings". Wichita City Eagle. August 30, 1877. p. 2.
- ↑ Whiting, Ala., August 21. To-day as a train was leaving Pensacola, the sheriff, with a posse, boarded the cars to assist Texan officers to arrest the notorious John Wesley Hardin, who is said to have committed twenty-seven murders, and for whose body $1,000 reward has been offered by an act of the Legislature of Texas. His last murder in Texas was the killing of the sheriff of Comanche county. He has lived in Florida for several years under the name of John Swain. About twenty shots were fired in making the arrest, and Hardin's companion, named Mann, who had a pistol in his hand, was killed.
- ↑ Wise, Ken (March 2012). Hunter, Michelle (ed.). "The Trial of John Wesley Hardin". Texas Bar Journal. 75 (9). Austin, Texas: State Bar of Texas: 202. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Armstrong". Daily Fort Worth Standard. The McClatchy Company. September 1, 1877. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Hardin". The Iola Register. September 1, 1877. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ↑ Hardin 2008, p. 119.
Sources
edit- Hardin, John Wesley (2008) [1896]. The Life of John Wesley Hardin As Written by Himself (reprint ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-1496167217. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
External links
edit- John Barclay Armstrong from the Handbook of Texas Online
- John Barclay Armstrong from the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Online
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