Buckshot Roberts

Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts (1831 - April 4, 1878) was an American buffalo hunter, frontiersman and cowboy whose last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills near Lincoln, New Mexico is a part of frontier legend.

Although the majority of famous gunfights that took place in the Old West have been heavily embellished, the fight at Blazer's Mills is one of the few where reliable sources have described a feat of profound ability and toughness. Despite his toughness, Roberts died at Blazer's Mills, following a shoot-out with the Regulators, who believed that Roberts had been involved in the murder of their boss, John Tunstall. They famously included Henry McCarty (Billy the Kid), who played a part in that fight. It was, however, Regulator Charlie Bowdre who fired the fatal shot which killed Roberts, although Roberts would shoot dead one Regulator, Dick Brewer, at the same location, and wound several others.

Little has been verified of Roberts' life. He was born in 1831 and served as a Texas Ranger under the name of Bill Williams. He also served during the American Civil War (alternately noted as serving for either the Union Army or Confederate Army by varying sources), reaching the rank of sergeant before his discharge. He is believed to have been an associate of Buffalo Bill Cody during his bison-hunting years.

Roberts earned his nickname due to a serious injury. Having been shot at some point, there was still a load of buckshot embedded in his right shoulder. The wound impaired the movement in his upper right arm, which he could not raise above his pelvis, requiring him to employ an unorthodox shooting style. By 1876, Roberts owned his own small ranch in Ruidoso Valley, near Lincoln.

He was known as a quiet, secretive man, who rarely, if ever spoke of his past, though he was reportedly not a man to upset. A stubborn loner, he preferred to ride a mule rather than a horse. He was short and stocky in appearance. He worked for James Dolan, thus, when the Lincoln County War broke out he became a target of those loyal to John Tunstall and Alexander McSween.

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