Early Life
Dallas Stoudenmire was born in Aberfoil, Bullock County, Alabama. He was one of nine children of Lewis and Elizabeth Armstrong. When he was a teenager, he really wanted to help fight for the Confederacy, so he enlisted at the age of 15. He was six feet tall at this time, but was discharged when the officers found out his real age. Dallas Stoudenmire didn't agree with the age limitation, so he re-enlisted two more times before eventually being allowed to serve in company F of the 45th Alabama Infantry Regiment, where he was wounded several times and carried two bullets in him for the rest of his life. After the war, he found himself heading west, where he would become a Texas Ranger in Colorado County, Texas. He was charged with protecting settlers from renegade indians. As a Texas Ranger, he "killed a few men" in gunfights, which helped build his reputation.