Comanche Killer | What it’s like to HUNT DOWN the Most DANGEROUS Indians in North America
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ม.ค. 2025
- In the mid-1830s the New Texas Republic experienced threats from all angles. To the South, Texas was constantly skirmishing with Mexico. To the North there was a more terrifying threat, the Comanche. At this time, settlers on the Texas frontier were no match for the Comanche. As horsemen they were among the best in the world and they constantly raided the encroaching settlements.
To stop the bleeding, Texas instituted ranging companies of men for the purpose of defending their frontier. These “rangers” were slaughtered by the Comanche. Their rifles were no match for the speed of a Comanche bow.
But in the late 1830s a man named John “Jack” Coffee Hays moved to the young republic. His leadership will change the way that the Texans fought the Comanche and within a decade a gun maker named Samuel Colt will invent a new weapon that will give the Texans a fighting chance against the most brutal Indian tribe on the continent.
The Battle of Walker’s Creek will be its field test.
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Script edited by Derek Deremer
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RESOURCES
Comanches: A History of a People by T.R. Fehrenbach
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
Indian Depredations in Texas by J.W. Wilbarger
Jack Hays the Intrepid Texas Ranger by John Marvin Hunter
Recollections of the days in early Texas by Noah Smithwick
Texas Rangers
www.thestoryof...
Texas Ranger: Jack Hays and the Frontier Southwest By James Kimmins Greer
The Alleged Battle of Bandera Pass by Clay Coppedge
www.texasescape...
1850 John ‘Coffee’ Hays
texastejano.co...
Being Samuel Colt | American Genius
• Being Samuel Colt | Am...
1847 Colt Walker Revolver - Forgotten Weapons
• 1847 Walker Revolver: ...
Probably before you were born, I did my first graduate level 25 page research paper on the importance of the Colt revolver in the winning of Texas and the opening of the west. Your very accurate and enthusiastic presentation is a joy for an old Historian to watch and hear.
You might be interested in the book “empire of the summer moon” if you haven’t read it already
Repeating firearms and Buffalo massacre lol
I'd love to read your research paper. Are you Aggie by any chance?
Dude, I wish I could read your paper right now.
@@Xbalanque84 That paper and most of my other graduate level work fell victim to technological progress. I wrote most of that work back in 1990-'92 on a computer equipped with Word#2 and it was stored on a thing called a floppy disk.
There were about a hundred of those disks, containing countless research papers and most of my thesis, thrown in a briefcase that disappeared into the mists of time, not surviving 6-7 moves and a messy divorce..
Another person asked if I was an Aggie, and sad to say i am not. My graduate level work was done at Middle TN State U, but after being a historian in that area for my entire life, studying Crockett, Bowie, Sam Houston and dozens of other migrants to Texas I hold Texas dear.
As a side comment, in the 1980s I lived in a house built by Sam Houston when he had his law practice in Lebanon, TN, 1817.
Colt invented the what is possibly one of the most important weopons in history at the age of 22... what an absolute legend!!!
This was flippin' excellent I reckon. Cheers alot man. You really do a top job. All the best, from Cornwall. UK.
This is by far one of the absolute best history channels out there. Much respect.
I came as soon as I saw the notification. As a Texan, these stories are very important to me. It seems most don't realize how brutal the Comanche were, and how this made the original Texas Rangers to become brutal as well.
Thank you for telling these historical stories!
Jack Hays is a heck of his story in his own merit but paired up with the colt and the battle of walkers creek it is a literal history defining moment.
Thanks for watching.
All were brutal!
My great, great grandfather, Ranger Patrick Gallagher helped to remove the Comanche from Texas. He has his story in Indian Depredations in Texas. God bless the hard fighting Texans of that day.
@@calvanoni5443 They make movies praising the eloquence of gun. James Bomb is a good example with his peashooter.
Brutally protecting their native land from being stolen and sold? 🧐
I admire your delivery;
-Nonchalant,
-'it is what it is'
-they love that sh*t,
- parents taught them well
Pitch, tone quality of message. You secured your position.
Kudos,
Robert
🌴
Thank you. I appreciate that.
You’re the literal only creator that doesn’t speak of natives in a racist way, all the others that cover native stuff do so because they are racist and obsessed, not you you’re the only good one
You have to remember, the Comanche were usurper from the North. They killed off many of the native Texas tribes
Be careful of revisionist history
@jesuschristismylord4043 I’ve only seen 1 or 2 who do this… the vast majority of creators - and teachers - portray natives as virtuous and noble and never doing wrong and the Europeans as savage and evil. We were taught this in my school system from elementary to high.
With each upload, your videos get better and better! Your ability to tell historic stories with fascinating intensity is amazing! This is now one of my favorite Dates And Dead Guys videos.
Thank you. I hope quality keeps improving as the channel grows.
From Virginia and living in Texas! There is nothing more inspiring than seeing people from this state so patriotic and full of pride for who they are!
It's the way Texans are built!
Living in VA now and dreaming to live in Texas soon. ❤
@@n_shulx4304 yeah but nothing beats the mountains in VA though
Kansas is actually a southern state being south of the MasonDickson line which is the border between Nebraska and Kansas
I think that is why i have always liked the south plus being a native born Irishman i am a rebel at heart
My ggggrandparents immigrated to Texas from Ohio in early 1836. Shortly there after, my ggggrandfather joined Sam Houston’s army and fought in the war. My family has been here since the beginning of The Republic Of Texas. My grandfather was born in 1884. He served as a Texas Ranger in 1907 in what was then called Indian Territory. The area that became Oklahoma.
We were the Comanche he was fighting
If you want to learn something from it, you always have to hear both sides, not just one. Both sides have their history and their ancestors. Hiding them leads to nothing!@@reggierendon2847
Many of the counties north of the Red River WAS Texas.
My grandmother's family moved from Wise County Texas, to what is now Greer County Oklahoma, in 1890, when she was an infant.
With statehood in 1907, the state lines were set at the Red River...Texas was not pleased, especially when they included the Cimarron Strip (now the Oklahoma Panhandle) which Texas had always claimed.
@djd0664 my great great great grandfather's were some of those comanches fighting from foreigners stealing our Native American land
Your third great grandparents?
Dates and Dead Guys is both the funniest and most fitting name for a history channel ever
"God made man, Colt made them equal"
Some of the most badass shit put into words
Actually it didn't. The rangers were made superior to the Commanche because of the Colt
When he said that, it sent a chill down my spine.
Love your stuff. Keep it coming as long as you can please. Thank you!!!
After living my entire life in the San Antonio and hill country areas, I can see why this region would be lusted after by anyone traveling through its resource rich landscape. I'm a proud 6th generation Texan and have an ancestor who fought and died in the Battle of the Alamo named Gregorio Esparza. Long live Texas!
Many of us have ancestors going back to the first settlers sent by the king of Spain and granted porciones of land along the Rio grande. Indian stories, too, are still shared
Hello cousin, Gregorio Esparza is also a descendent. My grandmothers great grandfather was Carlos Esparza, however he killed Texas rangers and he was part of a paramilitary group called las águilas negras .
@@elpidiovillarreal6246 descendant/ ancestor
The Zumwalts were relatives of mine as was Crokett
Hola Primo.....desde Los Tejas, sigue la lucha
You are an excellent storyteller I’ve been binge watching these all day 👍🏻 keep them coming
Good stuff- thanks!
Excellent as usual. Thank you
I get so excited when you upload ! Every video is so. Freaking. Goodddddd
For the next three months at least I think I will be able to keep videos coming at least bi-weekly so more content should be out than usual.
Just subscribed. This guy's storytelling ability and content are phenomenal!
Thank you, A lot of work and research goes into these videos. I am happy you enjoy them.
Thanks as always following up on all series of your Comanche stories, you always do, with very good information of all wars and dates and dead guys, and also the Colt Revolver, how it change the west back then. Thanks again ,
Actually, I was already planning to add “anything Sioux related” to the suggestion box, before you said that. 👍
The Comanche series is coming to an end in the next few videos. I wouldn’t be surprised if I pick up with the Sioux. When I was about 6 months into the channel I did two videos on them. One on Crazy Horse and another on a love story of Black Elk Speaks. But there is a ton there.
Great history and you as a host do outstanding. Keeps me interested all the way through. 👍🏻🇺🇸
The first colt revolver was produced on March 5 ,1836 which was the day Charles Goodnight was born who would later become a ranger and Indian fighter himself.
I love your work, thank you very much.
Bigfoot Wallace said that his favorite thing to eat was bear meat and honey. No wonder the rangers went after the honey. I'm almost done reading The Comanches by T.H. Fehrenbach and will read Comanche Moon next. I read The Lipan Apaches People of Wind and Lightning by Thomas A. Britten before this, thanks to you. Must reads if you want to understand the history of Indians and early Texas. Thanks for another great video!
Fehrenbach’s book is my favorite about Comanches. He does such a fun job in the first third of the book on their culture. It’s fascinating.
Awesome piece of history. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, man, you do a good job!
Love these! Thank you
I appreciate the intense research you do on the history of the SW United States & Northern Mexico. You do a lot of research on the Indians.
La frontera is what the area is called
Thanks for another awesome story to listen to on the way to work.
I appreciate that. I have long wondered whether the stories stand by themselves or if the images increase the quality by much. I am happy to hear that people like to listen as well.
I know now.Nowadays , people are very visual. But there's still nothing better than listening to someone Telling a great. story like you do. Especially when it's true.
@@datesanddeadguys
Absolutely breath-taking stories. I am always on the edge of my seat when listening to them. And I am learning so much. Thank you for this latest video. From Moscow, Russia.
I see you commenting on the judge napolitano, col daniel davis channels etc... usually the live chat. Nice meeting you here also.
As a teenager I loved reading about this stuff but the following generations seemed to not be very interested in cool Western American history like this. Thankfully this has changed thanks to your great channel and many others. You have taught a new generation to be proud of our history and bring forth a revival of traditional American patriotism.
I research guns a lot and I’ve heard this story a million times from a gun POV but it’s interesting to here the full historical pov
If you think about it, some very brave people with 19th century tech level, have barely coped with a relatively small population of nomadic horsemen, ONLY due to one critical and very timely breakthrough in firearms tech that in itself was like 5 centuries ahead of longbows...
What was the Mongol army like back in 12-13 century then?!? with personal skills similar to those of the Comanches AND much greater numbers, united command, discipline, ability to utilize prisoners... just thinking about is giving me creeps.
Amazing video
Man I could listen to you talk ALL day. Thanks for the great history lessons.
That was an interesting listen 👍
Thanks
That was awesome!....are you a historian or history professor? That video was spot on. I live in Southern Texas and am fairly knowledgeable in the history of the Texas Rangers and the Lord's of the Plains...The Comanches. Can you make a video on how the plains people made their war shields? Thank you... Keep the videos coming.
Man this is such an awesome channel. American history is so cool !!! Love from Athens, can't wait to watch more !
You tell history very well, and impartially. Thanks!
These vids are so sick bro. Badass.
Extremely interesting. Thanks from England.
watch "A Man Called Horse"
Amazing story. Thanks for posting it.
Absolutely fascinating!
Excellent, informative narration, and beautiful artwork.
You have great delivery. I usually catch your humor. Talking about the rangers finding a beehive and "bumbling for he honey." Great videos! Thanks!
Glad I stumbled across your channel great stuff man
You are a great story teller! History delivered beautifully! Well done!
Magnificent presentation. Thank you.
A top notch tv series on the rise and fall of the Comanche would be brilliant! Love your videos!
Great commentary! Thanks!
these are soooooo interesting, thank you
Excellent video!! Thank you
Lets get you a better mic. Love your content. Keep'em comin. Best of luck to you.
Humans doing the narration are 100000 x better than artificial intelligence that are souless. Your capacity to keep us entertained is laudable..
What an awesome story thank you for sharing!
Enjoying the narration and the tone very much
This was very informative, thanks for the good work!❤
I didn't know colt had such importance in history 🤟
I'd love any more accounts especially where letters, journals, etc. are available. Your storytelling ability provides such a great picture of what life was like. It must take a lot of hard work to produce. Excellent!
You just got yourself a new subscriber ! Great video!
God Bless the Republic of Texas!!! Thank you for your excellent presentation. May I suggest a segment on JPs and Constables of the era?
Great video!
Thx for the information is great production!
Great story and awesome video. Thanks!
Another great video. Please do a video on the Yaqui. Their war with Mexico is not as well-known a topic among the Indian wars.
I love these history lessons. Thank you so much
Thank you!
Great video my man awesome job. Some very interesting and valuable information here
"Captain Yack" Empire of the summer moon is a great book, though the details get pretty gnarly as the Comanche did not have a clear moral center outside of war. They both respected him and were afraid of him, because they didn't understand why he wouldn't just run away like rangers before him. I love the fact that no one else at the time was super interested in Colt's designs. Tx Rangers: yeah we'll take em. Later by the campfire... Tx Rangers discover slam fire
Fascinating. Not being American about all we are taught about Texas's early history is the Alamo and the boys there and Sam Houston. So this is really interesting and new. Colt was a real genius.
Well gotta control the narrative afterall......
Looking back now I see why it’s necessary that states should have the rights to choose what is taught in schools. Now I know why it’s important to know Texas history living in Texas. We can’t let the central government teach what they want to kids.
I grew up in Texas and that’s about all we’re taught too. Apparently the 3 deadliest American outlaws are from my hometown and im related to one of them. Had no idea until recently. Mexicans & ✡️ have taken over
You are a natural story teller.
This video shows why long-time Texas have such a strong identity as being "Texan". Their forefathers had to really struggle just to exist.
I'm not suggesting that people across the globe, to this day, don't have that in common.
I'll guess that the whole "sovereign nation" thing has A LOT to do with it! ❤
They had to struggle taking land to form Texas and then holding it
@@Lukedalegendz what?
Eh, hes talking about having to encrouch on the comanches land taking it and struggling to hold them off hence almost being a failed state which I guess Texans can be proud of that
@tudyk21
@@deebo_dee, don't be so jealous. I'm sure where you're from is nice, too.
And that whole "encroaching" thing. It's the history of mankind.
It's the history of the Comanche.
@@tudyk21 jealous? Why would I be? Just tell me which tribe never surrendered?
I'd be upset if it took a mass production of a firearm and changing tactics to an "archaic" kind to beat people with bows and spears.
Nothing to really be jealous about on my end partner 👍🏽
What I'm explaining to you is what happened; you seemed confused from the other guy
But yes, history..
Great pod cast , just found you and am enjoying the content ,keep em coming plz 😊
Great presentation & information. I would like to suggest presenting information about the Algonquin tribes during the French & Indian War.
Proud TEXAN, I love this...❤❤❤
Hey man it would be interesting to hear about the iroquois warriors.
They are in contention for some stories I want to look into when I finish the Comanche series. Any stories in particular about the Iroquois that you want told?
@@datesanddeadguys well Id like to know more about how their presence affected both the sorrounding first nations and european settlers. How they handled the foreighners encroachment on their land and in turn how they in turn where viewed. You have done a great job at demonstrating this for both the Apache and Comanche.
@@datesanddeadguysthere’s an account in a book called “Captured by the Indians: 13 first hand accounts” of the battle of the snowshoes in 1757 between French/Iroquois and Roger’s Rangers. The account is written by a guy who got captured and details the brutality and how he had to resort to cannibalism after an escape attempt.. really insane read that would make a good video.
@jayar1 conveniently, I have that book. A couple years ago it was my inspiration for doing a story on Nelson Lee. I’ll check it out.
"Perhaps the greatest Texas Ranger in history"
Chuck Norris has entered the chat
Saying muskets were “no match” for bows is a bit of a misnomer. While bows did have some advantages (speed of fire, indirect fire etc.) muskets had far more advantages. The biggest being damage, bows rarely killed in one shot unlike in the movies, muskets rarely didn’t kill in one shot, also they could carry more ammo, were more accurate due in part to being less susceptible to wind and had a quicker ‘hip fire’ because they didn’t need to be drawn back like bows, which were more exhausting. Also they were more accurate than is often depicted, even smoothbores.
This is why Indian tribes quickly adopted the musket when they could, and used bows more out of logistical necessity than due to tactical advantages.
In combat it is more advantageous to wound an enemy soldier than to kill one. Once you kill them, the other enemy soldiers do not try to care for him. But if you wound one, it takes at least another one or two enemy soldiers to extract and care for the wounded one. This is noted in this very story how the commanche were tending their wounded and did not expect a counter attack.
In straight combat yes, but in a guerrilla style conflict like with the Comanche who would appear suddenly with overwhelming numbers and quickly close the distance between you and them then ride away, no. The Comanche could engage quickly and negate the advantages of a muskets range and accuracy by getting in close and riding fast.
I honestly think it was the lance that made more Trouble. The rangers were probaly not trained or equiped to deal with charges from horseback. The French "grand armee" encountered horse archers in russian Services. While kossacks were generaly seen as very Dangerous the french were very unimpressed by the bow weilding variant. No match for the charleville aparently.
@@heesanoice7637 Depends on your war doctrine. Death would inflict higher immediate moral loss. While severity of injury matters, it's not like bows were chopping off limbs.
Awesome video, wish my history class was this good
As anemic as the Patterson .36 is to us today, it proved to be a genuine man-killer, resulting in the development of later, more powerful sidearms. The introduction of the spring-loaded barrel wedge (introduced, I seem to remember, in1841) made the swapping of preloaded cylinders faster and more practical - hence the extra cylinders carried by each of Hays's men. In a timed shoot-off between me, with an original 1860 Colt with six preloaded cylinders, and a fellow with a Smith Model 29 with six speed-loaders with .44 special rounds, I beat his time by a hair shooting at the steel 4-inch plate at 20 yards. The technique of removing the barrel, dumping the empty cylinder and replacing it with a preloaded one, proved to be at least as quick as modern speed-loaders - in the hands of non-professional, average handgun shooters, anyhow! Another advantage of swapping cylinders in the Colt is that it cleans fouling from the arbor every six shots. ( To get this sort of reliable performance from a Colt percussion revolver, however, I would recommend installing a "cap rake" which prevents cap fragments from jamming the action - known as a "cap jam".) One must remember that such weapons killed and wounded many men in the 19th century, however primitive those weapons may seem to us today!
This was fascinating. I have never heard of this before.
Amazing video and story
As a 7th grader in a Texas public school studying Texas history, we were taught that the Comanche warriors were easily the most violent native american tribe in the whole Republic of Texas...
Wow I cannot believe how badass this was. I have a whole new respect for Texas and really Americans as a whole!
I’m reading Lonesome Dove right now and it has me in a huge Wild West phase. Best book ever if you haven’t read it, it’s a funnier Lord of the Rings in the Wild West. It has love and intrigue, violence, ball busting, a journey between a sort of fellowship, heartbreak and more.
Gotta do chief Joseph next man. He was considered the Indian napoleon cause his tricks he did and done
Beautiful video
Like somebody from the different part of world(Europe)i always was on the side of the Indians..now thanks you i cant see the other side of the story from the wild-wild west.. every video is so great and i looking in one breath.. thank you mister for all great videos yuo making..
The wars between the settlers and natives was never black and white with both sides doing terrible shit to each other, but the Comanche, like the Aztecs, were pretty much the objectively worse side morally speaking. They had their own lands and resources. Few had want of anything. So they expanded to raid others: other Indians, Anglos, or Mexicans, it didn't matter. They murdered graped, stole, and most of all tortured (they got creative with their torture) all whom they raided.
It is a myth that the natives were peaceful people who only want to farm and only fought when needed.
The texas rangers had so much trouble with the commanche because the indians brought along spare horses on their raids while the rangers only had 1 horse each which they promptly rode down. The rangers simply couldn't catch the indians.
best
Bruce Peek
I've enjoyed your videos
Danke für diesen Bericht. Ich mag die alten Revolver von Colt. Wenn auch der Gebrach leider einen traurigen Hintergrund hat.
My family fought in the battle of San Jacinto. My family migrated from Spain in 1700s to Texas around the Victoria area.
Maybe more Conquistadors stuff? First video i saw from your channel was about this topic. Maybe more southamerica themes? Love your stuff!:) Thank you, greetings from germany
Awesome stuff! Stuff I did not get in highschool or college.
Shit Damn! Nice beard! Also, your content is good 👍.
You should cover the beaver wars, speaking of a bloody war time😮
Literally anyone: *exists*
Comanches: “so you have chosen death…”
Ask Samuel Colt and his revolver who dies.
My ancestors came to the Texas Panhandle in the late 1800’s from Tennessee. I sure wish I knew what brought them out here!!!
One may wonder what devastation could have been caused with ONE semi automatic rifle & unlimited ammunition.
Yes gatling guns existed, but imagine a single Cowboy with a grudge & an AR-15.
Very good video
Good vid.
well done once again!