RECOLLECTIONS OF WESTERN TEXAS, DESCRIPTIVE AND NARRATIVE, INCLUDING AN INDIAN CAMPAIGN, 1852 – 55 INTERSPERSED WITH ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES.
Austin: Book Club of Texas, 1995. 109pp. Index. Notes. Edited by Robert Wooster. Preface by Robert M. Utley. Illustrations from Emory’s Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey. Folding map of Southwestern Texas. Notes. Gray cloth with paper spine label. Limited edition of 300 copies, reprinting the rare 1857 original. Fine copy (no dust jacket issued). William and John Wright, natives of Ireland, joined the United States Army in 1850 for a five-year enlistment. They were transferred to Co. F, Regiment of Mounted Rifles and served most of their duty in South Texas. At the end of their enlistment, the Wrights returned to Ireland. Their narrative was published two years later in London. The brothers recount their skirmishes with Comanches, Lipans, and Mexican “filibusters.” They describe post life, the climate, topography, agriculture, and the inhabitants of both Texas and Mexico. Enhanced by Wooster’s excellent introduction and valuable annotations which add valuable context to the book.