Captain Jack: The Story of John Coffee Hays
by Gene Shelton
Jack Hays led from the front. He was the man who set the standard for Texas Rangers for decades to come.
He wasn’t a big man – five foot six, a hundred thirty pounds – but to the men he led into battle, he was a giant.
John Coffee Hays, native Tennessean and surveyor by trade, came to the Texas frontier when the region was still part of Mexico. He stayed through the era of the Republic and eventual statehood, riding with men like Sam Walker, Ben McCulloch, and Bigfoot Wallace, all of whom became legends in Texas history.
He freely admitted he wasn’t a crack shot with handgun or rifle. But in brutal battles against Comanche raiders, Anglo and Mexican bandits, and later against highly trained armies during the Mexican War, he was a born leader and military tactician, admired by his men and feared by his enemies.
During the war with Mexico, he was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Army. But to the men he led, he was always “Captain Jack” – because to Texas Rangers, “captain” was the highest of all titles and honors.
He wasn’t a big man – five foot six, a hundred thirty pounds – but to the men he led into battle, he was a giant.
John Coffee Hays, native Tennessean and surveyor by trade, came to the Texas frontier when the region was still part of Mexico. He stayed through the era of the Republic and eventual statehood, riding with men like Sam Walker, Ben McCulloch, and Bigfoot Wallace, all of whom became legends in Texas history.
He freely admitted he wasn’t a crack shot with handgun or rifle. But in brutal battles against Comanche raiders, Anglo and Mexican bandits, and later against highly trained armies during the Mexican War, he was a born leader and military tactician, admired by his men and feared by his enemies.
During the war with Mexico, he was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Army. But to the men he led, he was always “Captain Jack” – because to Texas Rangers, “captain” was the highest of all titles and honors.
