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 23
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hazards. The strife now became fearful and deadly. The gallant little troop of rangers in the ravine fought for life, and taxed their energies to the utmost. It was indeed a ter- rible battle against fearful odds-victory trembled in the balance-the rangers despaired but were determined to fight till the last breath. The red warriors were loudly exhorted, and repeatedly charged almost to the brink of the ravine, but were as often forced back by the deadly aim of the rang- er rifles. The field was an almost open prairie, with but lit- tle to shield the contending foes against the shower of ar- rows, and the leaden hail which were incessantly being sent. The noble Captain Bird was killed early in the fight, and six other rangers were killed or wounded. The remainder, now reduced to only 25 in number, and exhausted by the fierce and protracted contest, seemed doomed to almost certain des- truction, when brave James Robinett, a young German, and upon whom the command now devolved, swore to his com- rades that he would kill the chief in the next charge, at the risk of his own life. Robinett had not long to wait before the Indians again charged, led by their brave chief. In his full war toggery, and mounted on a splendid American horse, he presented a conspicuous mark. Taking deliberate aim Robinett fired, and, true to his vow, succeeded in killing the chief. His lifeless body was immediately surrounded by ten or a dozen braves, who bore it out of sight, leaving their now infuriated comrades to avenge his death, and for a time the battle continued, to rage, the rangers holding their position and successfully repulsing each furious assault
Finally, night coming on, the savages sullenly retired to their hill top position-having sustained fearful loss in both men and horses-Nathaniel Brookshire in an official re- port of this affair, May 31, 1839, says the supposed num- ber of Indians killed on the field was only thirty. Later evi- dence however proved that to be incorrect. The number slain was not less than fifty warriors. The rangers lost five of their number killed-their lamented captain, and Privates Gales,
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Nash, Weaver, and one other whose name has not been giv- en-two or three wounded.
Exhausted, and fearing the Indians lay in wait nearby, the rangers remained under cover of the ravine till morning, when they mounted their horses which had fortunately been secured and held in the ravine, and ventured forth, hastily making their way back to Fort Griffin. The story of the sanguinary engagement and the fate of their brave com- rades was soon told. A runner was sent to Fort Milam for reinforcements, and with a rough coffin which had been pre- pared, the fresh force repaired to the battle-ground. Captain Bird and his unfortunate comrades were placed in the huge, uncouth recaptacle and borne back by a detachment to the fort, where they were buried, while the main force took up the trail of the enemy and followed in hot pursuit as far as "Stampede Creek" where, having halted for a short rest, their horses were stampeded about midnight, leaving the rangers afoot, which circumstance gave name to the stream.
Old settlers tell of often visiting the scene of the Birds Creek battle; of gathering flint arrow points, and of view- ing numerous bullet holes in the scattering trees. But the battle ground is now enclosed in a farm, and all evidence of the desperate struggle has long since disappeared, save the little spring in the ravine which still bubbles forth its sweet, sparkling, waters, as on that memorable May day sev- enty odd years ago, when it slaked the thirst of the besieged rangers and cooled the fevered brown and crisping lips of their dying comrades-murmuring an eternal requiem to the memory of those who so nobly perished to protect others and thus aid in redeeming a fair land from savagery. The site of old Fort Griffin is yet known, but the exact resting place of the brave Captain Bird and his comrades has been lost. A more patriotic duty could not be preformed by the citizens of grand old Bell county than to erect at some point a suit- able shaft to the memory of these fallen heroes.
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McCULLOCH'S PEACH CREEK FIGHT.
About the first of March, immediately following the not- able "cold snap"* prevalent throughout southwest Texas during the latter half of February, 1839, Ben McCulloch and Henry E. McCulloch, with Wilson Randel, David Han- son, John D. Walfin, and thirty-five Tonkawa warriors- under the immediate command of their trusty old chief, "Capt. Jim Kerr" (a name assumed through friendship for pioneer James Kerr of DeWitt Colony, in 1826), left the Tonkawa village at the junction of Peach and Sandy Creeks, some fif- teen miles northeast of Gonzales, on a campaign to the moun- tains-hoping to find in a winter camp and possibly rescue, the Putman children and Matilda Lockhart.
In the morning of the second day out, and some twenty- five miles higher up on the head waters of Peach Creek, "they struck a fresh trail of foot Indians, bearing directly for Gonzales. This, of course, changed their plans. Duty to their threatened neighbors demanded that they should fol- low and break up this invading party; for such inroads by foot Indians almost invariably resulted in the loss of numer- ous horses, and one or more-alas! sometimes many-lives to the settlers."
After a hasty pursuit of three or four hours, the inva- ders, a party of thirteen Waco and Comanche warriors, were sighted, but quickly disappeared into a dense thicket bor- dering a branch. As a last resort to dislodge or engage the enemy, the Tonkawa allies were stationed around the lower end of the thicket, with orders to intercept all retreat, while Ben and Henry McCulloch, with Randel and Hanson, ventured into the ambuscade. "Slowly they moved, observ- ing every precaution till, one by one, each of the four had killed an Indian, and two or three others were wounded."
*This destructive sleet was the heaviest and most prolonged ever known in that part of the country-continuing for ten or twelve days, while the ice and snow shielded from the sun, lay upon the ground for a much longer period. Great trees were bereft of limbs and tops by the immense weight of ice, and bottoms previously open were simply choked to impassability by the fallen timbers.
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Finally the survivors emerged into the branch, and protect- ed somewhat by its banks, fled down and into a larger and almost impenetrable thicket. Thus foiled, and night coming on, the attack was not resumed.
Though having lost one of their comrades in the fight, the Tonkawas were elated over the victory, and after scalping the dead and dying Wacos and Comanches, cutting off their hands, feet, arms and legs, and fleecing strips of flesh from their thighs and breast, they were ready and anxious to return to their village and engage in their usual cannibal-like and mystic war dance. This, of course, pre- vented further operations, and here the expedition ended.
COL. MOORE'S SAN SABA FIGHT.
Capt. John H. Moore, writing from LaGrange, March 10, made the following official report* of a battle fought with the Comanches February 15, 1839: -
"I herewith transmit the muster rolls of three volunteer companies which, in conformity to the act of Congress au- thorizing the raising of volunteer companies for the protec- tion of the frontier, were organized on the 25th of Janua- ry last, at the upper settlements of the Colorado and placed under my command to proceed against the Comanches on our northwestern frontier.
"From this place we proceeded on the morning of the 26th directly up the Colorado. On the 13th of February, our spies, who from the mouth of the Llano had been kept in advance, returned and reported that they had discovered an encampment or village of Comanches on a small stream called Spring Creek, in the valley of the San Saba.
"On the succeeding day we marched about an hour un- der cover of the timber of the Colorado bottom. We then deposited our packs and baggage in a place of security and proceeded onward, still seeking the cover of the timber and valley, to a place about ten miles from the village, where we remained until after sunset.
*Army Archives in State Library.
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"After night, we proceeded to within a mile of the vil- lage, where we dismounted and tied our horses in a valley, and having put eight Lipans on horseback with orders to stampede the enemy's caballado, proceeded on foot to within three hundred yards of the town, still keeping our spies in advance.
"The LaGrange company, under Capt. Wm. M. East- land, formed the right wing, the Bastrop company, Capt. Smithwiek, the centre; and the Lipan's, under Castro, their chief, the left.
"The attack was made after daybreak by marching Capt. Eastland's company in advance, down between the timber and the village (whose skirts run parallel to each other) for the purpose of having the timber in our rear and driving the enemy towards the prairie. When opposite the centre of the town we were discovered by the enemy, at which moment I ordered a charge, which was promptly obey- ed and carried to near the centre of the village, the men throwing open the doors of the wigwams or pulling them down and slaughtering the enemy in their beds.
"It was now discovered that the opposite side, which had been supposed to have opened to the level prairie, was bor- dered by a meander of the bayou which formed a deep rut and secure place of retreatf into which the savages had fled and in which they had already rallied and formed for de- fense. At this time the darkness, which previously had Been such as barely to permit us to aim with tolerable ac- curacy, became greater in consequence of the smoke and, all our firearms 'having been discharged, it became necessary to retire for a moment to reload and wait for the darkness to dispel, to enable us to renew the attack. The disorder which had resulted from the eagerness of the men was another cause which rendered this movement necessary.
"We had barely time to form and reload when the ene- my changed us in front and on both flanks to within a few steps, which attacks were repeated at short intervals until 10 o'clock a. m., after which the firing from the enemy contin-
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ued, but from a considerable distance. Tem men were now dispatched by way of the bayou to reconnoitre, who return- ed soon after and reported' the enemy very numerous. We continued in our position until half after 11 o'clock, when the enomy ceased firing, at which time, having abandoned the hope of being able with so few men to force them from the strong position they occupied, I ordered litters to be prepared for our wounded, and soon after retired to the place at which we had left our horses. In fifteen or twenty minutes after our arrival at this place we were surounded by a large body of the enemy, who I believe were between 300 and 500 in number, who immediately opened a fire on us, but this was soon silenced, and a white flag (the same presented to them last summer at the seat of government by the President, Sam Houston) approached, car ried by a woman, accompanied by a man. A parley ensued in which she stated that they had five white prisoners; one a woman about middle age, understood to have been captur- ed on the Brazos river; a girl about fifteen years of age, supposed to be the daughter* of one of our company, An- drew Lockhart, captured on the Guadalupe; the other three children, captured at the same place a short time since. This information, I believe, was given because they were under the impression that we had some of their prisoners which they wished to exchange for, as some prisoners had been taken by the Lipans which they killed or otherwise disposed of without advice from me. They also made some statements relative to their great numbers which were constantly increas- ing and the co-operation of the Shawnees who were near, to which was replied 'Our numbers are small; come on.'
"The attack was not repeated. The number killed on the part of the enemy it was impossible to know, but must have been very considerable.
"Our men were furnished with about three shots each, which, during the first attack upon the village, were dis- charged with great accuracy at only a few feet distance
* Matilda Lockhart.
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and in many instances by placing the muzzle against the ob- ject. Add to this their exposed position in their repeated at- tacks upon us and the unerring accuracy of our riflemen, justifies the belief that their loss must have been very great. Ja supposing their loss to have been thirty or forty killed and fifty or sixty wounded, I make an estimate much below what I believe to be correct. Loss on our side; killed, none ; mortally wounded, one-since died; slightly wounded, six. We also lost a considerable number of horses, in all- including those which had previously died from various caus- es-forty-six.
"One of our men, Mr. Wilson, from Lagrange, was acci- dentally wounded on our way up and dispatched homeward with two men; since died. Our force in the engagement con- sisted only of sixty-three white men and sixteen Indians-to- tal, seventy-nine.
"Taken by the Lipan Indians; ninty-three horses and mules, only forty-six of which have been received here. Much credit is due to Captain W. M. Eastland and Lieut. N. M. Bain, of the Bastrop company, and Adjutant Wm. Bugg, for strict and prompt obedience to orders and their general officer-like conduct, and to the men and officers in general for their bravery on the field of battle and their subordination and good conduct."
MURDER OF CAPT. COLEMAN'S WIDOW AND CHILD- REN-COL. BURLESON ENGAGES THE INDIANS.
Col. Burleson in an official report to Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, writing from Bastrop county, says : "Immedi- ately after my return home, I was informed of a body of Indians having been seen in the Big Prairie on Saturday, Feb: ruary 22, fifteen or twenty miles from Bastrop, supposed to be Northern Indians- i. e. Caddos, Wacos and Keechies. On Monday following, about 10 o'clock a. m., they attacked the house of the widow Coleman, twelve miles above Bastrop. They attempted to cut off a man and a boy from the house, who were plowing in the field and who, at sight of them,
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broke for an adjoining thicket and made good their escape. In the meantime a party of the Indians fired at Mrs. Cole- man, who was at work in the garden fifty paces distant from the house, and slightly wounded her in the neck with an arrow. She fled with all speed for the house and suc- ceeded in reaching it. At the time of her entering the house there was in the room her oldest son, about twelve years of age, and three other small children. With the as- Ésistance of the boy, she was enabled to bar the door. The Indians followed her to the house and forced the door open wide enough to admit a man. They were fired upon by the boy, who killed one dead on the spot and is supposed to bave wounded another. In attempting to defend the pas- sage, the boy and Mrs. Coleman were killed. The remain- ing three children, who were at the time in the room, crawled under the bed.
"The Indians, having received so warm a reception, desisted. * (They succeeded in cutting off a boy child from the house and carried him off captive).
"The Indians at the same time attacked and plundered the house of Dr. Robertson, situated about two hundred yards from the former. Fortunately, at the time the doc- tor's family was absent, or they would have shared the fate of Mrs. Coleman, as there was no white person on the premises to give them protection. The Indians took and carried off from the latter place one negro woman and four children, one old man, and a boy.
"A party of fifty men from above Bastrop went im- mediately in pursuit and overtook them twenty-five miles north of the Colorado, where a skirmish took place. The Indians having advantage of position caused the whites to fall back about three miles, with the loss of one man, at which place I fell in with thirty men. I immediately went in pursuit and overtook them; in the meantime, the Indians having changed their ground for a more advantageous po- sition. On discovering me, they took a stand. I attacked them at about 1 o'clock p. m. I continued to pick them off at every opportunity until dark. The old negro man was
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found on the battle ground after night, with nine arrows shot into him; supposed to have been left for dead. He says he saw several killed; say thirty. From the quantity of blood seen on the ground, I am induced to believe that the above number is not an over-estimate. Our loss in the last attack was two killed and one wounded, who has since died.
"I remained encamped on the ground until next morn- ing, and found that the Indians had left several guns, bows and arrows, all their camp equipments, one mule and several horses.
"I ordered, without delay, Capt. Billingsley, with thirty men, to follow on their trail , which he did three miles and found that they had dispersed to avoid further pursuit.
"Since the above took place there has been no more de- predations committed on this frontier, except by some thieving parties. It is confidently believed that the Indians will renew hostilities on this part of the frontier early this spring.
"I request that those officers who have accepted their commissions and who are destined to recruit for the First Regiment of Infantry West of the Brazos, to be sent to such points as in your judgment are most suitable for that pur- pose, until I shall come down to Houston, which will be in about three weeks."
THE CORDOVA REBELLION.
Our historians have not attached due importance to the motives of what they are wont to term this "strange" out- break and the incidents of its quelling. Previous to 1836 the town and County of Nacogdoches contained a majority of Mexican citizens. These people had made small settle- ments in various parts of this then immense terri- tory. Here, too, resided a large number of Cherokee and associate bands of Indians, who properly belonged in the Indian Territory and under the jurisdiction of the United
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States. They had been permitted, it seems, to occupy those lands as tenants at will, but the Mexican Government while maintaining friendly and favorable relations with these In- dians, had studiously avoided granting them anything in the shape of title.
Although Texas had declared her independence and bravely won her liberty on the sanguinary field of San Jacinto in one of the most decisive battles of ancient or modern times-driving the enemy beyond her borders and concluding an honorable treaty of peace with the captive General and President, Santa Anna-Mexico never willingly relinquished claims to her lost province, and for nearly a decade, during which time the Lone Star Republic heroically maintained her proud position as one of the principalities of the world, a predatory and guerilla-like warfare was kept up against the more exposed border settlements of Texas.
One of the principal and most feasible schemes was to send emissaries through the country with instructions to arouse and incite the Indians to hostilities and open rebel- lion. Yoakum says: "Previous to the French attack at Vera Cruz, and the Civil war in Mexico, that Government had commenced a system, which, if it had been carried out as was intended, would have been most disastrous to Texas. Its object was to turn loose upon her all the Indian tribes up- on her borders, from the Rio Grade to Red River." Of these facts the Texas Government received undoubted evi- dence a little later as will be seen.
At Nacogdoches early in August, 1838, it was found that a motley company of about 150 citizens, headed by Vincente Cordova an early, intelligent and some- what influential Mexican resident of the settlement, had secretly taken up arms and encamped on the west bank of the Angelina. On learning these facts a proclamation was issued to the malcontents requiring them to return to their homes and lay down their arms, under the penalty of being declared enemies of the Republic.
To this proclamation the rebel leaders made the follow-
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ing bold and defiant reply :- "The citizens of Nacogdoches, being tired of the unjust treatment, and of the unsurpation of their rights, can do no less than state that they are em- bodied, with arms in their hands, to sustain those rights, and those of the nation to which they belong. They are ready to shed the last drop of their blood; and declare as they have heretofore done, that they do not acknowledge the existing laws, through which they are offered guaranties (by the proclamation) for their lives and properties. They only ask that you will not molest their families, promising in good fath to do the same in regard to yours.
Vincente Cordova, Nat Morris,
J. Arriola,
J. Vincent Micheli,
J. Santos Coy, and others.
A. Cordova,
C. Morales,
Joshua Robertson,
Juan Jose Rodrigues.
August 10, 1838.
By this time other Mexican adherents with some 300 Indians and negroes had joined the enemy, augment- ing their force to about six hundred, when they set out on their march, in the direction of the Cherokee nation. Mean- time General Rusk had made an urgent and immediate requisition for men and a considerable force of volunteers was soon collected. Directing Major Augustin with 150 men to follow the trail, Gen. Rusk with the main force marched rapidly, and more direct to the headquarters of Chief Bowles, expecting to intercept and engage the enemy at that point. But the enemy had warning, no doubt, of these movements, and on arriving at the Saline it was found they had disbanded and dispersed, the insurgent leader and a few of his followers having hastily fled westward, to the wild tribes of the upper Trinity and Brazos, where they re- mained until the following spring, visiting and mingling with these several tribes and endeavoring with presents and promises to incite them to open hostilities, and encourage- ing them to wage a relentless war of extermination against the Texans; to burn their houses, kill their cattle, steal
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their horses and to lay waste the settlements; and for all of which, besides the spoils, they were promised aid and protection from the Mexican Government and fee simple rights for all time to come to the respective territories they then occupied. At the same time a regular cor- respondence was carried on through secret agents and discrete messengers with Commandant Canalizo as well as Manuel Flores-charged with diplomatic duties towards the Indians of Texas-at Matamoras, and plans were being dis- cussed and perfected for carrying out the devilish designs of a concerted and general border warfare of rapine and murder against the settlers of Texas. To this end and look- ing to a better and more definite understanding and ar- rangement of plans, Cordova urged agent Flores to meet and confer with him at his redezvous in the Indian country.
CORDOVA'S DEFEAT.
Early in 1839 Gen. Canalizo succeeded Gen. Filisola as commander at Matamoras.
Wishing to confer with the new military chief, Vincente Cordova left his lair on the upper Trinity in March and started for the Rio Grande, accompanied by a force of seventy-five men-Mexicans, Indians, and negroes.
His camp was discovered at the foot of the mountains north of, and not far from Austin, and the news was con- veyed to Col. Burleson at Bastrop.
At the head of eighty men, he went in pursuit and overtook the enemy on the 29th in an open body of post- oaks about six miles southeast of Seguin and dismounted a portion of his men, who opened fire from behind trees. Cordova formed his followers, also using trees for protection and sought to stimulate them to determined and successful resistance. They stood their ground for awhile, although the Texans moved nearer and nearer to them, pouring in a steady and telling rifle-fire, but broke into pieces and fled when Burleson's Colorado volunteers leaped into the open and charged among them. The pursuit that followed ex-
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tended to the dense jungles of Guadualupe bottom, where it was discontinued as twilight deepened into dark.
Burleson suffered no loss in killed, but several of his men were wounded. After the fight, he moved six miles up to Seguin, to protect the few families living there.
Cordova retreated during the night. Starting east of Seguin he moved northward as far as the present town of New Braunfels, crossed the Guadalupe, and then bore to the north and passed north of San Antonio to the Nueces where pursuit of him was abandoned by Capt. Matthew Caldwell and his company of rangers and a few citizen vol- unteers who had picked up his trail. Prior to the chase, Caldwell's rangers were scattered in several camps, scouting. Cordova came upon one of these detachments north of Se- guin, and wounded three men-a circumstance that was im- mediately reported to Caldwell who concentrated his forces and went in pursuit.
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