Thomas Mayne Reid sustained a severe thigh wound while leading a charge at the Battle of Chapultepec on 13 September 1847. This event occurred during his service as a first lieutenant in the First New York Volunteer Infantry, a military experience that heavily influenced his transition from a journalist to a prolific adventure novelist.
Early Travels and Journalism
Born in 1818 at Ballyroney, Reid arrived in New Orleans in January 1840 after boarding the Dumfriesshire. His initial employment as a clerk did not last long, and he subsequently tutored children in Tennessee. By 1842, he moved to Pittsburgh, writing poetry and prose for the Pittsburgh Morning Chronicle under the pseudonym Poor Scholar. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he maintained a social connection with Edgar Allan Poe while contributing to various magazines.
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In 1846, Reid began working as a correspondent for the New York Herald. He joined the First New York Volunteer Infantry in November that year, participating in the invasion of Central Mexico. Following his injury at Chapultepec, he resigned his commission in 1848. His literary career took hold in London during 1850 with the publication of The Rifle Rangers, followed by works such as The Scalp Hunters and The Boy Hunters, the latter of which became a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt.
Financial Struggles and Later Life
Reid achieved commercial success with novels like The Headless Horseman and Osceola. This income funded the construction of a reproduction Mexican hacienda in Buckinghamshire. However, excessive spending led to bankruptcy in 1866. He attempted to revive his career in the United States by founding Onward Magazine in 1867, but returned to England in 1870 due to health complications resulting from his old war injury. He spent his final years in Herefordshire before his death in 1883, and he is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1818, Ballyroney
- Died: 1883, London
- Military Rank: First Lieutenant
- Burial Site: Kensal Green Cemetery
- Notable Work: The Headless Horseman
- Notable Work: The Quadroon
- Citizenship: United Kingdom and United States
- Language: English
Questions readers ask
What war did Thomas Mayne Reid participate in?
He fought in the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848.
Where is he buried?
He is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.
Achievements
- Notable work: The Headless Horseman
- Notable work: Osceola The Seminole: The Red Fawn of the Flower Land
- Notable work: The Quadroon
- Genres: adventure fiction
