Sam Garner was a captain of the Texas Rangers. A veteran of the Texas Revolution, Garner led the hunt for Benito Garza on the orders of President Sam Houston.
Biography[]
Sam Garner was born in the American South, and he came to Texas as a settler in the 1820s. In 1835, he joined the Texas Army under Sam Houston, taking part in the Texas Revolution and the Battle of San Jacinto against the Mexican Army. Garner served as a captain, and he drilled his soldiers repeatedly before leading them in the final battle at San Jacinto. After the revolution, Garner became a Texas Rangers officer, and he led the hunt for Benito Garza; he promised the members of the rangers possession of a barren strip along the Rio Grande River in southern Texas. In 1837, his posse suffered considerable losses during the hunt for Garza, and Garza frequently attacked Texas from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Garner's soldier Otto McNab disobeyed direct orders and struck at Garza at his home on the Mexican side of the river, killing him; Garner was happy, and he ignored this breach of discipline.