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Private

William H. Clopton

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
United States flag Texas flag
End of Watch October 3, 1855
Tour of Duty 2 mo
The Vigil Panel 6 · Column 4 · Line 18 ›
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 Clopton had enlisted in the Texas Mounted Rangers at Curry Creek on July 20, 1855 at age unknown. No other personal information is known at this time.

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August 2, 2026
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September 9, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

171 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Clopton 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
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Unknown weapon

The Sacrifice · Felonious

William 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.

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Compare against
I

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
II

Who

William 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
IV

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
V

His people

Texas Rangers has at least 120 officers remembered here, William among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Private William H. Clopton

Texas Rangers · End of Watch October 3, 1855

Where the Name Is Cut

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