The "Real" Rooster Cogburn?

Charles Portis has said that the unforgettable character Rooster Cogburn from his 1968 novel "True Grit" was actually a composite of the Deputy U.S. Marshals that once rode out of Fort Smith, but there is strong circumstantial evidence that he relied heavily on a real life one-eyed marshal named Cal Whitson.

Whitson, in fact, was the only Deputy U.S. Marshal with one eye to ride from Fort Smith in the decades after the Civil War and there is much about him that resembles the character made famous by John Wayne. Rooster will be reborn later this month when the new version of "True Grit" hits theaters.

For those unfamiliar with the story, a young girl from Yell County named Mattie Ross seeks out a man with "grit" - in this case, Deputy U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn - to track down the man who killed her father. The two set off to Winding Stair Mountain (in Oklahoma south of Fort Smith) to apprehend the outlaw and bring him to justice in the court of Hanging Judge Isaac C. Parker.

The Rooster Cogburn in the book and movie is a former Civil War soldier who works as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Western District of Arkansas. Working from Fort Smith, the old soldier is missing an eye and is a rough and tumble character of the first order.

Calvin W. Whitson, similarly, was a former Civil War soldier who worked beginning in 1889 as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in Fort Smith. His father had died in Van Buren in a murder that strongly resembled the death of Mattie's father as described in the book. Whitson joined the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry (U.S.) in 1863 when he was still one month shy of his 18th birthday, but was discharged the following year after being severely wounded in action. The wound blinded him in one eye. He went on to work in law enforcement after his son was killed helping to apprehend an outlaw in the Indian Territory.

In an interesting note, while checking out Cal Whitson's military service record this week, I noticed that some of his service cards were transcribed by a government employee named "Daggett." The name is familiar to all fans of "True Grit" because young Mattie constantly speaks of her feared attorney, "Lawyer Daggett."

If you would like to read more about Cal Whitson, the man who may have been the "real" Rooster Cogburn, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/roostercogburn.

Fort Smith National Historic Site - Fort Smith, Arkansas

One of the most significant historic sites in the nation can be found on the banks of the Arkansas River in the historic old city of Fort Smith.

Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves what remains of the historic fort that defended the frontier for more 50 years along with structures associated with the Judge Isaac C. Parker and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Parker was known even in his lifetime as the "Hanging Judge" of Fort Smith and the deputies who operated under his jurisdiction brought law and order to the Old West and inspired such films as John Wayne's "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn" and Clint Eastwood's "Hang Em High."

Largely because the Parker years generate so much interest, many people do not realize today that the old fort played a key role in the Civil War. Both Union and Confederate troops occupied it at various stages of the war and it was a strategic focal point for both armies as they struggled to control both western Arkansas and the Indian Nations of what is now Oklahoma.

Over the next few posts, I will focus on Fort Smith and its role in the Civil War so I hope you will check back every day or so to learn more about one of my favorite cities and favorite historic sites in the nation. You can also learn more any time at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortsmith.

Memorial Day, Part Three

Continuing our Memorial Day weekend look at Fort Smith National Cemetery, this is the grave of Isaac C. Parker, the noted 19th century federal judge for the Western District of Arkansas.

Parker was the city attorney for St. Joseph, Missouri, when the Civil War began in 1861. Although he served in the 61st Missouri Emergency Regiment, he continued his duties as a public official throughout the war. In 1864 he was a member of the Electoral College that returned President Abraham Lincoln to office for a second term.

Parker served two terms in Congress (1870-1874) as a Radical Republican and in 1875 was appointed U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas by President U.S. Grant.

Judge Parker's jurisdiction included the Indian Territory of what is now Oklahoma. Numerous outlaws migrated to this region following the Civil War, believing they would be safe from justice. The peaceful inhabitants of the region were easy prey for these murderers and thieves and for years they had operated virtually unchallenged. Parker, however, assumed his bench with a commitment to bring law and order to the area.

His tenure on the bench at Fort Smith gained for him notoriety as the "Hanging Judge" of the Old West. Although he personally opposed the death penalty, Parker sent 79 convicted outlaws to the gallows in Fort Smith. It was the only sentence allowed by law in a number of the cases that came before his court. What is rarely mentioned, however, is that nearly as many of Parker's deputy marshals lost their lives in the line of duty to bring those 79 men to justice.

The days of Judge Parker's court provided the basis for such books and movies as True Grit, Rooster Cogburn and Hang 'Em High.

Judge Parker is buried in grave number 4000 at Fort Smith National Cemetery.

Our series will continue.