Physician and military commander Jack Shackelford was born in Richmond, Virginia, earned an M.D. degree, and in 1811 moved to Winnsboro, South Carolina, where he opened his first practice and married Maria Youngue. During the War of 1812 he enlisted in the army, served on Andrew Jackson’s staff, and was wounded at Charleston. After the war he moved his family to Alabama, where he practiced medicine, owned a cotton plantation, and served in the state senate. In 1835 he raised a company of nearly 70 volunteers, including his eldest son Fortunatus and two nephews, from about half the male population of Courtland, Alabama, to join the Texas War for Independence. Known as the Red Rovers, the company came under the command of Col. James Fannin. During the Battle of Coleto, Shackelford’s orders saved numerous lives, but most of the survivors were executed on March 27, 1836, while he was spared because of his medical training. He then cared for Mexican soldiers in Goliad and San Antonio. After the Battle of San Jacinto, he and Dr. Joseph Barnard escaped, returned to Goliad to secure burial for the massacre victims, and went on to Velasco, where he received an honorable discharge. He returned to Alabama after the war, married Martha Chardavoyne after Maria’s death in 1842, and maintained close ties to friends and former military comrades in Texas without becoming a resident. His notes on Col. Fannin and the events at Coleto and Goliad remained important accounts, and in 1858 Shackelford County was named in honor of his contributions and sacrifices for the Texas cause.