In response to the mysterious British 'Fogg League' of the 1870s, of which little is known (the records of this group were possibly destroyed by the British Government), Ulysses S. Grant's Administration commissioned the formation of it's own 'League'.

This League was organised by prolific Secret Service Agent and Civil War hero Captain J.T. West, who travelled far and wide across the American continent in his 'Wanderer' locomotive to track down the legendary heroes he sought to recruit.

The heroes he managed to secure included:

- Joaquin Mason, a descendant of the Spanish-rule era Vigilante known as 'The Fox', and the latest in a line of adventurers to hold that mantle (although reportedly not the most successful or effective in that role). Mason was perhaps the most amiable of the group, seemingly less brooding and grim as many of his cohorts as he was enthusiastic and gallant.

- Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier who valiantly spent several years after the conclusion of the Civil War searching for his kidnapped niece. Edwards was a seasoned and hardened tracker, but his distrust of Native and African Americans, and his sometimes aggressively conservative attitude, set him apart from his more liberal, unionist allies.

- The 'Man with no Name', although referred to by several monikers, this renowned but mysterious gunslinger's past and identity was never recorded. Although an extremely adept rifleman, this silent and stoic rogue had very ambiguous motivations, an obscure personality, and a somewhat ruthless streak. The Man was said to be surprisingly easy-going, but still remained very distant from his colleagues.

- Bartholomew Maverick, a suave gambler and socialite, perhaps the most recognizable brother of his elite siblings, Maverick was recruited to the team to help infiltrate high society if necessary to the mission. Maverick was considered the jokester of the League, not because he was a fool (he was far from one), but because of his wit and sarcasm. A Don Juan figure if there ever was one.

- Lulu Colt, a woman known for her masculine pursuits, such as poker and gunmanship, in which she excelled so brilliantly, her abilities could rival that of many men. Colt was an Italian with a fiery temper, a liberal sexuality, and a strong feminist personality that predated such thinking becoming widespread as it did by the end of the century. This independent streak may have been the chagrin of Maverick and West, but it allowed Colt to develop a mutual respect and admiration between herself and 'The Man'.

This League was quite successful, and despite the political and social disagreements held between its members, it held together for nearly 6 full years.

During this time the 'Cowboy' League, as it became known, succeeded in a variety of government assigned undertakings, these included:

- Liberating the dwarf commune of 'Tiny Town' after it was conquered and subjugated by Captain West's arch-nemesis, Miguelito Loveless. (1875)

- Incarcerating the infamous and vengeful outlaw known as Django, who nearly annihilated Grant's lawmen with his advanced gatling gun. (1876)

- Fighting on numerous occasions the villainous middle-eastern mastermind known as 'The Demon's Head', foiling multiple of his schemes (as did many other heroic figures in that period), but never quite defeating him. (1877 - 1880)

- Finding the legendary Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, but then abandoning it and keeping the location a government secret after the mine turned out to be infested with an enormous species of sandworm, large enough to eat a full grown man (another colony of these worm-like creatures was discovered in Nevada in 1889). (1878)

The 'Cowboy League' began to fall apart in early 1881, while the League was working under the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, during an assassination attempt on Tokei-Ihto, the Lakota Chief helping to delay US expansion into Indian territories with his undaunted resistance.

'The Man' refused to be involved in the mission, claiming, "The chief has a point".

Lulu, due to her strong friendship with 'The Man', sided with him, refusing to partake in the attempted killing, and the two decided to depart the League.

Hayes ordered Capt. West to hold up the shooting, and instead track down the two 'deserters', West and the rest of the League was then ordered to either arrest or take the couple down in case they let the confidential information about the government's plans leak to the Indians.

The ethical Maverick refused to do such a thing to his old friends, but pretended to go along with the plan in order to hatch his counterplan.

West, Mason, Edwards and Maverick were able to corner The Man and Colt in the hamlet of Mayberry, North Carolina. The couple was sleeping in each other's arms within a saloon guest room when the four agents prepared to dispatch them, but then two fugitives appeared from behind the failed assassins, having been told by Maverick beforehand of their former team's intentions, the couple in the bed were merely dressed up store mannequins.

Maverick joined The Man and Lulu, and the two evenly numbered groups took their fight to the deserted, uncovered main street of Mayberry, and begun a standoff.

Perhaps tragically, there were no quick draw victories in said duel, and a savage gun battle ensued. Edwards was shot through the chest by The Man, who was then promptly shot himself by Mason.

The third generation Fox took cover from the hail of bullets let out by a vengeful Lulu, but was heavily maimed and later died of his injuries.

Lulu and Maverick appeared to have the upper hand over West, but the gadget-equipped spy bloodily ended both their lives with his prototype percussion hand grenade, which left the poor souls corpses mangled and disgusting (although rumor persists that Maverick survived, or used a body double and was never at the stand-off to begin with).

West returned seemingly unrepentant to Washington D.C., where he continued his career (although never managing to complete the attempt on Tokei-Ihto's life) unmoved by the horrid deaths of his teammates.