William "Bigfoot Wallace" was born in 1817 in Virginia. He came to Texas in 1837. He was taken prison by the Lipan Indians in 1838 and subsequently released. He fought in the Texas battles of Salado and Mier. He was sited for his bravery. In 1848, he was a member of a party of 35 Texas Rangers of Crumps company in an attack on the Lipan Indians with 14 Indians killed. In 1850, he received a commission from Texas Gov. Bell to raise a company of Rangers. In August of 1850, he and 23 Rangers fought 125 Comanche Indians. The battle lasted 7 hours. 14 days later, he again fought the same Indians and defeated them. He again defeated the Comanche Indians on the West bank of the Nueces River.
In 1852, the was the conductor of a U.S. Mail party. he was attacked by Lipan Indians several times and fought several battles in this period. During the Civil War in Texas he helped guard the frontier against Comanche Indians. In his later years he lived in South Texas in a small village named BIGFOOT. He sat on his front porch and told stories of his past experiences. He was friendly and well liked. He died on January 7, 1899.
This image dates in the 1880s.
