The Life and Legend of Jack Hays: Devil Jack

This movie tells of the life and legend of John Coffee Hays, perhaps the most famous Texas Ranger. Hays arrived in San Antonio at twenty, a surveyor with a compass and a rifle. His journey took him to Walker’s Creek, the battle that changed frontier warfare forever; then to Enchanted Rock and countless other encounters with the Comanche. Within a short period of time, the Comanche gave Hays the name “Devil Jack”. He and his Texas Rangers then moved onto fighting in the Mexican-American War after which he moved onto California where he achieved fame and fortune. CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Jack Hays 10:07 The Battle at Walker's Creek 19:03 The Standoff at Enchanted Rock 24:27 The Battle at Bandera Pass 30:54 Mexico Marches on Texas 46:55 The Texas Rangers Go to War 58:10 The Road to Mexico City 01:11:56 The Texas Ranger That Built a City PRODUCTION NOTE Historical images in this video that are not archival are AI-generated recreations, created to illustrate scenes for which no period image exists. They are illustrations, not evidence. All archival material is public domain and sourced below. Narration is AI-assisted. The Western Ledger tells the history of the Texas frontier — carefully, and with its hands where you can see them. When the record is thin, we say so. When a story is legend, we call it legend. Subscribe:    / @westernledger   Contact: info.westernledger@gmail.com