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Cow-boys.

During the Revolution a band of marauders, consisting mostly of Tory refugees who adhered to the British interests, infested the neutral ground in Westchester county, N. Y., between the American and British lines, and because they stole many cattle were called Cowboys. They generally plundered the Whigs, or adherents of the Continental Congress; but, like their opponents, the Skinners, they were not always scrupulous in the choice of their victims. In recent years the phrase has been applied to the men employed on the great cattle-ranches of the West and Southwest. They are a fearless set of fellows and expert horsemen. Many modern “cow-boys” were mustered into the two volunteer cavalry regiments for service in the war with Spain (1898), popularly known as the “Rough Riders.”

Harper and Brothers Publishers. . New York. 1902.

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Westchester (New York, United States) (1)

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