Thia Day In Texas History - April 28

[joe817]

1825 - Dilue Rose Harris was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her family arrived in Texas in 1833. She made bullets for men going to the Alamo and took part in the Runaway Scrape. After the Texas Revolution the family moved to the area of Bray's Bayou, five miles outside of Houston. There Dilue attended school. She married Ira A. Harris in 1839. Mrs. Harris was acquainted with the leaders of the Texas Revolution and of the Republic of Texas. Her reminiscences, written when she was seventy-four and published in the Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, are a primary source for early Texas history. She died in Eagle Lake in 1914.

1846 - Samuel H. Walker, Texas Ranger and Mexican War veteran, formed his own company for duty under Gen. Zachary Taylor. On April 28 Walker was ambushed with his company en route to join Taylor at Port Isabel. He reached Taylor's camp on April 29; his reports caused Taylor to move his encampment. Walker performed exemplary duty as a scout and courier on numerous other occasions. His company was the only Texas unit at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He was presented a horse by the grateful citizens of New Orleans in the spring of 1846 for his numerous exploits with Taylor's army. It was Walker(who contracted with Samuel Colt) in conjunction with the demands of the Mexican War, put Colt back in business to stay.

In November 1846 Captain Walker, then of the United States Mounted Riflemen, opened negotiations with Colt for the production of 1,000 improved revolvers. Familiar with the shortcomings of the Paterson arm, Walker specified a substantial new design incorporating a fixed trigger with guard and a loading lever beneath the nine-inch barrel. The massive revolver mounted a six-shot cylinder chambered for a .44 caliber conical bullet; the revolver weighed an unprecedented four pounds, nine ounces. Texas Ranger John S. (Rip) Ford claimed the new Walker Colt pistol was as powerful as the United States Model 1841 "Mississippi" rifle.The Walker Colt inaugurated the era of perfected revolver design and manufacture.
[for a fascinating read: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lnc01 ]

1867 - Maj. Samuel Henry Starr, with troops of the Sixth United States Cavalry, reoccupied Fort Belknap on April 28, 1867. When Fort Griffin was founded in Shackelford County, Fort Belknap was abandoned for the last time, in September of 1867.

1875 - About seventy-two captured chiefs was sent by Gen. William T. Sherman to Fort Marion, Florida, where they were held until 1878, effectively ending the "Red River War". [ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qdr02 ]

1893 - A tornado hits Cisco in Eastland County, killing 23 and injuring 93.

1894 – William Syndey Porter, better known as O. Henry, published the first issue of his weekly newspaper, Rolling Stone, in Waco.

1900 - In McMahan, TX, the Southwest Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention was organized.

1929 - The army air force carries out the first mass parachute drop in history, at Brooks Field in San Antonio.