Rifle Rangers

The Rifle Rangers or Adventures in South Mexico (1850) is a novel by Captain Mayne Reid, set in Vera Cruz, Mexico, during the Mexican War (1846-1848) The novel depicts the plight of American soldiers stationed in Mexico during the war and their effect on the native population. It follows the life of protagonist Captain Jack Haller as he helms the newly formed American battalion, dubbed the 'Rifle Rangers'. Accompanying Haller is a small band of fellow soldiers whom he leads on several missions through the Tierra Caliente portion of Mexico. The Rifle Rangers was Reid's first novel and is reflective of the author's wartime duty as a lieutenant in the First New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he traveled to the parts of Mexico described in the novel.