Reuben C. Smith, was a veteran of the Mexican-American War, retired Texas Ranger and cattle rancher, lost his long red locks to a Comanche scalping knife. On May 10, 1847, Reuben enlisted in Austin, Texas, in Company D with the 1st Regiment of Hays’ Texas Mounted Volunteers. He continued to volunteer as both an Indian fighter and to protect the Texas frontier during the War Between the States.