The Rough Riders; or, Sharp Eye, the Seminole Scourge

Catalog Note *Rough Riders; or, Sharp Eye, the Seminole Scourge: A Tale of the Chaparral* by "Buckskin Sam" (Major Sam S. Hall), serialized in Beadle's publication (August 8, 1883). This frontier adventure opens in Civil War–era Texas, establishing the Resaca de la Palma region near Brownsville as a dangerous crossing point where Confederate cotton supplies and return cargo attract Mexican bandits under Cortina. The narrative introduces three travelers—elderly Cap Gaines, his young son "Little Lightning" Gerald, and his adopted sixteen-year-old daughter "Goldie" Grace—driving wagons toward Brownsville. They encounter Bill Mann, a Rio Grande scout for Colonel John Ford's Rangers, who warns of perils during their return trip. Mann departs urgently with dispatches. The story continues in Brownsville's bar scene following Mann's arrival.