Colonel Ranald S. MacKenzie and the Remolino Raid: Prompt in the Saddle

In 1873, life along the border between Texas and Mexico had become intolerable. The constant attacks and looting by the Kickapoos had cost local ranchers about fifty million dollars in property losses, to say nothing of the murders and kidnappings which accompanied the raids. What troubled the local population greatly was the fact that their government in Washington either was not listening or simply did not care. The remedy for their problems graduated from the Military Academy in 1862. Of the crop of young cavalry commanders which the Civil War produced, Colonel Ranald Slidell Mackenzie was surely one of the finest. While he did not have the eye for detail of a Wesley Merritt nor the tactical skill of Nelson A. Miles nor the flair of George Armstrong Custer, Mackenzie was blessed with an impetuous and daring spirit. In his own quiet way he gained the admiration of his troopers and caught the eye of his superiors. In the process he failed to gain the of his better known contemporaries. Nevertheless he is the grist for legend. This paper describes Mackenzie, the border situation and what he and his regiment did to stop the Kickapoo raids forever.