Southern-Trails-L Archives

From: "Charles A. Wyly" <>
Subject: Re Col. John Coffee Hays, Texas Ranger and Mexican war.
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 22:12:30 -0600

Hi,

Col. John Coffee Hays AKA Jack Hays was the Texas Ranger Comander of
volunteers requested by Gen. Taylor to scout for the U.S. Army in Mexico
War of 1845, all the way to Mexico City. These volunteers included my
Great Great Grandad Rev. and M.D. William Pinckney Hatchett and a
brother., recently of Georgia. They had cousins from Tennessee who died
in Mexico in the U.S. Army Col. Hayes and men all had a rifle and two
five shooters. Sometime early in the war they orderred each man two Colt
.44 six shooters.

The army Cavalry were infantry men with horses- single shot muzzle
loading rifles. When Indians attacked, the Army dismounted, set up rifle,
fired one shot and had to clean and muzzle load the rifle for the next
shot.By then the Comanche Indian , riding full soeed could fire 6 or more
arrows . The Texas Ranger 1 year volunteers would then ride full speed
toward the Comanches on both sides of the border, with a six shooter in
each hand , fireing with deadly accuracy. No Army in the world had six
shooter pistols and Sam Colt was broke. He got another plant to make the
pistols for the Rangers. After this the U.S. Army was equipped with
pistols.

These Rangers were one year volunteers, Their contract expired before
reaching Mexico City, and they went home to Texas. Dr. Hatchett's brother
had a letter from Benito Juarez to stay in Mexico as a Doctor and
Minister and mine gold in Mataehula - Mineral De Cachorce.
His son Santiago was the engineer who built first Railroad across the
state of San Luis Potosi.

Ben McCullough and his Waco area Texas Rangers stayed with Gen Taylor and
John Coffee Hays and saved them from ambush from much larger forces by
anticipating their moves and attacking Mexican troops head on, sometimes
before the Army recognized danger. Comanches would turn and flee when
each Ranger fired 12 shots without reloading. Those who left the first
year are recorded by Gen. Taylor as deserters in Texas State Library
records, but they were not his troops. Their contract was expired and
theythought he was taking too long and did not see the necessity of
attacking Mexico City. The Mexican General was Antonio Lopez De. La Santa
Anna, who was captured at San Jacinto by Sam Houston 9 years before at
San Jacinto.

San Marcos is in Hays County , Texas, named for Jack Hays.AKA John Coffee
Hays.

My grandmother 9 generations back was Martha Elizabeth Coffee born
1719, died 1770 and married to John Cleveland , , parents of Col. Ben
Cleveland, whose daughter married James Wyly. This is in Cleveland
Geneaology of 1899, for Pres. Grover Cleveland. Most Presidents have
supplied their ancestry records. George Washington traced to a British
Royal family. Never saw Bill Clinton's.

Take care,
Charles A. Wyly

On Thu, 15 Mar 2001 16:34:26 -0500 Jim Blease <> writes:
>
>
> wrote:
>
> And just to confuse things there is
> > another Gen. John Coffee who was from GA. He and John of TN and
> AL were
> > contemporaries and 1st cousins. Betty.
>
> I think the Georgia John Coffee was the one who opened the Old
> Coffee
> Road through South Georgia and opened it to settlement after the
> territory was stolen from the Creeks.
>
> Back in the '50's, a friend opened a restaurant and RV camp at the
> intersection of that road and newly opened I-75. I tried to talk
> him
> into calling it the Old Coffee Cafe but for some reason he wouldn't
> agree to it.
>
> Jim Blease
>
>
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This thread:

• Re Col. John Coffee Hays, Texas Ranger and Mexican war. by "Charles A. Wyly" <>