Roll of Honor
Incident
In 1878, the Trans-Pecos region in far West Texas was still the domain of the Western Apaches. Company C of the Frontier Battalion was commanded by Lieutenant John B. Tays, who was the ill fated ranger lieutenant who surrendered to a mob during the El Paso Salt War siege in San Elizario in December 1877, after Ranger Sergeants C. E. Mortimer and John E. McBride were killed. Ranger Major John B. Jones did not relieve Tays or censure him over the incident. He resigned in March 1878 but re-enlisted as a lieutenant.
On Saturday, August 10, 1878, Lieutenant Tays was on a scouting expedition when he approached some springs. He divided his men into two groups of six rangers each to get water by detachments. As the first group of rangers rounded some rocks, they ran into a band of ten or twelve Indians riding away from the water holes. Both sides were startled, the Indians headed for the rocks, and five of the six rangers dived into a nearby gully. The sixth, Private A. A. Ruzin, identified as a Russian nobleman, chose to stand upright and fight like a gentleman, and was quickly cut down with a bullet to the brain. Two horses were shot but no other rangers were killed or wounded in the fight. No Indians were reported to have been killed in the exchange. The Indians stole Ruzin’s Winchester and pistol and five ranger horses before escaping.
Virtually nothing is known about A. A. Ruzin except that all accounts report him as a Russian nobleman. His ranger pay record indicates he enlisted as a private on June 1, 1878. His pay from June 1 to August 10 totaled $93. A contemporary account reported that Ruzin was buried on the battlefield and a wooden marker placed on his grave, but later Indians passing by hacked it up.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
148 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Ruzin 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Private A. A. Ruzin is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. A. A. Ruzin's cause is highlighted.
How A. A. Ruzin Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. A. A. Ruzin is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. A. A. Ruzin was killed by rifle.
Others Who Wore This Badge
121 officers from Texas Rangers are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
