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Private

Augustus Smith

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX

Felonious

End of Watch October 3, 1855

Age 31

Tour of Duty 2 mo

The Vigil Panel 6 · Column 4 · Line 21 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 121

Incident

After continuous raiding by Indians into Texas, Governor E.M. Pease authorized James H. Callahan to form a company of state rangers to pursue Indians and “follow them up and chastise them wherever they may be found.”

Captain Callahan’s company of 110 Texas Mounted Rangers pursued a war party of Lipan Apaches who had committed depredations in Texas across the Rio Grande River into Mexico. As the rangers approached Escondido Creek, a fusillade of gunfire erupted from a distant timberline. A force of 600-700 Mexican troops and Indians had been concealed in the timber. Captain Callahan halted his troops and ordered them to form a skirmish line, and then ordered a charge. Privates William H. Clopton, Augustus Smith, Willis E. Jones and H.K. Holland were killed and six rangers suffered serious wounds. Private Jones’ body was recovered but the other dead rangers had to be left on the battle field. Two hundred additional Mexican infantry arrived on the scene and Captain Callahan retreated to Piedras Negras, a Mexican town across the river from Eagle Pass, Texas. The U.S. Army forces at Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass had strict orders not to cross the border. When Callahan heard that 1,000 Mexican troops were en route, he retreated back across the border into Texas.

Private Smith enlisted in the Texas Militia Volunteers in San Antonio on October 1, 1854 at age 28 and served until February 17, 1853 for 4 months and 17 days of service. He enlisted in the Texas Mounted Rangers in Bexar County on July 20, 1855 at age 31 and served 2 months and 29 days until his death. No other information is known about him at this time.

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Last updated: September 9, 2026

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Tributes

171 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Smith served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Rangers

Type Other

Location Austin, Travis County, TX

Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 3, 1855

Tour of Duty 2 mo

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Unknown weapon

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Augustus is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1855, 14 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 166th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Augustus was 31. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Augustus had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

October holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Wednesdays: 12.9%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was unknown weapon, in 0.5% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded