USA > Texas > Border wars of Texas; being an authentic and popular account, in chronological order, of the long and bitter conflict waged between savage Indian tribes and the pioneer settlers of Texas > Part 10
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CHAPTER VIII.
IEWED from the historian's standpoint, 1835 marks a most important epoch-the great turning point in the history of Tex- as. The revolution that achieved Texas in- dependence began in this year-not, how- ever, with that end in view, but as a move- ment to overthrow the despotism estab- lished by Santa Anna and to restore consti- tutional government. So distinguished a writer as Ex-President Roosevelt has fallen into the error of charging that the separation of Texas from Mexico, was deliberately planned by the restless and resistless American settlers. The people of Texas did not make the issue. It was forced upon them. They had to choose between resist- ance, for submission to a tyrany-to free-born, liberty-lov- ing Americans-worse than death. Referring to the con- quest of Texas, Mr. Roosevelt strikes the key note of truth, however, when he says: "The Government of the United States had nothing to do with winning Texas for the Eng- lish-speaking people of North America. The American front- iersmen wom Texas for themselves, unaided either by states- men who controlled the politics of the Republic, or by the soldiers who took their orders from Washington."*
* Theodore Roosevelt's "The Winning of the West." Page 186.
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"A self-reliant people," says Thrall, "whose interests and liberties are imperiled, will not long lack the means nec- essary for concert of action. Texas was threatened with invasion by a government to which it had a right to look for protection. Again, the Indians were more or less troub- lesome. Ostensibly to provide for protection against these savages, committees of safety were organized in dif- ferent municipalities. It was the business of these commit- tees to collect and disseminate information, to secure arms and ammunition, and in case of necessity, to call out and drill the militia."*
In presenting the facts leading up to the revolution, historian Brown, says: "The situation was rendered more gloomy by evidences of increased hostilities on the part of the savages along the whole dine of frontier from the Red River to the extreme southwest."
MASSACRE OF THE TRADERS .- FIGHT ON THE SAN MARCOS.
Following the second and successful, settlement of Gon- zales, after its tragic breaking up in 1826, the town and com- munity prospered-escaped further serious incursions; the In- dians, over-awed doubtless by the exhibition and occasional firing of a four pound brass cannon, ** presented by the Mexican authorities in 1831, to the citizens of that exposed hamlet for protection. As De Witt's Colcny now gave evi-
*Prior to the meeting of the Consultation, the committee of vigilance, safety and correspondence at Nacogdoches, with the central council, took action to conciliate the civ- ilized Indians, assuring them that the Consultation would recognize and safe-guard their rights. They also sent mounted rangers to the border of the territory occupied by tne wild tribes.
"Great uneasinees was felt at this time," says Morrell, "relative to Indian depreda- tions. There were fears of a general outbreak, predicated upon the amount of horse stealing going on through the country since the war between the Americans and Mexicans. The Mexicans were evidently encouraging all the wild tribes to exterminate the colonists.
"General Houston now had use for all his ingenuity among the Indians to evade the fatal catastrophe. The war between the Indians and colonists was also being hurried on by the land speculators, as their lands were valueless without an increase of population in this part of the State,"-Morrell's "Fruits and Flowers, or 46 Years in Texas," page 42.
* * This was the coveted gun demanded by Captain Castenado in 1835-causing the first collision or opening flurry of the Texas War of Independence.
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dence of permanency, settlers continued to arrive, a few of the more venturesome locating some distance out, westward -greatly exposed to numerous hostile bands of Indians con- stantly visiting that section. As these incursions were gen- erally, from the west, these intrepid pioneers bore the same relations as the advance-guard of an army, receiving the first blow for warning; and, on swift horses, alarming the people farther east of the threatened raid, or approaching danger.
"In the autumn of 1833," says John Henry Brown, "John Castleman, a bold and sagacious backwoodsmar, from the borders of Missouri, with his wife and four children, and his wife's mother, settled fifteen miles west of Gonzales, on Sandy Creek, on the Sam Antonio road. He was a bold hunter, much in the forest, and had four ferocious dogs, which served as sentinels at night, and on one occasion had a terrible fight with a number of Indians who were in the yard endeavoring to steal horses tied around the house. The dogs evidently inflicted severe punishment om the sav- ages, who left abundant blood marks on the ground, and were glad to escape without the horses. In doing so, in sheer self defense, the Indians killed the dogs. Castleman, in bis wanderings, was ever watchful for indications of Indians, and thus served as a vidette to the people of Gonzales and persons traveling on that exposed road. Many were the persons who slumbered under his roof rather than camp (out at that noted watering place."
One afternoon in the spring of 1835, Geser, a French trader, his two partners, and ten Mexican cart drivers and muleteers arrived at Castleman's *. Inquiring for a suitable camping place, they were pointed to a large pool of water
*The two principal authorities on this affair are at variance on some minor details. Brows says the caravan was from Natchitoches, Louisiana, enroute to Mexico, and arrived in the forenoon. Sowell, on the authority of his fathor, Asa J. Sowell, and four uncles, An- drew, William, Lewis and John, all early and prominent pioneer settlers in and around Gonzales, previous to, and at the time of the tragic occurrence, affirms the party reached Castleman's "just before sundown, with a large lot of costly goods brought from Mexico, and were going east among the American settlers to dispose of them."
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not far from the house, but at the same time, Castleman in- formed them he had that morning discovered signs of Indiang nearby, and advised the traders they had best camp by his house "I have plenty of wood and water, and you can have all you need; you will be safe, as my house is enclosed by strong palisades, and in case of trouble, you can come inside and I will help you to defend yourselves and your property." 'Thanking the settler for his generous hospital- ity, and assuring him they were well armed and could de- fend themselves in case of an attack, they moved to the water-hole, unpacked, making the usual preparations for the night, and retired-little thinking they were sleeping to their awful doom at the morrow's dawn.
Castleman, tco, making everything secure for the night, retired, but not without apprehensive forebodings of dan- ger. Just at daylight he was aroused by the firing of guns and the yelling of Indians in the direction of the pool. Hastily springing out of bed and clothing himself, he un- barred a small port-hole like window and looked out. The traders had improvised breastworks of their carts, packsad- dles, and bales of goods, and were fighting with great des- peration,-the loud and regular reports of their escopetas (smooth-bore cavalry guns) ringing out and commingling with the exultant yells of the savages, on the crisp morning air. The sun arose and still the fight raged, lasting some four hours-the Indians charging in a circle, firing and fall- ing back. Again and again was this repeated, narrowing the circle each time; the traders as often repelling the at- tack with considerable loss to the enemy. But the besieged had also sustained loss and were despairing. Taking advan- tage of this fact, and rendered the more desperate by their own losses, the infuriated Comanches now made a combined and determined' onslaught from three sides-maneuvering so as to draw the fire of all the party simultaneously, and leaving them unloaded, when they rushed in and with ex- ultant yells, fell upon and soon despatched their victims.
Witnessing this last charge from his window, Castle-
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man,* it is said, drew a long breath, excitedly exclaiming : "They are gone! wife, that charge will wind them up, those whoops are for victory." It was so-a short hand to hand struggle and all was over.
After scalping and mutilating their victims, disposing of their own dead, and packing all the booty they cared for on their horses and the captured mules, the victorious Comanches leisurely moved off up the country. Castleman said he counted eighty warriors as they slowly passed in single file, each shaking his lance or shield at his house, but making no further demonstrations.
"As soon as he thought it was safe after the Indians left," says Sowell, "Castleman visited the battle ground. It was a terrible sight; the Mexicans had piled up their goods, saddles and other camp equipage around them, and the whole surrounded by their carts. Inside this little square or circle, they lay horribly mutilated and drenched in blood. Gelser had many wounds on him and had evi- dently fought bravely, and exposed his person more than any of the others.
"The ground was almost covered with arrows, some bro- ken, others transfixed in boxes, saddles and carts. The In- dians threw their dead in the pool of water-how many could
'Castleman could," says Brown, "many times, have killed an Indian with his trusty rifle from his cabin window, but was restrained by his wife, who regarded the destruction of the strangers as certain, and contended that if her husband took part, vengeance would be wreaked upon the family-a hundred savages against one man, He desisted, but as his wife said, 'frothed at the mouth,' to be restrained from action on such an occasion. Had he possessed a modern Winchester, he could have repelled the whole array and saved both the traders and their goods." To which Sowell adds: "At the foot of the hill, 100 yards or more from the house, stood a large tree, upon which Castleman had tacked a piece of white paper to serve as a target when he felt disposed to rifle practice. This paper caught the eye of an Indian as he was scouting around, separated from his companions, and he came to the tree to see what it was. The settler saw him, and at once raised his rifle to take aim, as this was too good a chance to lose of killing an Indian. He had often hit the paper target at that distance. Before he could ffre, however, his prudent wife laid her hand on the gun and implored him to desist; that if he killed one of them, the Indians would be almost sure to attack the house, otherwise they might leave without molesting them. The Indian in question did not long remain as a mark for the pioneer, for, as soon as he discovered the bullet holes in and around the paper on the tree, he turned and looked toward the cabin, and taking in the situation, ran behind the tree, and using it for cover, beat a hasty re- treat."
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not be ascertained. There were many bloody spots on the ground outside of where the Mexicans lay. Castleman now returned to the house, and taking his family, hurriedly de- parted for Gonzales to carry the news. The Indians went back towards the west, and no doubt had been on Geser's trail some time, knowing the nature of the rich booty which he carried. There were no white settlements from Castle- man's on to the Rio Grande, and over this vast territory the Comanches then roamed at will, and often captured trains of Mexican carts and trade caravans".
THE FIGHT ON THE BLANCO.
The sequel to the above tragic affair will now be given as condensed and reconciled, from the two principal ac- counts-Brown's and Sowell's both Texas pioneers, and each an acknowledged authority on matters pertaining to our bor- der history .*
When Castleman reached Gonzales with the news, it spread rapidly, and by daylight on the following morning, a party of about thirty* men were in the saddle and en- route to Castleman's. Among these volunteers the follow- ing names-several of whom afterward won fame on other fields, or figured prominently in the fiery history of Tex- as-are preserved: Matthew ("Old Paint") Caldwell, Dan McCoy, Jesse McCoy, James C. Darst, Ezekiel Wil- liams, John Davis, "Wash" Cottle, Almaron Dickinson, (martyr of the Alamo), Andrew J. Sowell, Sr., Dr. James C. Miller, Wm. S. Fisher, (of Meir Expedition fame in 1842) ,
* As in the preceding affair, Brown and Sowell are at variance. We give preference to the latter, since he obtained his information from surviving participants in the engage- ment, supplying details. Sowell says twenty-seven men composed this expedition, and places them under command of Bartlett D. McClure. Brown says: "In a few hours a band of 29 or 30 volunteers, under Dr. Miller, were on the trail and followed it across the Guada- lupe and up the San Marcos, and finally into a cedar brake in a valley surrounded by high hills, presumably on the Rio Blanco"; and adds, "This was on the second day after the mas- sacre." "It is painful to add," continues Brown, "that this Dr. Miller, later in the same year, became a tory, and left the country, settling in Michigan, never to return." His name has sometimes been confounded with that of the patriotic Dr. James B. Miller, of Fort Bend, long distinguished in public life under the province and Republic of Texas.
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David Hanna, Landon Webster, Jonathan Scott, John Cas tleman, Tom Malone, - White, and Bartlett D. McClure- the latter being chosen captain.
The trail of the Indians (from Castleman's ranch) led up the south valley of the Guadalupe, crossing that river at a place now called "Erskine's Ford," within the present lim- its of Gaudalupe county, and some twelve miles from Se- guin. After crossing Darst Creek, about twenty-six miles from Gonzales, and just below the "French Smith Ranch," the Indians, it seems, amused themselves by securing spools of thread to their horses' tails and letting it unwind across the flats and prairies as they traveled. The dropped strands thus served the settlers to follow the trail at a more rapid gait, but the Indians evidently apprehended no dan- ger of pursuit. They now bore to the northwest and to the headwaters of Mill Creek, passing out across the York Creek divide. Though traveling slowly on account of their heavy booty, the Indians moved steadily by day and night, while the pursuers could only keep the trail in daylight- "two ravens," says Sowell, "followed in the wake of the In- dians picking up the offal from their camps, and would fly up and follow on at the approach of the white men."
After breaking camp on the third day out, and some two miles ahead, the whites came upon the first regular camp of the enemy, on a high ridge, south of, and over- looking, the present town of San Marcos, in Hays county, and where in a circle round a pole, the Indians had tramp- ed down the grass-performing their customary scalp dance, the night previous.
From here, the Indians having entered the mountains, the trailing was more difficult and the pursuit slackened, the men making their last outward camp in the brakes of the Rio Blanco. The signs now indicated that they were close upon the enemy, causing the whites to move with more caution. Just as they were entering a valley the heavy morning fog lifted, and suddenly the yell of an Indian was heard on a mountain across the river. Captain Mc- Clure now ordered a rapid advance, but soon entered such
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MASACRE OF TRADERS-PAGE 123
AD LAWRENCE'S FAMOUS LEAP
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dense brakes, they were compelled to dismount (leaving their horses), and proceed on foot. Scouts were now sent forward to reconnoiter,* while the others slowly follow- ed in single file, stooping and crawling as they went. "Fi- nally they came out into an opening near the river where three or four could walk abreast, and at this instant bang! bang! came the sharp report of two rifles and the yelling of Indians near at hand. 'Charge, boys!' shouted Mc Clure, as he sprang in front. 'Here they are!' Pell-mell, in a foot race that had it been timed, might have proved famous, came the scouts closely pursued by a party of yelling savages, who were pulling arrows and adjusting them to their bow strings. Springing to one side as their spies flew past, Captain McClure raised his rifle and fired at the foremost red skin to come in range; Castleman shot the next one who fell across the lifeless body of the first. Several other shots were fired, and a third Indian had his bow stick shot in two while in the act of discharging an arrow. Thus sur- prised, the other pursuers beat a hasty retreat toward's the river, yelling loudly as a warning signal to their comrades, of the danger encountered. By this time most of the men had gotten clear of the brush and charged with their cap- tain across the open ground."
"Near the river" say's Sowell, "they met about fifty
*Sowell says two scouts, Almaron Dickinson and James Darst, were sent ahead to lo- cate the Indians; Brown says three-Matthew Caldwell, Dan McCoy and Ezekiel Williams -went forward to reconnoiter, and adds a thrilling and amusing, but conflicting incident: "Following the newly made path of the Indians through the brake, in about three hundred yards, they suddenly came upon them dismounted and eating; they speedily retired, but were discovered and, being only three in number, the whole crowd of Iudians furiously pur- sued them with such yells as, resounding from bluff to bluff, caused some of the men in am- bush to flee from the apparent wrath to come; but of the whole number of 29 or 30, sixteen maintained their position and their senses. Dan McCoy, the hindmost of the three scouts in single file, wore a long-tailed coat. This was seized and held by an Indian, but Old Dan, as he was called, threw his arms backward and slipped from the garment without stopping, exclaiming, 'Take it, d-n you!' Caldwell sprang first into the glade, wheeled, fired and killed the first Indian to enter. Others unable to see through the brush till exposed to view, rushed into the trap till nine (?) warriors lay in a heap. Realizing this fact, and such un- expected fatality, the pursuers raised that dismal howl, which means death and defeat, and fell back to their camp. The panic among some of our men prevented pursuit. It is a fact that among those seized with the 'buck ague,' were men then wholly inexperienced, who subsequently became distinguished for coolness and bravery."
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Indians, and the fight became general. The yelling of the Comanches almost drowned the report of the firearms, and echoed far up the Blanco valley. But the Indians soon gave way, evidently fighting more in an attempt to cross their packs over the river. Another sharp fight took place at the river, some of the Indians halting in the water to shoot, but the unerring rifles of the whites again caused them to flee in disorder-across the river and into the brakes beyond, leaving most of their spoils."
Thus the whites were victorious, without amy serious or fatal casualities and were glad enough to abandon the pursuit without crossing the river. Sowell says, "The In- dians made a very poor fight and seemed rattled at the very commencement, shooting wild and running at every volley from the whites. They had evidently shot most of their arrows in the fight with the Mexicans. Those killed had but very few in their quivers- some even none."
Regaining their horses and carrying part of the more valuable goods, the militant colonists returned home with- out further incident. The remaining spoils with many bows, shields, blankets and buffalo robes were cached on the bank of the river, and a party afterward went back for them, but they had been badly damaged by sun and rain.
MURDER OF CANOMA.
Catching the thread of narrative, dropped for the sake 1 of chronological order in 1833, the reader will now learn the sad story of Chief Canoma's fate.
The Wacos, Tehuacanas, Ionies, Anadarkos, Towash, and other kindred tribes of the Caddoan confederation, in- habiting the Upper Brazos and Trinity Rivers, and known as the "Wild tribes," were now openly hostile-especially toward the settlers of the Colorado, regarding them as a separate "tribe" from the people of the Brazos .*
*"In the first settlement of Austin's colony," says Kenney, "some unscrupulous white men stole horses from the Caddos and brought them into the settlement at the 'Falls' of the Brazos. But the settlers there, not relishing such freebooter proceedings, took the
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During the spring of this year, the faithful and intelli- gent old chief, with his band of some thirty friendly Caddos, was still about the settlements, and village of Tenoxtitlan. Assured of his faithfulness to the whites and appreciating his influence with the wild tribes, the Americans about the "Falls" employed Canoma to go among the hostiles and in- vite them to come in for a friendly talk and treaty; and particularly to recover two white captives then held- child- ren of a Mr. Ross.
Camoma, leaving two of his children as hostages, left on
horses from the thieves and returned them to the Indians with explanations, which made a very favorable impression on the savages. The settlers on the Colorado were already in- volved in a war with the wild tribes, and the return of the stolen horses persuaded the In- dans that they were different tribes, one disposed to be friendly, and the other hostile." A Comprehensive History of Texas, Vol. 1, page 746.
Isaac Duke Parker, an early emigrant to the eastern part of Texas, writing of affairs previous to and about this period, says: "At that time all the Indians east of the Brazos river were peaceable (?), and were located as follows: The Cooshatties and Alabamas lived on the Trinity, in what is now Polk county; the Beedis on Beedi creek, south of the 'La- borde' road, in what is now Madison county; the Wacos lived where the city of Waco now is; the Tehuacanas at the site of the present Tehuacana High School, Limestone county; the Ionies on Ioni creek, where the line between Houston and Anderson counties now runs; the Kickapoos on the Neches and north of the San Antonio road. They were all peaceable with the people east of the Brazos river, but most of them regarded the people west of the Brazos as a different race of people, and would commit depredations, killing and robbing west of that river, while maintaining friendly attitude towards the peaple east of the Bra- zos."-Reminiscences of Pioneer Life in Texas, MSS. page 1.
Writing of the Texas tribes. Captain George B. Erath says: "There in one thing that we particularly noted about their superstitions, they always believed the people of Texas to be of entirely different origin from the people of the United States; and they had the same ideas about a difference of tribes in Texas before Texas was separated fsom Mexico. Even after they made their treaties in 1845 they believed that the white people of the Brazos were altogether different 'tribes' from those on the Colorado and west of that stream. They claimed to be at pe ice on the Brazos, while depredating on the Colorado. And this was the idea of all the w Id Indians in Texas, excepting, perhaps, the Tonks, who, from their total difference, and from the hatred against them by the other Indians, were compelled to oc- cupy ground within the borders of white settlements. A small band or sub-division of Cad- dos also maintained friendly intercourse with the settlers about the Brazos and did not par- ticipate in this wild idea, but, knowing that the people on the Colorado made no distinction between Indians, they kept aloof and refrained from going westward of the waters of the Brazos, confining their hunting and camps within that scope. Friendly and fearless, they were regarded as protectors to the settlers of the Brazos.
"This produced, about the years 1834-5, an antipathy between the people on the Colo- rado and Guadalupe, and the people of the Brazos, some going so far as to charge the set- tlers on the Brazos side with conniving at the outrages committed out west, and buying the stolen horses. The wild Indians in doing mischief, would if possible, pass out through the camp of these more civilized bands, and, when followed, it would thus implicate those who were disposed or actually friendly and innocent-finally producing the general indiscrimi- nate war." "My Knowledge of the Aborigines of Texas", MSS. Page 5-6. =
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this peace embassy, and in due time returned, reporting that the tribes visited would treat with the Brazos people, but that a majority were irreconcilable and very bitter against the settlers on the Colorado-even then a party of the hostiles were leaving om a foray in the direction of that settlement.
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