H.R. No. 1752
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, April 21, 2013, is the 130th anniversary of the
death of the legendary Texas Ranger John Coffee "Jack" Hays, and
this occasion provides a fitting opportunity to celebrate his
extraordinary life and career; and
WHEREAS, Jack Hays was born on January 28, 1817, in Little
Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee, to Harmon and Elizabeth Hays;
his father had fought alongside Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston in
the War of 1812, and with the outbreak of the Texas Revolution,
young Jack Hays decided to join the Texians' cause; by June 1836, he
had enlisted with the troops under General Thomas Jefferson Rusk,
and while serving in the Texas Army, he helped to bury the remains
of victims of the Goliad Massacre; subsequently, Sam Houston
advised him to join a company of Texas Rangers under the command of
Erastus "Deaf" Smith, and in 1837 Hays participated in a cavalry
engagement near Laredo, earning the rank of sergeant; and
WHEREAS, For the next several years, Hays worked as the
deputy surveyor of the Bexar District, and during that time, he made
a study of the Indian techniques of warfare to better protect the
surveying parties under his authority; he became an exceptional
tracker and was able to follow signs in the dry terrain of West
Texas that no one else could see; and
WHEREAS, It was in the early 1840s, first as a captain and
then as a major, that Jack Hays earned his reputation as one of the
greatest Texas Rangers in history; in the bitter struggle between
the Rangers and the Comanche, Hays proved to be a fierce fighter and
a gifted leader, using the Comanches' own techniques of concealment
and surprise against them; he pioneered the use of the new Colt
revolver in fights with the Indians, and though he and his men were
often outnumbered, he never lost a battle; and
WHEREAS, In one famous engagement along the Nueces River,
Hays and 14 of his men boldly charged a force of 200 Comanche
warriors, chasing them for three miles; in another noted encounter,
Hays and his men were attacked in the Hill Country and Hays became
separated from the rest of his group; he retreated to the top of
nearby Enchanted Rock, where he used a hollow on the summit as a
fortification and single-handedly fought off repeated charges by
the Indians with a rifle and two pistols until his men were able to
rescue him; and
WHEREAS, During the Mexican-American War, Hays led the First
Regiment of the Texas Mounted Riflemen at the rank of colonel,
scouting for the army of General Zachary Taylor and taking part in
the siege of Monterrey; regarded as a perfect gentleman by the young
ladies of San Antonio, he married Susan Calvert in 1847 at the
Magnolia Hotel in Seguin, and they later became the parents of three
sons and three daughters; in 1849, he was appointed as the Indian
agent for Gila River territory in New Mexico and Arizona, and the
following year he and his wife emigrated to California, where he
went on to serve as the sheriff of San Francisco County and as U.S.
surveyor general, helped to found the city of Oakland, and became
successful in real estate and ranching; he died on April 21, 1883,
and is buried in California; and
WHEREAS, Slender of build, with a clear, high voice, Jack
Hays may not have fit the traditional image of a hero, but in the
field he was a natural leader and a brilliant guerrilla warrior,
self-possessed, rational, and cool-headed, keenly aware of his
surroundings and an expert judge of the capabilities of his men; he
personally trained such other renowned Rangers as Ben McCulloch and
Sam Walker, and his example of calm authority in command and
decisiveness in action has inspired generations of Texas peace
officers; the right man in the right place at the right time, Jack
Hays is one of the most vividly colorful figures in the history of
our state, and his name and achievements will be remembered for as
long as the stars shine over Texas; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Jack Hays on the 130th
anniversary of his death and commemorate his enduring legacy of
courage and determination.
Isaac
Stickland
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1752 was adopted by the House on May
8, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House