"Noah Smithwick came to Texas in 1827 and stayed until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. He fought in the Battle of Concepcion during the Texas Revolution, chased the Mexican army south of the Rio Grande after the Battle of San Jacinto, and twice rode with the Texas Rangers. His stories of 'old Texas days, ' dictated to his daughter, Nanna Smithwick Donaldson, when he was blind and near his ninetieth year, stand as some of the most vivid, humorous, and detailed accounts of early Texas and of legendary Texans that Smithwick knew personally, including James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin."--Back cover.

Foreword * Preface * Biographical Sketch of the Author * Chapter 1: Journey to the Land of Promise-first impressions; Dewitt's Colony * Chapter 2: Trip to interior-Victoria, Gonzales, LaGrange, Columbus; Karankawa Indians; Creasing a Mustang; Encounter with malarial fever; Night adventure in Brazos bottom; Ft. Bend; Bexar; Mistake of a life time; Murder of Early; An avenging Nemesis; Eventful career of the murderer * Chapter 3: Bell's Landing (Columbia); Josiah Bell; Other old residents; Slavery; Social events; Weddings, etc. * Chapter 4: A smuggling trip to old Mexico; First introduction to horsemeat; San Fernando; Ancient customs and prejudices; Practicing medicine; Ampirico Indians; Trip to silver mines; Smuggling adventures; An "old Moke" * Chapter 5: San Felipe de Austin; Pen pictures; Prominent men, Anecdotes of; Professional men; Social happenings; Early Colonists; Duels; Colonial Poet; Character of early Colonists; How it feels to be a homicide; Banished; Left a malediction on the place * Chapter 6: The Redlands-general character of; San of the land; Notorious counterfeiter; Mob law; Precious metal; Brown's mine; A noted horsethief * Chapter 7: Return to Texas; The gathering of the clans; First flag; March to San Antonio; Battle of Concepcion Mission * Chapter 8: Joined the ranging service; First Indian fight; Rescue of Mrs. Hibbon's child; The old Tumlinson block-house * Chapter 9: The Mexican invasion; Fall of the Alamo; "The runaway scrape;" Massacre of Goliad; Battle of San Jacinto; Division of spoils; Jim Bowie; Noted duel; Sam Houston * Chapter 10: Army falls back to Victoria; Peter Carr; Incidents of army life; * Gen. Rusk; Disbanding of army * Chapter 11: Rangers return to frontier; Coleman's fort; Social event in Bastrop Co.; "The Color line;" Frontier clothing; Col. Coleman; Surprising a Comanche camp * Chapter 12: A return surprise; Stampeding a Caballado; Anecdotes of field and chase; Cure for fistula; Old frontiersmen; Commissioner to Indians * Chapter 13: Camping with Comanches; Comanche language; Social and domestic customs; Indian song; Political affairs; Amusements * Chapter 14: A tight place; Conclusion of treaty; Michael Andrews; Organization of Bastrop Co.; Old seals of office * Chapter 15: Stone-house fight; Second attempt to treat with Comanches; Narrow escapes; Tumlinson's Rangers; Eastland's Co.; Nat Turner's insurrection * Chapter 16: The San Saba Indian fight; A bad horse trade; Battle of Brushy Creek; "Flacco Colonel" * Chapter 17: Webber's Prairie; Old settlers; Humble heroes; First postoffice; First justice; Official record; Social features; Financial affairs; Exchange * Chapter 18: Webberville founded; Mormon Mills; Frontier hospitality; Trials and tribulations; Tonkawa scalp dance; Funeral * Chapter 19: Council house fight; Victoria and Linnville sacked; Plum Creek fight; Dark days; Woll's invasion; Dawson Massacre; A ride for life; Reuben Hornsby and family * Chapter 20: Founding of Austin City; Early arrivals; Land grabbers; John Caldwell * Chapter 21: Santa Fe, Mier, and Bexar prisoners in Mexico; Stories of their suffering and illtreatment; Murder of Mark B. Lewis; The Archive war; Cherokee war * Chapter 22: Annexation; R.E.B. Baylor; Mexican war; Texans in the war; Occupation by the United States Army; Army officers; Public debt; Removal to Brushy Creek; Wolves; Neighbors; Early emigrants to California * Chapter 23: Old Ft. Croggin; Officers in command; Early settlers; Burnet Co. organized; The town of Burnet; Mormon Mills and settlement; Character of Mormons; Schools * Chapter 24: Bear hunting; Advent of Galveston News; The agents' adventure; Old acquaintances; Social gatherings; Christening of Marble Falls; Camp meetings * Chapter 25: Double Horn; Hickory Creek; Smithwick's Mill; High Water; Fight with runaway slaves; Grasshoppers; Indian trial * Chapter 26: Troublous times; Fleeing from the wrath to come; Preparation for departure; The last farewell to Texas; Off for California; Incidents enroute; Scenes along the Rio Grande; Arizona; Apache Indians; A. Sidney Johnston; First encounter with Indians; Tucson; Mysterious murder; Down the home stretch; Ft. Yuma; Last forced march; The great Colorado desert.