William A. A. "Bigfoot" Wallace
| William A. A. Wallace | |
|---|---|
Wallace circa 1872
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| Birth name | William Alexander Anderson Wallace |
| Nickname(s) | "Bigfoot" |
| Born | April 3, 1817 Lexington, Virginia |
| Died | January 7, 1899 Bigfoot, Texas |
| Place of burial | Texas State Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
Republic of Texas United States |
| Service/ |
Texas Ranger Division |
| Battles/wars |
Mexican Invasions of Texas |
Mexican Invasions of Texas
William Alexander Anderson "Bigfoot" Wallace (April 3, 1817 – January 7, 1899) was a famous Texas Ranger who took part in many of the military conflicts of the Republic of Texas and the United States in the 1840s, including the Mexican-American War.
Wallace was born in Lexington, Virginia. When he learned that a brother and a cousin had been shot in the Goliad Massacre, he set out for Texas to "take pay out of the Mexicans"; years later, he confessed that he believed the account had been squared. Wallace was a large man at 6'2" and 240 pounds in his prime.
Wallace fought at the battles of Salado Creek, Battle of Hondo River, and Mier. Some of his most graphic memories were of his experiences in Perote Prison after having survived the Black Bean Incident. Wallace later participated in the Mexican-American War Battle of Monterrey and the Comanche Wars.
In the 1850s Wallace commanded a ranger company of his own, fighting border bandits as well as Native Americans. He was so expert at trailing that he was frequently called upon to track down runaway slaves trying to get to Mexico. He drove a mail hack from San Antonio to El Paso, and on one occasion, after losing his mules to Comanches, walked to El Paso and ate twenty-seven eggs at the first Mexican house he came to-before going on to town for a full meal.
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Wikipedia