An Escaped Slave Becomes a Legendary US Marshal in 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves'

On May 10, 1875, Judge Isaac Parker took his seat in the Western District of Arkansas, which held jurisdiction over so-called “Indian Territory” in what is today Oklahoma. His mandate was to bring the lawlessness of the territory to an end, and he hired 200 U.S. marshals to do it.

One of those marshals was a 6’2”, 200-pound former slave named Bass Reeves. Reeves was a towering figure at a time when the average cowboy stood just five feet tall and would become the country's first Black U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi, making more than 3,000 arrests in his 32-year career.

A new show from executive producers Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”) and David Oyelowo (“Selma”) will bring Reeves' story to life on Paramount+ this November.

Bass Reeves was born into slavery to the family of William Reeves, who moved his family and slaves to Texas in the mid-1840s. After Texas voted to secede from the Union in 1861, his son George formed a company for the 11th Texas Cavalry Regiment.

The younger Reeves would become the unit's longest-serving commander, fighting at Chattanooga, Chickamauga and Atlanta. He brought a family slave to war with him, which was a common practice for Confederate officers. It's not really well-known just how Bass escaped, but a few sources say he beat George Reeves in a card game and then beat him within an inch of his life.

No matter how he did it, Bass Reeves escaped to the Indian Territory, where he lived among the tribes there, learned to use a pistol and a rifle, and was ultimately freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. He returned to Arkansas a free man and became a farmer until he was recruited by the U.S. Marshals Service by James F. Fagan and sworn in by Judge Parker.

The life of a lawman in the Indian Territory wasn't easy, and Judge Parker was well-known to be liberal with the death penalty, which earned him the nickname “Hangin' Judge.” Parker's reputation meant most of the felons Reeves would track down weren't going quietly. Shootouts were common, and Reeves even had to arrest his own son for murder.

David Oyelowo stars as Reeves and is joined in the cast by Dennis Quaid (“Midway”), Barry Pepper (“We Were Soldiers”) and Donald Sutherland (“Kelly's Heroes”). “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” starts streaming Nov. 5, 2023, on Paramount+.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, or on LinkedIn.

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