George Washington Coe (1856–1941) was an

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

and a gunman during the

Lincoln County War The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the p ...

Early years

George Washington Coe was born in Brighton, Iowa. He moved to

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

with his cousin, Frank Coe, around 1871 to work on a ranch near

Fort Stanton Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico. Army Fort It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous ...

belonging to another cousin. For a time they lived near

Raton, New Mexico Raton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico, United States. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Col ...

. The two often rode in pursuit of

cattle rustlers Cattle raiding is the act of stealing live cattle, often several or many at once. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination o ...

and horse thieves. On July 18, 1876, he and Frank, accompanied by

Doc Scurlock Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock (January 11, 1849 – July 25, 1929) was an American Old West figure, cowboy, and gunfighter. A founding member of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, Scurlock rode alongside such men as Billy ...

Charlie Bowdre Charles Bowdre (c. 1848 – December 23, 1880) was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate of Billy the Kid and member of his gang. Early life Bowdre was born in Wilkes County, Georgia in 1848, the firstborn child of Albert and L ...

, and Ab Saunders, forced their way into the Lincoln County jail and took alleged horse thief Jesus Largo from

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Saturnino Baca and

lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...

ed him. By 1878 Coe had leased land in Lincoln County to establish his own ranch. He and his cousin continued to battle rustlers, but now it was often in defense of their own possessions.

Lincoln County War

George Coe was dragged into the Lincoln County War after being arrested by county

William J. Brady William J. Brady (August 16, 1829 – April 1, 1878) was an Irish-born American soldier, politician, and corrupt law enforcement officer who served as the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, Lincoln County during the Lincoln County Wars in Ne ...

. Coe and his cousin aligned themselves with the

Lincoln County Regulators The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. They are well known for including Billy the Kid as a member ...

, riding with

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

, and facing off against the " Murphy-Dolan faction" and their supporters. This included members of the

Jesse Evans Gang The Jesse Evans Gang, also known as The Boys, was a gang of rustlers and robbers led by outlaw and gunman Jesse Evans, which lasted from 1876 until 1880. The gang was formed after Evans broke with the John Kinney Gang. After breaking away, he ...

and the

John Kinney Gang The John Kinney Gang, also known as the Rio Grande Posse, was an outlaw gang of the Old West which operated during the mid-1870s into the mid-1880s. The gang was organized by outlaw John Kinney (outlaw), John Kinney, in Doña Ana County, New Me ...

. Coe figured prominently in the events of the final Battle of Lincoln between the two factions. He was later arrested for the murder of

Buckshot Roberts Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts (c. 1831 – April 5, 1878) was an Americans, American American bison, buffalo hunter, frontiersman and cowboy known for his last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight at Blazer's Mill near L ...

which had occurred in a shootout known as the

Gunfight of Blazer's Mills The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill (April 4, 1878) was a shootout between what were known as the Lincoln County Regulators and buffalo hunter Buckshot Roberts. The gunfight The Regulators, including Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, and led by Richard ...

. In the gunfight, Coe lost his trigger finger. Coe shot and wounded Seven Rivers Warriors gang member Charles "Dutch Charlie" Kruling in Lincoln on the morning of April 30, 1878, a day after Seven Rivers members had shot and killed the new Regulator leader,

Frank McNab Frank McNab (or MacNab) (d. 29 April 1878) was a member of the Regulators who fought on behalf of John Tunstall during the Lincoln County War. Of Scottish origin, McNab was a "cattle detective" who worked for Hunter, Evans, & Company, which was ...

, and captured Coe's cousin, Frank. Frank escaped shortly thereafter. The two left the area for a time, living in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

before they eventually returned to Lincoln County. George Coe

Later life and death

Coe was granted

amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

from

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, artist, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Walla ...

. In 1884 he started the "Golden Glow Ranch" in Lincoln County and became a prosperous and respected member of the community. He wrote his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, entitled ''Frontier Fighter'', detailing his association with the Regulators and giving details of certain members' traits and personalities. Coe died November 12, 1941, in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fi ...

References

External links

George Coe, Gunfighter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coe, George Cowboys Gunslingers of the American Old West Outlaws of the American Old West American vigilantes People from New Mexico Territory Ranchers from New Mexico 1856 births 1941 deaths