Samuel H. Walker
| Samuel Walker | |
|---|---|
Samuel Hamilton Walker, circa 1846
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| Born |
Samuel Hamilton Walker February 24, 1817 Toaping Castle, Maryland, United States |
| Died | October 9, 1847 (aged 30) Huamantla, Tlaxcala, Mexico |
| Occupation | Army Captain, Texas Ranger |
| Spouse(s) | Ali Walker |
| Children | 15 |
Samuel Hamilton Walker (February 24, 1817 – October 9, 1847) was a Texas Ranger captain and military officer of the Republic of Texas and the United States armies. Walker served in several armed conflicts, including the American Indian Wars and the Mexican-American wars.
Samuel Hamilton Walker was born on February 24, 1817 at Toaping Castle, Maryland, to Nathan and Elizabeth (Thomas) Walker, and was the fifth of seven children.
Walker enlisted in the Washington City Volunteers for the Creek Indian Campaign in Alabama in 1836. The following year he mustered out and worked as a scout in Florida until 1841. He arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1842 and served under Captain Jesse Billingsley against a Mexican invasion led by General Adrian Woll. Walker was captured on December 26, 1842 and marched to Mexico City as a prisoner of war. He survived what became known as the Black Bean Episode and was held prisoner for two years before he escaped to Louisiana and returned to Texas.
He joined the Texas Rangers in 1844 under the command of Captain John Coffee Hays. Promoted to captain, he led a Ranger company during the Mexican–American War, serving with General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott's armies.
Walker is best known as the co-inventor of the famous Walker Colt revolver, along with arms manufacturer Samuel Colt. Walker is said to have self-funded a trip to New York City to meet with Colt and proposed to him the concept of a weapon based on the then-popular five-shot Colt Paterson revolver, with many enhancements such as adding a sixth round, being powerful enough to kill either a man or a horse with a single shot and quicker to reload .
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