TexasEscapes.com 
HOME : : NEW : : TEXAS TOWNS : : GHOST TOWNS : : TEXAS HOTELS : : FEATURES : : COLUMNS : : BUILDINGS : : IMAGES : : ARCHIVE : : SITE MAP
PEOPLE : : PLACES : : THINGS : : HOTELS : : VACATION PACKAGES
Texas Escapes
Online Magazine
Texas Towns by Region
  • Texas Hill Country
  • Central Texas North
  • Central Texas South
  • South Texas
  • East Texas
  • West Texas
  • Texas Panhandle
  • Texas Gulf Coast
    Texas Towns A - Z
    Over 2700 Towns

    Texas Ghost Towns
    Over 700 Ghost Towns

    Book Hotels
  • El Paso Hotels
    Find Hotel Deals in
    El Paso, Texas
    Book Today

    Van Horn Hotels
    Find Hotel Deals in
    Van Horn, Texas
    Book Now

    Texas | Features | People

    The Killing of General J. J. Byrne

    Historical marker in Sierra Blanca, Texas
    at the intersection of FM 1111 and Bus 10 (Old hwy 80),
    (the only two paved roads in town)

    Sierra Blanca, Texas Area Hotels
    El Paso Hotels | Van Horn Hotels

    Historical Marker Text

    The Killing of General J. J. Byrne

    One of the final acts of violence in raiding led during 1880 by the feared Apache chieftain, Victorio.

    Just prior to this incident, Victorio's band--100 to 200 strong-- had finished a sanguinary two years of raiding in southwest Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. His brilliant guerrilla tactics baffled his U. S. Army pursuers and earned their grudging admiration.

    J. J. Byrne, a surveyor and retired military man, had fought in U. S. Army in the Civil War (1861-65), having been cited both for gallantry and meritorious conduct. At the time of his death, he was the lone passenger on the stage bound for Fort Davis.

    Drawn by small, swift Mexican mules, the coach left Fort Quitman, a former Army post on the Rio Grande, August 13, 1880. As it entered a steep canyon Victorio's men attacked. Gen. Byrne was killed almost at once but the driver, Ed Walde, turned the stage and raced back to the fort for safety.

    Later in 1880 the United States and Mexico fielded 5,000 soldiers to hunt down Victorio, who was finally killed in Mexico. Thus ended the career of one of the most notable Indian chiefs in the southwest.

    Byrne, born in Ireland about 1842, was buried near Fort Quitman but later reinterred in Fort Worth.
    1973
    Sierra Blanca, TX - Killing of General J.J. Byrne

    Historical Marker
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2009

    Sierra Blanca, TX - Hudspeth County Courthouse, restored

    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2009

    Related Topics: Sierra Blanca | More People | Texas

    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic/contemporary photos of their town/subject, please contact us.
    Visit
    Sierra Blanca
    Hotels:
    Van Horn Hotels
    El Paso Hotels
    More Hotels

    Related Topics:
    People
    Texas History
    Texas Town List
    Texas Ghost Town
    Texas
    Hotels

    Custom Search

    El Paso Hotels
    Find Hotel Deals in El Paso, Texas
    Book Today

    Van Horn Hotels
    Find Hotel Deals in Van Horn, Texas
    Book Now

    TEXAS ESCAPES CONTENTS
    HOME | TEXAS ESCAPES ONLINE MAGAZINE | HOTELS | SEARCH SITE
    TEXAS TOWN LIST | TEXAS GHOST TOWNS | TEXAS COUNTIES

    Texas Hill Country | East Texas | Central Texas North | Central Texas South | West Texas | Texas Panhandle | South Texas | Texas Gulf Coast
    TRIPS | STATES PARKS | RIVERS | LAKES | DRIVES | FORTS | MAPS

    Texas Attractions
    TEXAS FEATURES
    People | Ghosts | Historic Trees | Cemeteries | Small Town Sagas | WWII | History | Texas Centennial | Black History | Art | Music | Animals | Books | Food
    COLUMNS : History, Humor, Topical and Opinion

    TEXAS ARCHITECTURE | IMAGES
    Courthouses | Jails | Churches | Gas Stations | Schoolhouses | Bridges | Theaters | Monuments/Statues | Depots | Water Towers | Post Offices | Grain Elevators | Lodges | Museums | Rooms with a Past | Gargoyles | Cornerstones | Pitted Dates | Stores | Banks | Drive-by Architecture | Signs | Ghost Signs | Old Neon | Murals | Then & Now
    Vintage Photos

    TRAVEL RESERVATIONS | USA | MEXICO

    Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Contributors | Staff | Contact TE
    Website Content Copyright ©1998-2011. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. All Rights Reserved