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Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F
The explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F, made up of hard men who risked their lives to bring justice to a lawless frontier.
Between 1886 and 1888, Sergeant James Brooks, of Texas Ranger Company F, was engaged in three fatal gunfights, endured disfiguring bullet wounds, engaged in countless manhunts, was convicted of second-degree murder, and rattled Washington, D.C. with a request for a pardon from the US president. His story anchors the tale of Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning , an epic saga of lawmen and criminals set in Texas during the waning years of the “Old West.”
Alongside Brooks were the Rangers of Company F, who ranged from a pious teetotaler to a cowboy fleeing retribution for killing a man. They were all led by Captain William Scott, who cut his teeth as a freelance undercover informant but was facing the end of his Ranger career. Company F hunted criminals across Texas and beyond, killing them as needed, and were confident they could bring anyone to “Ranger justice.” But Brooks’ men met their match in the Conner family, East Texas master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody family feud.
The full story of Company F’s showdown with the Conner family is finally being told, with long-dead voices heard for the first time. This truly hidden history paints the grim picture of neighbors and relatives becoming snitches and bounty hunters, and a company of Texas Rangers who waded into the conflict only to find themselves in over their heads – and in the fight of their lives.
Between 1886 and 1888, Sergeant James Brooks, of Texas Ranger Company F, was engaged in three fatal gunfights, endured disfiguring bullet wounds, engaged in countless manhunts, was convicted of second-degree murder, and rattled Washington, D.C. with a request for a pardon from the US president. His story anchors the tale of Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning , an epic saga of lawmen and criminals set in Texas during the waning years of the “Old West.”
Alongside Brooks were the Rangers of Company F, who ranged from a pious teetotaler to a cowboy fleeing retribution for killing a man. They were all led by Captain William Scott, who cut his teeth as a freelance undercover informant but was facing the end of his Ranger career. Company F hunted criminals across Texas and beyond, killing them as needed, and were confident they could bring anyone to “Ranger justice.” But Brooks’ men met their match in the Conner family, East Texas master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody family feud.
The full story of Company F’s showdown with the Conner family is finally being told, with long-dead voices heard for the first time. This truly hidden history paints the grim picture of neighbors and relatives becoming snitches and bounty hunters, and a company of Texas Rangers who waded into the conflict only to find themselves in over their heads – and in the fight of their lives.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published June 28, 2022
86 people are currently reading
4776 people want to read
About the author
Joe Pappalardo
22 books54 followersJOE PAPPALARDO is the author of the critically acclaimed books Inferno: The True Story of a B 17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History, Sunflowers: The Secret History and Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight . Pappalardo is a freelance journalist and former associate editor of Air & Space Smithsonian magazine, a writing contributor to National Geographic magazine, a contributor to Texas Monthly, and a former senior editor and current contributor to Popular Mechanics. He has appeared on C-Span, CNN, Fox News and television shows on the Science Channel and the History Channel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 18, 2022
I absolutely hate leaving low ratings, bit meh. Leaving it at 2.
December 9, 2022
Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded down
The Publisher Says: The explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F, made up of hard men who risked their lives to bring justice to a lawless frontier.
Between 1886 and 1888, Sergeant James Brooks, of Texas Ranger Company F, was engaged in three fatal gunfights, endured disfiguring bullet wounds, engaged in countless manhunts, was convicted of second-degree murder, and rattled Washington, D.C. with a request for a pardon from the US president. His story anchors the tale of Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning, an epic saga of lawmen and criminals set in Texas during the waning years of the “Old West.”
Alongside Brooks are the Rangers of Company F, who range from a pious teetotaler to a cowboy fleeing retribution for killing a man. They are all led by Captain William Scott, who cut his teeth as a freelance undercover informant but was facing the end of his Ranger career. Company F hunted criminals across Texas and beyond, killing them as needed, and were confident they could bring anyone to “Ranger justice.” But Brooks’ men met their match in the Conner family, East Texas master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody family feud.
The full story of Company F’s showdown with the Conner family is finally being told, with long dead voices being heard for the first time. This truly hidden history paints the grim picture of neighbors and relatives becoming snitches and bounty hunters, and a company of Texas Rangers who waded into the conflict only to find themselves over their heads—and in the fight of their lives.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I'll start by lauding what other readers have liked least about this book: It is a mosaic of multiple stories, and intentionally so. The design of a history that's focused on a story, not a biography, is to collate the fascinating pieces and ugly, disfiguring truths that make up the whole picture of the moment in question...it's meant to be taken in piece by piece, and assembled in one's mental theater as a whole image of The Defining Conflict.
To that end, we meet the main main, James Brooks, as he surveys Cotulla, Texas, on the day he joins the Texas Rangers in 1883. Author Pappalardo begins, then, at a beginning...but we're going to see other beginnings as we go along. We'll see the last of active Rangers Captain Brooks in Cotulla, too...and that's the kind of symmetry I appreciate in a story.
What happens between those two events, not hugely distant in time, is...a lot. A great deal more than one person's life generally holds, and a great deal less as well. Brooks, in his entire life of genuine service to the people of Texas, never shook a debilitating addiction to alcohol and an equally debilitating inability to form sustaining, intimate friendships with anyone. This included, as it is so sad to say, his own family. He was married to one woman his entire adult life. There is no record or indication in any recorded memory that he found any sense of companionship or happiness in their union, nor did she express any enduring or undying affection for her husband. His children were dutiful, and always played their role of help and sustenance for him, but again there is not any record of them feeling hero-worship for their truly outsized and outstanding father.
Brooks County, named for the Captain (as he always preferred to be referred to and addressed despite having the options of Representative or Judge), was a creation of the remarkable man's efforts to drag a thousand square miles of mesquite scrub and caliche and its few thousand residents out of the hands of a corrupt Democratic party machine in the early twentieth century. He was, at the time, a State Representative, and his life-long campaign of fair treatment for Spanish-speaking people and law-abiding souls of all skin colors and ethnicities made Brooks County and Falfurrias havens of good, equitable Democratic-party led government.
In the chapter dedicated to this end-of-life résumé of Brooks, there are résumés of his cohorts in Company F, all of whom were with the Captain during the main action of the book...the take-down of the Sabine County-based Conner crime family in the weird swampy Louisiana-like East Texas world. It was a long, tense fight on the logistical and legal levels, and Author Pappalardo doesn't stint on the practical details. There are a LOT of people in this story. There are a LOT of names that appear, then aren't mentioned for a while, then reappear with minimal fanfare. There is a Dramatis Personae that can be bookmarked or hyperlinked in your ereader, and I strongly suggest that any readers do that very thing. I found it hugely helpful and on occasion, to my utter lack of surprise, its completeness and thoroughgoing explanatory notes were interesting enough to make me want more books about this century-old vanished culture.
What I want from histories is a sense of the why of things. The what is great as a launchpad but I really treasure whys. In that arena, Author Pappalardo is a strong deliverer. I was never at a loss for reasons to pick up the book. I took it at a measured pace, a chapter a week and a section or two a day. I think this is the most likely technique to give the story its full room to expand and its details to slot into each others' proper settings. Since I am from Texas, I was prepared with some ideas of the roles of lawmen, and specifically the Texas Rangers, in the state's history. Since I am from that part of Texas, it was even more of a sense of homecoming, of learning my own family's cultural past. That added soupçon of personal connection is likely the source of the extra half-star I hung on the book.
It really is extra, as I can understand from others' responses to the read. Quite a few readers were unable to see the nature of the story being told and that is squarely on the author's shoulders. His stated aim is to answer this quote from one N.A. Jennings, a former Texas Ranger of that time and later an author in his own right:
This expectation being set in the Introduction, I can see a history buff feeling let down. This isn't the book that answers that question. It doesn't seem to me to be particularly likely to, set up as it is to tell the story of a group of Rangers involved in one of the organization's formative operations. The personal focus falls most heavily, and in my opinion correctly so, on the Captain, James A. Brooks, and the people he led come in for bits and snatches of attention. But the light that shed on the Texas Rangers as a whole, while bright and revealing, does not get even partway to explaining the entire late-1800s period of the organization's existence that Author Pappalardo indicated it will.
But what the book actually does is, to my way of thinking at least, as valuable or even more so. It traces the roots and the branches of a conflict between the law-and-order forces of state power and the flouters of same whose actions and influence were seriously detrimental to the community as a whole's ability to live their lives free from fear and danger. There are people worse than police today, there were in the 1880s, and the worst is when those terrible actors turn the police into their henchmen. Along come the Texas Rangers of Company F to reset the expectations of the community for law enforcement...and they do.
For the better.
It might not be what we think of in terms of law enforcement's role today, after Rodney King's beating and George Floyd's and Ahmaud Arbery's murders at their hands; but it is true, it happened, and it's worth considering that if it seemed impossible to the people of Sabine County in 1885, and it wasn't, that it isn't impossible today either.
That deserves my attention, and my praise.
The Publisher Says: The explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F, made up of hard men who risked their lives to bring justice to a lawless frontier.
Between 1886 and 1888, Sergeant James Brooks, of Texas Ranger Company F, was engaged in three fatal gunfights, endured disfiguring bullet wounds, engaged in countless manhunts, was convicted of second-degree murder, and rattled Washington, D.C. with a request for a pardon from the US president. His story anchors the tale of Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning, an epic saga of lawmen and criminals set in Texas during the waning years of the “Old West.”
Alongside Brooks are the Rangers of Company F, who range from a pious teetotaler to a cowboy fleeing retribution for killing a man. They are all led by Captain William Scott, who cut his teeth as a freelance undercover informant but was facing the end of his Ranger career. Company F hunted criminals across Texas and beyond, killing them as needed, and were confident they could bring anyone to “Ranger justice.” But Brooks’ men met their match in the Conner family, East Texas master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody family feud.
The full story of Company F’s showdown with the Conner family is finally being told, with long dead voices being heard for the first time. This truly hidden history paints the grim picture of neighbors and relatives becoming snitches and bounty hunters, and a company of Texas Rangers who waded into the conflict only to find themselves over their heads—and in the fight of their lives.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I'll start by lauding what other readers have liked least about this book: It is a mosaic of multiple stories, and intentionally so. The design of a history that's focused on a story, not a biography, is to collate the fascinating pieces and ugly, disfiguring truths that make up the whole picture of the moment in question...it's meant to be taken in piece by piece, and assembled in one's mental theater as a whole image of The Defining Conflict.
To that end, we meet the main main, James Brooks, as he surveys Cotulla, Texas, on the day he joins the Texas Rangers in 1883. Author Pappalardo begins, then, at a beginning...but we're going to see other beginnings as we go along. We'll see the last of active Rangers Captain Brooks in Cotulla, too...and that's the kind of symmetry I appreciate in a story.
What happens between those two events, not hugely distant in time, is...a lot. A great deal more than one person's life generally holds, and a great deal less as well. Brooks, in his entire life of genuine service to the people of Texas, never shook a debilitating addiction to alcohol and an equally debilitating inability to form sustaining, intimate friendships with anyone. This included, as it is so sad to say, his own family. He was married to one woman his entire adult life. There is no record or indication in any recorded memory that he found any sense of companionship or happiness in their union, nor did she express any enduring or undying affection for her husband. His children were dutiful, and always played their role of help and sustenance for him, but again there is not any record of them feeling hero-worship for their truly outsized and outstanding father.
Brooks County, named for the Captain (as he always preferred to be referred to and addressed despite having the options of Representative or Judge), was a creation of the remarkable man's efforts to drag a thousand square miles of mesquite scrub and caliche and its few thousand residents out of the hands of a corrupt Democratic party machine in the early twentieth century. He was, at the time, a State Representative, and his life-long campaign of fair treatment for Spanish-speaking people and law-abiding souls of all skin colors and ethnicities made Brooks County and Falfurrias havens of good, equitable Democratic-party led government.
In the chapter dedicated to this end-of-life résumé of Brooks, there are résumés of his cohorts in Company F, all of whom were with the Captain during the main action of the book...the take-down of the Sabine County-based Conner crime family in the weird swampy Louisiana-like East Texas world. It was a long, tense fight on the logistical and legal levels, and Author Pappalardo doesn't stint on the practical details. There are a LOT of people in this story. There are a LOT of names that appear, then aren't mentioned for a while, then reappear with minimal fanfare. There is a Dramatis Personae that can be bookmarked or hyperlinked in your ereader, and I strongly suggest that any readers do that very thing. I found it hugely helpful and on occasion, to my utter lack of surprise, its completeness and thoroughgoing explanatory notes were interesting enough to make me want more books about this century-old vanished culture.
What I want from histories is a sense of the why of things. The what is great as a launchpad but I really treasure whys. In that arena, Author Pappalardo is a strong deliverer. I was never at a loss for reasons to pick up the book. I took it at a measured pace, a chapter a week and a section or two a day. I think this is the most likely technique to give the story its full room to expand and its details to slot into each others' proper settings. Since I am from Texas, I was prepared with some ideas of the roles of lawmen, and specifically the Texas Rangers, in the state's history. Since I am from that part of Texas, it was even more of a sense of homecoming, of learning my own family's cultural past. That added soupçon of personal connection is likely the source of the extra half-star I hung on the book.
It really is extra, as I can understand from others' responses to the read. Quite a few readers were unable to see the nature of the story being told and that is squarely on the author's shoulders. His stated aim is to answer this quote from one N.A. Jennings, a former Texas Ranger of that time and later an author in his own right:
"Near everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers, but how many know what the Rangers really are, or what are their duties? In a general way, everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border, do a good deal of shooting, and now and then get killed or kill someone. But why they ride around, or why they do the shooting, is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one."
This expectation being set in the Introduction, I can see a history buff feeling let down. This isn't the book that answers that question. It doesn't seem to me to be particularly likely to, set up as it is to tell the story of a group of Rangers involved in one of the organization's formative operations. The personal focus falls most heavily, and in my opinion correctly so, on the Captain, James A. Brooks, and the people he led come in for bits and snatches of attention. But the light that shed on the Texas Rangers as a whole, while bright and revealing, does not get even partway to explaining the entire late-1800s period of the organization's existence that Author Pappalardo indicated it will.
But what the book actually does is, to my way of thinking at least, as valuable or even more so. It traces the roots and the branches of a conflict between the law-and-order forces of state power and the flouters of same whose actions and influence were seriously detrimental to the community as a whole's ability to live their lives free from fear and danger. There are people worse than police today, there were in the 1880s, and the worst is when those terrible actors turn the police into their henchmen. Along come the Texas Rangers of Company F to reset the expectations of the community for law enforcement...and they do.
For the better.
It might not be what we think of in terms of law enforcement's role today, after Rodney King's beating and George Floyd's and Ahmaud Arbery's murders at their hands; but it is true, it happened, and it's worth considering that if it seemed impossible to the people of Sabine County in 1885, and it wasn't, that it isn't impossible today either.
That deserves my attention, and my praise.
Read
July 5, 2022When I was a kid in the fifties, the radio waves were full of ballads about the Old West, and many of them mentioned the Texas Rangers, who brought law and order to the chaos of the Old West. As time went on, the name cropped up from time to time in American History courses and reading, and not always with approbation, such as wholesale slaughters against people whose only crime seems to have been speaking Spanish.
This looked like a good book to get a sense of the history of the rangers, and in a sense, it is. The author clearly did mountains of research about individual rangers, and the people they encountered, and so delves not only into the Rangers' exploits but into vital aspects of Texas history, such as cattle rustling, fencing vs free range, barb wire cutting, law, politics--and politics means not only politicians, but the community's attitudes, such as those who willingly or for money served as snitches.
That makes for a mosaic of a book, bouncing from historical figure to situation, sometimes ranging back and forth in time. Central seems to be F Company's battle against the Conner family, who appear to have lived on the margins, hot tempered and ready to shoot anything and anyone. Many of them died young, and took neighbors and rivals with them.
At best, one gets a sense of the painfully evolving control of chaos in those times, when waves of white people pushed westward, claiming vast tracts of land from those who had lived there for centuries, and building towns to serve themselves. Where it falls down is on the Rangers' treatment of people other than those white settlers; it also fails to take a hard look at the character of the Rangers, and of men who like to pick up guns and shoot other people. Sort of a timely topic.
This looked like a good book to get a sense of the history of the rangers, and in a sense, it is. The author clearly did mountains of research about individual rangers, and the people they encountered, and so delves not only into the Rangers' exploits but into vital aspects of Texas history, such as cattle rustling, fencing vs free range, barb wire cutting, law, politics--and politics means not only politicians, but the community's attitudes, such as those who willingly or for money served as snitches.
That makes for a mosaic of a book, bouncing from historical figure to situation, sometimes ranging back and forth in time. Central seems to be F Company's battle against the Conner family, who appear to have lived on the margins, hot tempered and ready to shoot anything and anyone. Many of them died young, and took neighbors and rivals with them.
At best, one gets a sense of the painfully evolving control of chaos in those times, when waves of white people pushed westward, claiming vast tracts of land from those who had lived there for centuries, and building towns to serve themselves. Where it falls down is on the Rangers' treatment of people other than those white settlers; it also fails to take a hard look at the character of the Rangers, and of men who like to pick up guns and shoot other people. Sort of a timely topic.
July 22, 2022
I don't DNF many books. Especially history books. But an honest review is an honest review. I just couldn't plow my way through this one.
Very interested in the subject matter. And I tried, but the writing style just didn't work for me. Too rambling in places....weird shifts in others.....just not readable for me. I got about halfway through and stopped.
I expected something along the lines of Tom Clavin's books. This fell short of that mark. Interesting subject, but the writing just didn't work for me. Not every book is for every reader. This one is not for me.
Moving on .....
Very interested in the subject matter. And I tried, but the writing style just didn't work for me. Too rambling in places....weird shifts in others.....just not readable for me. I got about halfway through and stopped.
I expected something along the lines of Tom Clavin's books. This fell short of that mark. Interesting subject, but the writing just didn't work for me. Not every book is for every reader. This one is not for me.
Moving on .....
July 19, 2022
Company F
In 1886 a young man named Brooks that had wandered and tried his hand at many trades enlisted in the Rangers company F. I don't believe he ever expected the types of crimes he would have to deal with and the range war between two families that put the whole unit in peril.
They settle many disputes and captured many a bad man, but the confrontation with the Conner family who were being hunted for their part in a feud that went way too far was the longest and nastiest confrontation of all.
This is a story mainly of one Ranger and his company. It tells the good, the bad and the ugly of the Ranger unit to which Brooks was a part of .It tell the history of that era in which the feuds became bloody and out of control between the homesteaders and the cattle men who wanted free range and the homesteaders wanting to fence in the land.
It was a little confusing at times as to what year I was reading about as it did skip about a bit. It was still a very good story and I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to Joe Pappalardo for writing a great story, to St. Martin's Press for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review. All statement are my own words.
In 1886 a young man named Brooks that had wandered and tried his hand at many trades enlisted in the Rangers company F. I don't believe he ever expected the types of crimes he would have to deal with and the range war between two families that put the whole unit in peril.
They settle many disputes and captured many a bad man, but the confrontation with the Conner family who were being hunted for their part in a feud that went way too far was the longest and nastiest confrontation of all.
This is a story mainly of one Ranger and his company. It tells the good, the bad and the ugly of the Ranger unit to which Brooks was a part of .It tell the history of that era in which the feuds became bloody and out of control between the homesteaders and the cattle men who wanted free range and the homesteaders wanting to fence in the land.
It was a little confusing at times as to what year I was reading about as it did skip about a bit. It was still a very good story and I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to Joe Pappalardo for writing a great story, to St. Martin's Press for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review. All statement are my own words.
June 28, 2022
Author Joe Pappalardo presents a slice of history in this book dedicated to the story of Texas Ranger company F. Based upon diaries, news articles, and other pieces of documentation, “Red Sky Morning” gives readers a full look at what times were like back in America’s wilder times. People wanted justice, and the Texas Rangers recruited men to fill the void.
Mr. Pappalardo does his best to fill in all the blanks, explaining why events happened and how the people involved got caught up in the action. At times, this does cause the retelling to jump around a bit (back and forth through the timeline), but in the end, it was easy to make sense of it all. One particular chapter dealt with three lawmen who were charged with murder, and it is interesting to see how the court followed the law while being much different than what we are accustomed to see in today’s world.
Recommended for lovers of history and those who want to learn more about how the United States was tamed, and the men who were brave enough to step forward and accept the challenge. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
Mr. Pappalardo does his best to fill in all the blanks, explaining why events happened and how the people involved got caught up in the action. At times, this does cause the retelling to jump around a bit (back and forth through the timeline), but in the end, it was easy to make sense of it all. One particular chapter dealt with three lawmen who were charged with murder, and it is interesting to see how the court followed the law while being much different than what we are accustomed to see in today’s world.
Recommended for lovers of history and those who want to learn more about how the United States was tamed, and the men who were brave enough to step forward and accept the challenge. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
April 18, 2022
I have just finished the rather arduous task of wading through Joe Pappalardo's "Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F" from an ARC graciously provided to me by St. Martin's Press. Candidly, I am somewhat at a loss for how to respond here. In fairness, there is a lot of detail about life in Texas in the late 19th Century here. On the other hand, and far more important to this reviewer, the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read indeed. It puts me in mind of a Master's Thesis in search of a thesis. Its jumping off point, and occasional touchstone, is Company F of the Texas Rangers and their involvement in a number of cases but principally one that reads like a kind of Hatfield and McCoy story set in East Texas with a large cast of colorful characters. That said, the author's narrative structure often defeats whatever point it is he thinks he is making. Confusing time jumps, shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available simply makes this text a "bridge too far" for this reader. There is useful information here, and the author has made an obvious attempt to document his facts, but the organizational failures here obscure and interfere with any emergent narrative that may be present.
June 7, 2022
I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley.
Sometimes I read a book and find that someone here at Goodreads has already stated my opinion as well or better than I can. I recommend the review written by William Harris. Particularly, I agree with Harris when he says, “the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read” and also when he says that the book has “[c]onfusing time jumps, shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available”.
The research that went into this book seems to be thorough.
In the book's introduction (Kindle location 50), the author includes the following quote from a 19th-century Texas Ranger:
In general, the Texas Rangers, during the time that this history covers, seem to be the frontier law enforcement equivalent of firemen, or maybe mobile air cavalry, in the sense that they are dispatched to wherever the mayhem is greatest, without regard to whether doing so fits into some previously-agreed list of appropriate duties.
This book does not cover the period of 1915 – 1920, when the Rangers are accused of atrocities against ethnic Mexicans.
Here's a quote from near the end of the book:
Sometimes I read a book and find that someone here at Goodreads has already stated my opinion as well or better than I can. I recommend the review written by William Harris. Particularly, I agree with Harris when he says, “the ramshackle approach to the narrative structure makes this a tedious read” and also when he says that the book has “[c]onfusing time jumps, shifts in tense and the extremely disjointed and anecdotal presentation of the information available”.
The research that went into this book seems to be thorough.
In the book's introduction (Kindle location 50), the author includes the following quote from a 19th-century Texas Ranger:
Near everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers, but how many know what the Rangers really are, or what are their duties? In a general way, everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border, do a good deal of shooting, and now and then get killed or kill someone. But why they ride around, or why they do the shooting, is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one.A footnote by the author immediately following says:
This books [sic] seeks to answer that very question about the Texas Rangers of the late 1800s.I don't think the author succeeded.
In general, the Texas Rangers, during the time that this history covers, seem to be the frontier law enforcement equivalent of firemen, or maybe mobile air cavalry, in the sense that they are dispatched to wherever the mayhem is greatest, without regard to whether doing so fits into some previously-agreed list of appropriate duties.
This book does not cover the period of 1915 – 1920, when the Rangers are accused of atrocities against ethnic Mexicans.
Here's a quote from near the end of the book:
In the culture wars of the twenty-first century, these men [i.e., Texas Rangers] are … supposed to be “bright aura” avatars, not overworked cops working a vast, challenging beat. This heroic shroud obscures the realities of their lives as Texas Rangers and is nearly as unfair and dehumanizing as branding them racists by association.
June 11, 2022
Red Sky Morning by Joe Paparlardo is not the best book I ever read about the Texas Rangers, it was hard to get into and not very interesting. I found the long descriptions of people boring. I thought it was more about criminals and their families than about the rangers. Still I thank Edelweiss, Macmillan and St. Martin's Press for letting me read this advance copy.
December 1, 2024
Read three chapters and threw it away. "It doesn't matter, I don't care."
April 12, 2022
Red Sky Morning
By Joe Pappalardo
This is a work of non-fiction purportedly about the Texas Ranger Company F in the late 1800s. Through a string of loosely strung together anecdotes, the author presents bits and pieces of stories about various Texas Rangers at the time - but much more about family feuds, outlaws, the closing off of the open range in Texas and other stories having little direct relevance to the Rangers.
There is much information about the Connor family, many of whom were involved in killings and feuds and several of whom landed in prison for years. The author spends a great deal of time giving background details about husbands and wives, fathers and sons, and various other family members and neighbors, friends and foes: How long they lived, when they died, where they were buried etc. The cast of characters becomes unwieldy and I found myself mired down in all this and lost track often of who these people even were.
If you are really interested in background about the Texas Rangers of that period, I don't think you will find much to interest you here. This is just a compendium of extraneous information about life in Texas (Sabine County) and Louisiana during that time.
By Joe Pappalardo
This is a work of non-fiction purportedly about the Texas Ranger Company F in the late 1800s. Through a string of loosely strung together anecdotes, the author presents bits and pieces of stories about various Texas Rangers at the time - but much more about family feuds, outlaws, the closing off of the open range in Texas and other stories having little direct relevance to the Rangers.
There is much information about the Connor family, many of whom were involved in killings and feuds and several of whom landed in prison for years. The author spends a great deal of time giving background details about husbands and wives, fathers and sons, and various other family members and neighbors, friends and foes: How long they lived, when they died, where they were buried etc. The cast of characters becomes unwieldy and I found myself mired down in all this and lost track often of who these people even were.
If you are really interested in background about the Texas Rangers of that period, I don't think you will find much to interest you here. This is just a compendium of extraneous information about life in Texas (Sabine County) and Louisiana during that time.
July 26, 2022
This was a challenging read. Overall, it was interesting and held my interest throughout. A part of me has always been fascinated by "the Old West" and its different facets; this book helped answer questions I never had, hahahah. Seriously, though, while I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book, it was not what I expected it to be by the time I finished it.
In the Introduction, the author quotes N.A. Jennings (a Texas Ranger around the time period of which this book is about): "Nearly everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers at some time in his life, but how many know what the Rangers really are, or what are their duties? In a general way, everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border, do a good deal of shooting, and now and then get killed or kill someone. But why they ride around, or why they do the shooting, is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one" (3). I freely admit - the first time I ever heard of the Texas Rangers was watching old The Lone Ranger reruns and the lyrics of the song that started each show about how "six Texas Rangers" went into a canyon, were ambushed and left for dead, and only one of them survived. The author seeks to answer this very question about the Texas Ranges of the late 1800s. I am not sure how well the author fulfills his "mission statement."
Part of the "problem" is that the author jumps around a lot "in time" (other reviewers have commented on this as well). He starts the book out in 1883, setting the stage with James Brooks entering Cotulla, TX, and becoming a Texas Ranger. After that, as the book "moves forward it time" chronologically, it also makes jumps "back in time" to six or seven years in the past to give more "background history" to a person or an event that is relevant to what is being described in, say, 1885. Then he might jump forward to the 2020s to talk about some event in "modern times" that harkens back to this period of time before going back to the "main event." Even though he clearly denotes when he is jumping forward or backward in time before returning to the "present" of the "main narrative", it is still a bit jarring because of how you are taken out of the main narrative and then brought back to the main narrative. It is an interesting effect, on the one hand, because if this were a work of fiction, these "jumps in time" would probably be considered "infodumps" and possibly crucial to the story; some readers would appreciate them and some readers would not. So it is "interesting" that the author is using "historically-based" "infodumps" in his narrative and how it impacts the overall flow of the story (or history) he is telling. Once I thought of these "breaks in the narrative timeline" as "infodumps", it actually helped me not to notice them as much, oddly enough.
Another thing that was "challenging" was how he kept changing the tenses of the verbs. At times he would shift from present tense to a past tense or a future tense all in the same sentence. It usually happened in strings of sentences in the paragraphs, but that was still weird to read. That probably threw me off the most and I did not start getting used to his style of writing towards the end of the narrative.
It also felt a bit long and drawn out. About halfway through the book I started flipping to the back to see how many pages I had left. I do not know if that is because the book's cover claims it is about "the epic story of Texas Ranger Company F" or not, but it was not "just" about this particular Texas Ranger company. The book is not just about the history of Company F. The book probably should have advertised itself as being a history of the feud between the Connors and two other families in Sabine County, Texas, and how this specific Texas Ranger company was involved - that would have been a more accurate description of this book. The book focuses more on the Connor family, in my opinion, than it does anybody else (including James Brooks, the purported main focus/character of the book). The author makes several comments throughout the book about how little information there is about various members of Company F (as well as other Rangers from other Texas Ranger companies), so perhaps he felt the need to expand the focus of the book to hit a minimum number of pages before it could be published? Perhaps he was contractually obligated to reach a minimum number of pages and this was the only way to go about it? We are given extensive histories of various individuals involved in this feud, including offspring, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, and friends of the family, and distant relatives as well as close relatives. It is crazy how the population of Sabine County would become so interrelated due to the various marriages that occurred between the various families (including those involved in the "blood feud" itself) over time. While all of this "extra history" was interesting, it still took away from the central focus of the book, the purported "true story of Texas Ranger Company F".
I did like how the author kept modern politics out of it, for the most part, as well as "modern morality." We "modern society" tend to be pretty quick to judge past societies for behavior we consider despicable while maintaining a blind eye to despicable behavior in our own time. I am not saying they were perfect in Texas between 1880 and 1900 (the approximate period most of this events in this book take place), but the author is at least "honest enough" to not necessarily judge them too harshly (although it is hard to not feel some "righteous anger" at some of the events described, at how some things went down).
I think I was going to say more, but too much time has passed since I finished the book and sat down to finish this review, so I will end it here. It was an interesting book as it did hold my interest long enough for me to finish it. I did feel some sorrow for various characters (especially Brooks) because of the consequences of their decisions and how it impacted their families and loved ones, so it did have an emotional impact upon me while reading. I would probably rate it 2.5 - 2.7 stars rounded up to 3 stars; I enjoyed it enough to not bump it down to 2 stars.
In the Introduction, the author quotes N.A. Jennings (a Texas Ranger around the time period of which this book is about): "Nearly everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers at some time in his life, but how many know what the Rangers really are, or what are their duties? In a general way, everyone knows they are men who ride around on the Texas border, do a good deal of shooting, and now and then get killed or kill someone. But why they ride around, or why they do the shooting, is a question which might go begging for an answer for a long time without getting a correct one" (3). I freely admit - the first time I ever heard of the Texas Rangers was watching old The Lone Ranger reruns and the lyrics of the song that started each show about how "six Texas Rangers" went into a canyon, were ambushed and left for dead, and only one of them survived. The author seeks to answer this very question about the Texas Ranges of the late 1800s. I am not sure how well the author fulfills his "mission statement."
Part of the "problem" is that the author jumps around a lot "in time" (other reviewers have commented on this as well). He starts the book out in 1883, setting the stage with James Brooks entering Cotulla, TX, and becoming a Texas Ranger. After that, as the book "moves forward it time" chronologically, it also makes jumps "back in time" to six or seven years in the past to give more "background history" to a person or an event that is relevant to what is being described in, say, 1885. Then he might jump forward to the 2020s to talk about some event in "modern times" that harkens back to this period of time before going back to the "main event." Even though he clearly denotes when he is jumping forward or backward in time before returning to the "present" of the "main narrative", it is still a bit jarring because of how you are taken out of the main narrative and then brought back to the main narrative. It is an interesting effect, on the one hand, because if this were a work of fiction, these "jumps in time" would probably be considered "infodumps" and possibly crucial to the story; some readers would appreciate them and some readers would not. So it is "interesting" that the author is using "historically-based" "infodumps" in his narrative and how it impacts the overall flow of the story (or history) he is telling. Once I thought of these "breaks in the narrative timeline" as "infodumps", it actually helped me not to notice them as much, oddly enough.
Another thing that was "challenging" was how he kept changing the tenses of the verbs. At times he would shift from present tense to a past tense or a future tense all in the same sentence. It usually happened in strings of sentences in the paragraphs, but that was still weird to read. That probably threw me off the most and I did not start getting used to his style of writing towards the end of the narrative.
It also felt a bit long and drawn out. About halfway through the book I started flipping to the back to see how many pages I had left. I do not know if that is because the book's cover claims it is about "the epic story of Texas Ranger Company F" or not, but it was not "just" about this particular Texas Ranger company. The book is not just about the history of Company F. The book probably should have advertised itself as being a history of the feud between the Connors and two other families in Sabine County, Texas, and how this specific Texas Ranger company was involved - that would have been a more accurate description of this book. The book focuses more on the Connor family, in my opinion, than it does anybody else (including James Brooks, the purported main focus/character of the book). The author makes several comments throughout the book about how little information there is about various members of Company F (as well as other Rangers from other Texas Ranger companies), so perhaps he felt the need to expand the focus of the book to hit a minimum number of pages before it could be published? Perhaps he was contractually obligated to reach a minimum number of pages and this was the only way to go about it? We are given extensive histories of various individuals involved in this feud, including offspring, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, and friends of the family, and distant relatives as well as close relatives. It is crazy how the population of Sabine County would become so interrelated due to the various marriages that occurred between the various families (including those involved in the "blood feud" itself) over time. While all of this "extra history" was interesting, it still took away from the central focus of the book, the purported "true story of Texas Ranger Company F".
I did like how the author kept modern politics out of it, for the most part, as well as "modern morality." We "modern society" tend to be pretty quick to judge past societies for behavior we consider despicable while maintaining a blind eye to despicable behavior in our own time. I am not saying they were perfect in Texas between 1880 and 1900 (the approximate period most of this events in this book take place), but the author is at least "honest enough" to not necessarily judge them too harshly (although it is hard to not feel some "righteous anger" at some of the events described, at how some things went down).
I think I was going to say more, but too much time has passed since I finished the book and sat down to finish this review, so I will end it here. It was an interesting book as it did hold my interest long enough for me to finish it. I did feel some sorrow for various characters (especially Brooks) because of the consequences of their decisions and how it impacted their families and loved ones, so it did have an emotional impact upon me while reading. I would probably rate it 2.5 - 2.7 stars rounded up to 3 stars; I enjoyed it enough to not bump it down to 2 stars.
June 28, 2022
I thought this book was going to be really interesting and good. WRONG! I found it not interesting, but I kept reading because I thought it would get better.
One thing I think is wrong with it is it got bogged down. So much was thrown at me at once. Another thing is that most history books are in a chronological order, this was all over the place with dates. One time you would be in 1887, then 1889 and all the sudden you are back in 1887.
This also told the story of Company F trying to get the Connor gang. I understand that the author wanted us to get to know the members of the Company, but I didn't like his approach. I'd be reading about the Connors then all of the sudden I would be reading about a Company F member. It was just all over the place.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
One thing I think is wrong with it is it got bogged down. So much was thrown at me at once. Another thing is that most history books are in a chronological order, this was all over the place with dates. One time you would be in 1887, then 1889 and all the sudden you are back in 1887.
This also told the story of Company F trying to get the Connor gang. I understand that the author wanted us to get to know the members of the Company, but I didn't like his approach. I'd be reading about the Connors then all of the sudden I would be reading about a Company F member. It was just all over the place.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 11, 2022
The Texas Rangers cast a big shadow. One of myth and legend but not many known facts.
This is the story of one group of Rangers. They did a lot more than hunt down bad guys. There were land disputes, cattle disputes, Indian problems, and even family feuds.
Sergeant James Brooks was with Company F, and between 1886 and 1888, he was in three fatal fights, had many bullet wounds, chased down countless outlaws, and was even convicted of murder!
While they may have had a larger-than-life presence, when they meet the Conners, they may be in over their heads.
This was a challenge to read. Timelines jumped. Obviously, the author did his research, but it just didn’t feel organized to me. And I did feel lost a few times.
NetGalley/June 28th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press
This is the story of one group of Rangers. They did a lot more than hunt down bad guys. There were land disputes, cattle disputes, Indian problems, and even family feuds.
Sergeant James Brooks was with Company F, and between 1886 and 1888, he was in three fatal fights, had many bullet wounds, chased down countless outlaws, and was even convicted of murder!
While they may have had a larger-than-life presence, when they meet the Conners, they may be in over their heads.
This was a challenge to read. Timelines jumped. Obviously, the author did his research, but it just didn’t feel organized to me. And I did feel lost a few times.
NetGalley/June 28th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press
July 4, 2022
I received a free electronic ARC of this western historical history from Netgalley, Joe Pappalardo, and publisher St Martin's Press. I found this history heavy weather. Even after living 30 years in coastal Texas, it was difficult to follow the action, and the timeline jumps were very confusing.
I enjoyed some of the personal information in the lives of some of the Rangers, but the best thing about this story was it reminded me that it was time to re-read Big Sky AT Morning by Richard Bradford.
Pub date June 29, 2022
St. Martin's Press
I enjoyed some of the personal information in the lives of some of the Rangers, but the best thing about this story was it reminded me that it was time to re-read Big Sky AT Morning by Richard Bradford.
Pub date June 29, 2022
St. Martin's Press
July 6, 2022
I enjoy non-fiction stories of the west in the late 19th century and looked forward to Pappalardo’s true story of the Texas Ranger Company F but I found it difficult to get truly invested in the story. The wealth of historical detail did not flow in the story line making for choppy and slow reading.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. Pub. Date: June 28, 2022.
#NetGalley #RedSkyMorning
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. Pub. Date: June 28, 2022.
#NetGalley #RedSkyMorning
September 27, 2025
The positives
:
--Realistic in its depiction of law enforcement. Even in the 1880s, police could be and were arrested and tried for questionable shoots.
--Shows how, on top of hunting the Conners, the Texas Rangers also had to deal with vandals ("fence-cutters") and stagecoach robbers. In this regard, the Texas Rangers of the 19th Century were in a situation exactly identical to the Renseignements Généraux's Brigades Spéciales in Paris during the 1940s, the NYPD in Fort Apache and the RUC during the Troubles.
----Indeed, by showing that the Texas Rangers were only partially at best included in the hunt for the Conners, this book very closely resembles David Simon's Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets .
--Highlights that the Conners hid out in a marshy area, which made their spoor hard to pick up. In a like manner, the Communist Partisans during the Second World War hid in places like the Pripyat Marshes, which were often inaccessible to Dirlewanger and Bach-Zelewski, even when the latter two were operating without constitutional impediments.
--Points out that the Texas Rangers' successful Loughgall-style ambush of the fence-cutter vandals stopped these vandals for a time, just like Army Special Forces' neutralising Pasdaran elements in Iraq caused Iran to lay low for a while, just like Eliot Ness' ratonnade of Cleveland's Casbahs led to a halt in the Mad Butcher killings in Cleveland, and just like NYPD Det Ralph Friedman's arrest of a police impersonator while off duty, even though it translated to nothing judicially, got an illegal gun off the street and got said impersonator into the system.
--Shows, albeit inadvertently, that Texas of the 19th Century was as lawless as the Greek Mountains during September 1943--October 1944 were, as demonstrated in Mark Mazower's Inside Hitler's Greece , and as lawless as Belraus and Ukraine in 1941-1944. The Conners are just like the Andartes, part hero and part gangster all at once.
The negatives :
The author is slovenly, often projecting emotions and sentiments onto the subjects that he could not have possibly garnered from contemporary newspaper articles (his main source) or interrogation reports (of which he cites precious few.) He includes all kinds of irrelevant family details on the police involved, in stark contrast to the entirely professional Christopher Browning in Ordinary Men and Michael Wildt in The Uncompromising Generation . Compared to these two volumes, this book is extremely poorly sourced.
Pappalardo seems to be an aviation specialist. In that regard, writing on non-aviation topics like policing, he entirely lacks the skill, methodology and meticulousness that USAF Colonel and Pave Low pilot Edward B. Westermann demonstrated in his volumes Hitler's Police Battalions and Hitler's Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars , the latter volume, like Red Sky Morning , dealing with the Old West. As well, Pappalardo lacks the professionalism of Nicolas Patin in his volume on police General Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger, Un Bourreau Ordinnaire , and of Christian Ingrao in his volume on the anti-partisan Dirlewanger Brigade, Les Chasseurs Noirs .
All in all, this shows how a police unit with limited manpower(the sum of all forces on the spoor of the Conners at any one time was very likely a fraction of the strength that Reserve Police Battalion 101 deployed to Lomazy and Josefow), zero telecommunications, limited mobility, as well as demands from other sectors, dealt with partisans holed up in a Pripyat-style marsh. It could have been prepared far more professionally. That is was not makes it a chore to read, despite all the valuable insights into policing it provides.
--Realistic in its depiction of law enforcement. Even in the 1880s, police could be and were arrested and tried for questionable shoots.
--Shows how, on top of hunting the Conners, the Texas Rangers also had to deal with vandals ("fence-cutters") and stagecoach robbers. In this regard, the Texas Rangers of the 19th Century were in a situation exactly identical to the Renseignements Généraux's Brigades Spéciales in Paris during the 1940s, the NYPD in Fort Apache and the RUC during the Troubles.
----Indeed, by showing that the Texas Rangers were only partially at best included in the hunt for the Conners, this book very closely resembles David Simon's Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets .
--Highlights that the Conners hid out in a marshy area, which made their spoor hard to pick up. In a like manner, the Communist Partisans during the Second World War hid in places like the Pripyat Marshes, which were often inaccessible to Dirlewanger and Bach-Zelewski, even when the latter two were operating without constitutional impediments.
--Points out that the Texas Rangers' successful Loughgall-style ambush of the fence-cutter vandals stopped these vandals for a time, just like Army Special Forces' neutralising Pasdaran elements in Iraq caused Iran to lay low for a while, just like Eliot Ness' ratonnade of Cleveland's Casbahs led to a halt in the Mad Butcher killings in Cleveland, and just like NYPD Det Ralph Friedman's arrest of a police impersonator while off duty, even though it translated to nothing judicially, got an illegal gun off the street and got said impersonator into the system.
--Shows, albeit inadvertently, that Texas of the 19th Century was as lawless as the Greek Mountains during September 1943--October 1944 were, as demonstrated in Mark Mazower's Inside Hitler's Greece , and as lawless as Belraus and Ukraine in 1941-1944. The Conners are just like the Andartes, part hero and part gangster all at once.
The negatives :
The author is slovenly, often projecting emotions and sentiments onto the subjects that he could not have possibly garnered from contemporary newspaper articles (his main source) or interrogation reports (of which he cites precious few.) He includes all kinds of irrelevant family details on the police involved, in stark contrast to the entirely professional Christopher Browning in Ordinary Men and Michael Wildt in The Uncompromising Generation . Compared to these two volumes, this book is extremely poorly sourced.
Pappalardo seems to be an aviation specialist. In that regard, writing on non-aviation topics like policing, he entirely lacks the skill, methodology and meticulousness that USAF Colonel and Pave Low pilot Edward B. Westermann demonstrated in his volumes Hitler's Police Battalions and Hitler's Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars , the latter volume, like Red Sky Morning , dealing with the Old West. As well, Pappalardo lacks the professionalism of Nicolas Patin in his volume on police General Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger, Un Bourreau Ordinnaire , and of Christian Ingrao in his volume on the anti-partisan Dirlewanger Brigade, Les Chasseurs Noirs .
All in all, this shows how a police unit with limited manpower(the sum of all forces on the spoor of the Conners at any one time was very likely a fraction of the strength that Reserve Police Battalion 101 deployed to Lomazy and Josefow), zero telecommunications, limited mobility, as well as demands from other sectors, dealt with partisans holed up in a Pripyat-style marsh. It could have been prepared far more professionally. That is was not makes it a chore to read, despite all the valuable insights into policing it provides.
July 11, 2022
I was introduced to author JOE PAPPALARDO, by his publisher St. Martins, in July 2020 with his book INFERNO. It was a WW II nonfiction story about a Medal of Honor award winning bomber crewmember.
Once again, thanks to St Martins and the author, I have read another book by this author on an entirely different subject, the “Wild West” of the late 19th Century, especially in the state of Texas (United States). The book is RED SKY MORNING.
The book takes on the famous law enforcement agency known as the Texas Rangers in its formative years 1870 to 1890. The book focuses on several of the Rangers and their careers. Among the featured rangers are Sergeant James Brooks and Captain William Scott. Their careers kept them in close proximity for years.
In 1881, in Cotulla, Texas, Brooks witnessed Ranger Lee Hall face off against six armed men and, without violence, subdue them. At the time Brooks was still a young man trying to find a career. He decided, then and there, to enlist in the Texas Rangers. He became a Private in Company F for the grandiose salary of $45 per month. He had to pay for his supplies such as a horse, weapons, ammunition, etc. from that salary.
From its inception when Texas was a republic (before joining the United States in 1845), the focus of the Rangers wavered before finally becoming the mounted law enforcement agency at the time this book covers. By 1883, the focus of the Rangers settled at catching criminals.
Brooks’ first assignment was to arrest five men accused of fence cutting in Frio. At the time, the crime was a misdemeanor subject to a fine only. By 1884, thanks, in part, to an investigation by Brooks, the crime becomes a felony with a punishment of one to five years’ jail time. It was a serious offense for the ranchers whose fences were destroyed.
One ongoing investigation that the book describes involves the shooting of Kit Smith and Eli Low who are related to each other and to Willis Conner and his family. Conner and other family members are accused of the double murders and are arrested. Before their trial, members of the family and others free the five men from jail. The family goes into hiding in the woods and swamps of Northeast Texas for years. The story reminds me of the story of Robin Hood in England in the 13th Century.
Captain William Scott made his name in law enforcement as a civilian! As a young man in his early 20s in the late 1870s, Scott takes it upon himself, as a civilian, to infiltrate the gang of famed/notorious gangster, Sam Bass. Bass had made a name for himself, in the state of Nebraska (middle of the United States), through a bank robbery that netted his gang $65,000 in gold coins (today worth $1.4 million). Scott gave the Rangers the information, unasked, that Bass was in Round Rock, Texas. A troop of Texas Rangers, without Scott, trapped and killed Bass. That is how Scott became a Ranger.
I enjoyed reading this look at a part of U.S. history that is legendary but little known. There is action to satisfy those readers. There is history to satisfy those readers. It is well written and an easy read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
Once again, thanks to St Martins and the author, I have read another book by this author on an entirely different subject, the “Wild West” of the late 19th Century, especially in the state of Texas (United States). The book is RED SKY MORNING.
The book takes on the famous law enforcement agency known as the Texas Rangers in its formative years 1870 to 1890. The book focuses on several of the Rangers and their careers. Among the featured rangers are Sergeant James Brooks and Captain William Scott. Their careers kept them in close proximity for years.
In 1881, in Cotulla, Texas, Brooks witnessed Ranger Lee Hall face off against six armed men and, without violence, subdue them. At the time Brooks was still a young man trying to find a career. He decided, then and there, to enlist in the Texas Rangers. He became a Private in Company F for the grandiose salary of $45 per month. He had to pay for his supplies such as a horse, weapons, ammunition, etc. from that salary.
From its inception when Texas was a republic (before joining the United States in 1845), the focus of the Rangers wavered before finally becoming the mounted law enforcement agency at the time this book covers. By 1883, the focus of the Rangers settled at catching criminals.
Brooks’ first assignment was to arrest five men accused of fence cutting in Frio. At the time, the crime was a misdemeanor subject to a fine only. By 1884, thanks, in part, to an investigation by Brooks, the crime becomes a felony with a punishment of one to five years’ jail time. It was a serious offense for the ranchers whose fences were destroyed.
One ongoing investigation that the book describes involves the shooting of Kit Smith and Eli Low who are related to each other and to Willis Conner and his family. Conner and other family members are accused of the double murders and are arrested. Before their trial, members of the family and others free the five men from jail. The family goes into hiding in the woods and swamps of Northeast Texas for years. The story reminds me of the story of Robin Hood in England in the 13th Century.
Captain William Scott made his name in law enforcement as a civilian! As a young man in his early 20s in the late 1870s, Scott takes it upon himself, as a civilian, to infiltrate the gang of famed/notorious gangster, Sam Bass. Bass had made a name for himself, in the state of Nebraska (middle of the United States), through a bank robbery that netted his gang $65,000 in gold coins (today worth $1.4 million). Scott gave the Rangers the information, unasked, that Bass was in Round Rock, Texas. A troop of Texas Rangers, without Scott, trapped and killed Bass. That is how Scott became a Ranger.
I enjoyed reading this look at a part of U.S. history that is legendary but little known. There is action to satisfy those readers. There is history to satisfy those readers. It is well written and an easy read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
April 24, 2022
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history and biography featuring the Texas Rangers.
Texas Rangers exist in that netherworld of both fact and whole lot more known better fiction in the thoughts of most Americans. Many might know the "One riot, one ranger" comment, but it could have been said by Walker, Texas Ranger. Many know Bonnie and Clyde, but not know about Frank Hamer who led the posse that led to their death. And few probably know about the Porvenir massacre where a group of Rangers, ranchers and some calvary killed 15 unarmed men and boys from Mexico. The Texas Rangers are in the minds of many brave men who fought gutless desperados and tamed a wild west. Not men who stood trial for murder, were used as tools by the powerful to close off the west, and at one point planted dynamite traps to stop barbed wire cutters. These stories and more are told in Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F, about just one group of rangers and their adventures in slowly changing west.
The book focuses on the two Rangers in particular, James Brooks who was a tough as they came with the wounds to show and a murder trial to prove it. And Captain William Scott who led the Company F in their pursuit of rustlers and fence cutters who fought against the closing of the west by fencing the plains. Their opposite would be the Connor family, a brutal group whose father had no problem shooting first, and shooting to kill. These two groups were fated to meet in a way that would change most of their lives forever.
The book takes on a lot of history not just of the Rangers, but of Texas, cattle industry, free range, barb wire cutting, law politics, rustling, the use of informers in law enforcement. A lot. The book is interesting but the amount of characters and the points of view changing can get a little much, and might be a tad tough to follow. I enjoyed the book, but I do have to admit I might have gotten lost a time or two. There is a lot of detail for just a biography on Company F, and I can see where people might have problems. Though again, I still admit I liked it.
Recommended for Fathers who like the west, and want something more than a good guys, bad guys story. For readers of Jeff Guinn's The Last Gunfight, or War on the Border, Nathan Gorenstein's The Guns of John Moses Browning, even Bryan Burroughs Forget the Alamo.
Texas Rangers exist in that netherworld of both fact and whole lot more known better fiction in the thoughts of most Americans. Many might know the "One riot, one ranger" comment, but it could have been said by Walker, Texas Ranger. Many know Bonnie and Clyde, but not know about Frank Hamer who led the posse that led to their death. And few probably know about the Porvenir massacre where a group of Rangers, ranchers and some calvary killed 15 unarmed men and boys from Mexico. The Texas Rangers are in the minds of many brave men who fought gutless desperados and tamed a wild west. Not men who stood trial for murder, were used as tools by the powerful to close off the west, and at one point planted dynamite traps to stop barbed wire cutters. These stories and more are told in Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F, about just one group of rangers and their adventures in slowly changing west.
The book focuses on the two Rangers in particular, James Brooks who was a tough as they came with the wounds to show and a murder trial to prove it. And Captain William Scott who led the Company F in their pursuit of rustlers and fence cutters who fought against the closing of the west by fencing the plains. Their opposite would be the Connor family, a brutal group whose father had no problem shooting first, and shooting to kill. These two groups were fated to meet in a way that would change most of their lives forever.
The book takes on a lot of history not just of the Rangers, but of Texas, cattle industry, free range, barb wire cutting, law politics, rustling, the use of informers in law enforcement. A lot. The book is interesting but the amount of characters and the points of view changing can get a little much, and might be a tad tough to follow. I enjoyed the book, but I do have to admit I might have gotten lost a time or two. There is a lot of detail for just a biography on Company F, and I can see where people might have problems. Though again, I still admit I liked it.
Recommended for Fathers who like the west, and want something more than a good guys, bad guys story. For readers of Jeff Guinn's The Last Gunfight, or War on the Border, Nathan Gorenstein's The Guns of John Moses Browning, even Bryan Burroughs Forget the Alamo.
May 18, 2022
Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. This is the story of Texas Rangers Company F and their role in Texas history. Company F was formed after the Mexican War, Civil War and most of the Indian wars. Company F was created for one purpose, to chase robbers, killers, rustlers and fence cutters, and they did their job well. The primary focus is on two Rangers, James Brooks and Captain William Scott. It details Brooks involvement in a shooting in the Indian Territory and subsequent trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In even more detail it follows the long search for the feuding Connor family in Sabine county, Texas that involved a major shootout with the Rangers. In between it touches on the fight against fence cutters and the bitter fight in Texas between the small ranchers who favored an open range and the larger ranchers who supported fences. At times it reads like a genealogy book as the author goes into painful detail of every character’s family history and who begat who. And in the middle of the book he throws in a chapter on the modern idiocy of removing a Ranger statue by the woke crowd. That would have been better held until the end. On the positive side he does a wonderful job of bringing in historical detail on the old west. Following a remote shootout where several Rangers were badly injured he discussed field surgeries and roles of the local country doctors in great detail. I found that fascinating. There was also much interesting details about the famous court in Fort Smith and the fence cutting war. But continuing that genealogy bent rather than ending the book with the retirement of the Rangers and end of the company, he follows their post Ranger lives in painful detail until their deaths. That made the end drag and could have been shortened considerably. Overall it was an interesting book for anyone interested in Old West, Texas Ranger or Texas history.
June 27, 2022
Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F by Joe Pappalardo is described as the explosive and bloody true history of Texas Rangers Company F. The hard men who rode hard and risked their lives to bring justice to the lawless frontier in the waning years of the Old West. Focusing on the years between 1886-1888 as Sergeant James Brooks commanded Company F as they engaged in three fatal gunfights and countless manhunts. Company F hunted down criminals, killing them if necessary and bringing them to trial when possible. They were confident in their “Ranger justice.” However, one outfit would give Company F a challenge. The Conner family were an East Texas family of master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody feud. An in depth account of the Company F’s showdown with the Conner family that find themselves over their heads and in the fight for their lives. Did Company F find the Conner family? And at what cost?
I love history, especially history that I know little about. Everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers but most do not know the twists and turns of its history. I was very excited to read Red Sky Morning. I eagerly dove into the chapters as the men and women of the Old West were introduced. However, as Mr. Pappalardo jumps back and forth in time without an apparent reason. He states in the introduction that he set out to answer the question about who the Texas Rangers really were, I feel he failed. Red Sky Morning became a tedious read that became more a history of the Texas frontier, all its colorful characters and events rather than just Company F. I found myself losing focus as I turned pages. The book lacked cohesiveness as the presentation was very disjointed. Individuals would be introduced, while famous or infamous in the Old West, seemed to have nothing to do with Company F and their manhunt for the Conner family. I do not recommend Red Sky Morning.
Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F
is available June 28, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook
I love history, especially history that I know little about. Everyone has heard of the Texas Rangers but most do not know the twists and turns of its history. I was very excited to read Red Sky Morning. I eagerly dove into the chapters as the men and women of the Old West were introduced. However, as Mr. Pappalardo jumps back and forth in time without an apparent reason. He states in the introduction that he set out to answer the question about who the Texas Rangers really were, I feel he failed. Red Sky Morning became a tedious read that became more a history of the Texas frontier, all its colorful characters and events rather than just Company F. I found myself losing focus as I turned pages. The book lacked cohesiveness as the presentation was very disjointed. Individuals would be introduced, while famous or infamous in the Old West, seemed to have nothing to do with Company F and their manhunt for the Conner family. I do not recommend Red Sky Morning.
Red Sky Morning: The Epic Story of Texas Ranger Company F
is available June 28, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook
June 17, 2022
I received an advance reading copy (arc) of the book from the publisher and NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. I knew very little about the Texas Rangers when I was asked to read this book. It certainly sounded interesting and the unique topic piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately, the book just fell short for me. Center stage was the Connor family--a band of outlaws hiding in the Texas range and the lawmen who sought them during the late 1880s. Led by Sargent James Brooks, the lawmen themselves came from a wide background of non-drinkers to killers. They were feared as well as respected. Author Joe Pappalardo did not focus on the chase for the Connors, however. He was sidetracked by other cases and other criminals that all jumbled together. He also switched back and forth between time periods, which I found confusing. There were way too many characters that were hard to keep track of with way too many details that bogged down what should have been the story. For example, because one ranger happened to see Belle Starr, the author provided background on the female outlaw that had no bearing on the main story. While Author Pappalardo certainly did an abundance of research, the telling of the tale fell short for this reader.
June 30, 2022
A Detailed History of Texas Ranger Company F
In the 1800s the West was a lawless place. The Texas Rangers were charged with bringing the outlaws to justice, but they did more than that being involved in Indian problems, family feuds, and cattle and land disputes. Sergeant James Brooks from Company F is one of the more colorful characters of the era. He was involved in numerous gun fights, and was convicted of second-degree murder.
The book also tells the story of the other members of the company led by Captain William Scott. It even dips into the families of the men. The author uses diaries and news articles to bring the stories to life.
This book dispels the picture of the Rangers as just hunting outlaws. They did much more including becoming involved in the Conner family feud. I found the book well-researched and interesting, but often hard to follow. It felt as though the author had a large quantity of information and wanted to put it all in the book.
If you’re interested in American history, particularly the history of the West, this is well done, but if you’re looking for an adventure tale about the Rangers, it’s not your book.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
In the 1800s the West was a lawless place. The Texas Rangers were charged with bringing the outlaws to justice, but they did more than that being involved in Indian problems, family feuds, and cattle and land disputes. Sergeant James Brooks from Company F is one of the more colorful characters of the era. He was involved in numerous gun fights, and was convicted of second-degree murder.
The book also tells the story of the other members of the company led by Captain William Scott. It even dips into the families of the men. The author uses diaries and news articles to bring the stories to life.
This book dispels the picture of the Rangers as just hunting outlaws. They did much more including becoming involved in the Conner family feud. I found the book well-researched and interesting, but often hard to follow. It felt as though the author had a large quantity of information and wanted to put it all in the book.
If you’re interested in American history, particularly the history of the West, this is well done, but if you’re looking for an adventure tale about the Rangers, it’s not your book.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
June 26, 2024
This was a good book that was hard to read at times. I thought author, Joe Pappalardo did a great job bringing the characters of Texas Ranger Company F to life for the reader. Pappalardo really gave us some insight on the key members of Company F. You feel like you really get to know them on a personal basis. The author did an excellent job researching the exploits of the Company and obtaining the details.
The main story centered around events in East Texas around Sabine County. But this continual adventure for the Rangers is where the author really loses me and makes the reading very difficult. I felt at times I needed a genealogy degree, a spreadsheet and a family chain in order to keep track of what Pappalardo was telling me. He got carried away in family relatives, marriages, friends, enemies, etc. It bogged down in parts and became frustrating to read.
Fortunately, the other stories were not as complex and quite interesting. Then toward the end of the book, the author goes back to Sabine County and gives extensive details of what happened to who and the book turned away from the Rangers for far too long.
I liked the basic premise of the book and found it interesting, yet some parts were just hard to read and understand. A good book, but not great.
The main story centered around events in East Texas around Sabine County. But this continual adventure for the Rangers is where the author really loses me and makes the reading very difficult. I felt at times I needed a genealogy degree, a spreadsheet and a family chain in order to keep track of what Pappalardo was telling me. He got carried away in family relatives, marriages, friends, enemies, etc. It bogged down in parts and became frustrating to read.
Fortunately, the other stories were not as complex and quite interesting. Then toward the end of the book, the author goes back to Sabine County and gives extensive details of what happened to who and the book turned away from the Rangers for far too long.
I liked the basic premise of the book and found it interesting, yet some parts were just hard to read and understand. A good book, but not great.
May 2, 2022
This book is a compelling and interesting history of the Texas Rangers, life on the frontier as it lurched toward the 20th century and the murderous feuds that were then part of life in east Texas. However, the book is so poorly edited as to make it nearly unreadable. At every point where the narrative really begins to move it comes to a screeching halt because we are taken back another ten or twenty years to tell yet another story. This is no more true than at what would have been the natural end of the story-the retirement of the main characters-we are forced endure what they did literally until they were buried. It is as if the author, having gathered so much material, felt compelled to use all of it whether or not it contributed to the book.
This book can only be gotten through by liberal page skipping, which is a shame because at the core of the book there lies a terrific story
This book can only be gotten through by liberal page skipping, which is a shame because at the core of the book there lies a terrific story
July 11, 2022
I was excited to read this book about the Texas Rangers, and got a galley copy to preview.
I found it a little difficult to follow as the story bounced a round a bit with time and people. It took me a while to finish it because I kept going onto the web to gain a better understanding of the Rangers in the book.
Historically it was interesting to understand the conflicts that made Texas what it is today. Many of the disputes that the Rangers had to get involved in were created as people tried to carve out their piece of the state and fence themselves in and others out.
I had hoped the story would go a little deeper into the day to day lives of the Rangers but there isn't a lot of history that can be researched it appears. Much of the story was pieced together from newspaper clippings of events involving F Company but it made it pretty difficult to follow.
Overall, there were some great chapters with some interesting stories but the readability of this one was tough.
I found it a little difficult to follow as the story bounced a round a bit with time and people. It took me a while to finish it because I kept going onto the web to gain a better understanding of the Rangers in the book.
Historically it was interesting to understand the conflicts that made Texas what it is today. Many of the disputes that the Rangers had to get involved in were created as people tried to carve out their piece of the state and fence themselves in and others out.
I had hoped the story would go a little deeper into the day to day lives of the Rangers but there isn't a lot of history that can be researched it appears. Much of the story was pieced together from newspaper clippings of events involving F Company but it made it pretty difficult to follow.
Overall, there were some great chapters with some interesting stories but the readability of this one was tough.
August 17, 2022
History and biographies are the cornerstone of my reading. The topic of the Texas Rangers during the late 19th century is newer to me as I hadn’t come across a good book. I was looking forward to reading this one.
Unfortunately I found the Red Sky Morning very difficult to follow. The timeline jumped around too often. People were introduced, talked about for a page and then disappeared for long stretches. Why would an author (and an editor not help reshape) write about an event and then in the next section take that same date and say “some hours earlier”? While I found each section enlightening, I was too frustrated trying to remember previously conveyed information. I spend way too much time looking back and rereading section to comprehend the progression. I am disappointed St Martin’s didn’t do more assist with the timeline.
I do commend the extensive research conducted by the author. I did learn more about that time period. I do think the final product could be improved.
Unfortunately I found the Red Sky Morning very difficult to follow. The timeline jumped around too often. People were introduced, talked about for a page and then disappeared for long stretches. Why would an author (and an editor not help reshape) write about an event and then in the next section take that same date and say “some hours earlier”? While I found each section enlightening, I was too frustrated trying to remember previously conveyed information. I spend way too much time looking back and rereading section to comprehend the progression. I am disappointed St Martin’s didn’t do more assist with the timeline.
I do commend the extensive research conducted by the author. I did learn more about that time period. I do think the final product could be improved.
January 4, 2023
This book had some strong points and some weak points. It seemed as if the author mixed old time story telling with well researched history. For research of the subject, I give it a 5. For coherency and adding in things that did not seem appropriate I give it a 2. The book is heavily footnoted, this is good. But presented at the bottom of the page was more of a distraction than a help. Few of them were necessary to the history presented. End notes would have made it cleaner. I found the material about modern cowboy shooting interesting, but it had nothing to do with the story. It kind of stuck out. Most of the discussions with people from the modern era were really irrelevant to the story as well or could have been summed up in a few lines in a footnote. Finally, the play list at the end? I like some of the music, but it was completely irrelevant unless you are making a movie.
Well researched. I would read another by Pappalardo, but hope it is more polished.
Well researched. I would read another by Pappalardo, but hope it is more polished.
March 13, 2023
The history of the Texas Rangers has long been one of a legacy. But they didn't always have the best reputations, and were not without scrapes and legal troubles.
This book follows Texas Ranger Company F, which was rather interesting on its own. There was a lot of history there, and many legal scrapes that the men found themselves in. I enjoyed the background that was given on each one, as much as was possible, and giving as much as they could without dropping anything that might be needed for drawing conclusions.
Overall, interesting book. There were a few places where I felt it bogged down a bit, but truly, it was enjoyable and kept me interested enough to keep reading and finish out the book. There were a few surprises in there, which I am not going to give away. Also, I found that some of the names were familiar to me from other areas of reading, or research that I had done for some of the courses that I am teaching.
This book follows Texas Ranger Company F, which was rather interesting on its own. There was a lot of history there, and many legal scrapes that the men found themselves in. I enjoyed the background that was given on each one, as much as was possible, and giving as much as they could without dropping anything that might be needed for drawing conclusions.
Overall, interesting book. There were a few places where I felt it bogged down a bit, but truly, it was enjoyable and kept me interested enough to keep reading and finish out the book. There were a few surprises in there, which I am not going to give away. Also, I found that some of the names were familiar to me from other areas of reading, or research that I had done for some of the courses that I am teaching.
June 22, 2022
I received an invitation to read Red Sky Morning by Joe Pappalardo. I have spent the last month off and on trying to get through this book about the Texas Rangers especially focused on Sgt. James Brooks who was in Company F of the Texas Rangers. I have always enjoyed books and shows about the West during the 1800s starting with Westerns of the late 1950s. Brooks is an interesting figure. My problem with this book is that I became lost in all of the figures around Brooks and side stories. I gave up taking notes. I can definitely tell the writer did a lot of research. I think he would have benefited from having a second writer who could have helped make this book easier to read by the average person interested in the West. My thanks to St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
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