USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 17
USA > Texas > Galveston County > Galveston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 17
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Glancing over his horse's neck the gallant young McCulloch saw a party of eight or ten Indians closely pursuing the bitterest enemy of his brother; but the life of a human being was involved, and, prompted by that magna.
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nimity of heart which ever characterized his life, he did not stop to calculate the couse- quences, but in a second was in his saddle going nt full speed at the risk of his own life to save that of Sweitzer. His companions followed, and they reached Sweitzer just in time to save his life.
August 20, 1840, soon after the above occurrence, Mr. McCulloch married Miss Jane Isabella Ashby, and directly settled on the place improved by his brother Ben, four miles from Gonzales.
In September, 1842, General Woll, at the head of a thousand Mexican infantry and 500 or 600 cavalry, captured San Antonio; but just before the retreat of the Mexican forces Captain Matthew Caldwell, with 200 men, engaged the enemy about five or six miles from town and defeated them. While this fight was progressing Dawson's men were massnered in the rear of the Mexican army while trying to make their way to Caldwell, and in this engagement MeCulloch was a lieutenant under Colonel Jack Hays. He was also in Somervell's expedition so far as it remained in Texas.
Becoming n resident of Gonzales county in 1844, he entered mercantile business there. In 1846 he was elected captain of a volunteer " company for the Mexican war, and the next year was elected sheriff of that county. Occasionally he was engaged in an expedition against the Indians, with success. In 1853, on the Democratic ticket for the legislature, he was elected, over Colonel French Smith, a Whig, and in 1855 he was again elected, defeating Thomas II. Duggan. In 1858 he was appointed United States marshal for the Eastern District of Texas, which position he held until the breaking ont of the Civil war. and in this mighty struggle he had a brilliant career. He was promoted from the position
of colonel to that of brigadier-general. March 1, 1876, Governor Coke appointed him superintendent of the Deaf and Dumb AsyInm, which place he held until dismissed by Governor Roberts, September 1, 1879. In 1885 he was employed by the State Land Board as an agent to manage the publie- school, university and asylum lands.
ELISHA M. PEASE, twice governor of Texas, was born in Connecticut, in 1812, and be- came a lawyer. In 1835 he came to Texas and was appointed secretary of the exeentive council at San Felipe. During 1836-'37 he held several positions under the government. Resigning the comptrollership of public ac- counts in the latter year, he began to prae- tice his profession in Brazorin county. He was a member of the house of representatives of the first and second logislatures, and of the senate of the third legislature. He was gov- ernor of Texas from 1853 to 1857, and from 1867 to 1869, in the latter ease being ap- pointed by General Sheridan, under recon- strnetion regime, to succeed Throckmorton. In 1874 he was appointed collector of cus- toms for Galveston, which office he did not accept. In 1879 he was reappointed to the same position, and took charge of the custom- house February 1 of that year.
BENJAMIN R. MILAM was a native of Ken- tucky, born of humble parents and having but little education. He distinguished him- self in the war of 1812, and afterward en- gaged in trade with the Indians at the head- waters of Texan rivers. Later he joined Mina in his disastrous expedition in aid of the revolutionary cause in Mexico, and, being one of those who escaped death, rendered valuable services. When Iturbide proclaimed himself emperor, Milam was among the first to join the party that opposed him. For this he was cast into prison, where he
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languished until Iturbide's dethronement, when he was released. For his services in the republican cause he received in 1828 a grant of eleven square leagnes of land in Texas, but he located it by mistake in Ar- kansas, and obtained from the government of the State of Coalmila and Texas an em- presario grant. Ile was in Monelova at the time of Viesca's deposal, and was captured in company with him. Milam escaped from prison at Monterey by winning the conti- dence of the jailer, and, being supplied with a fleet horse and a little food by a friend, he traveled alone for 600 miles, jonrneying by night and concealing himself by day, till he reached the vicinity of Goliad, almost ex- hansted. After the capture of that place he enlisted in the ranks, and was scon afterward kuled by a rifle ball from the enemy, when he was about forty-five years of age.
ERASTUS SMITH, who, on account of his being "hard of hearing," was generally known as " Deaf Smith," was born in New York in 1787, moved to Mississippi in 1798, and to Texas in 1817. IIe was a most inde- fatigable obsorver of the movements of the Mexican army during the war; and his per- feet knowledge of the country and astonish- ing coolness and bravery made him an inval- uable scout for the Texan army. He married a Mexican lady in San Antonio, and had several children. He died at Fort Bend in 1839, and is buried at Richmond. A county is named in his honor, " Deaf Smith."
JOSIAH WILBARGER, brother of the anthor of the work entitled "Indian Depredations in Texas," was one of the carliest settlers in this State, coming here from Missouri in 1828, locating first in Matagorda county for a year. Early in the spring of 1830 he re- moved to a beautiful location he had selected at the mouth of the creek named in his honor,
ten miles above the point now ocenpied by the town of Bastrop. At that time his near. est neighbor was abont seventy-five miles. down the Colorado, and he was not only the first but also the outside settler of Austin's colony until July, 1832, when Renben Ilorns. . by went up from Bastrop, where he had been living a year or two. He located abont nine miles below the present eity of Anstin.
Early in August, 1833, Mr. Wilbarger went to Hornsby's, and, in company with Messrs. Christian, Strother, Standifer and Haynie, rode ont in a northwest direction to look at the country. On Walnut creek, five or six miles above Anstin, they discovered an Indian, who ran away and disappeared. The white party gave chase but after a time aban- doned it. While eating their dinner, however, after returning from the chase, they were snd- denly fired upon by Indians. Strother was mortally wounded, Christian's thigh bone was broken, and Wilbarger sprang to the side of the latter to set him up against a tree, when the latter received an arrow in the leg and another in his hip. Soon he was wounded in the other leg also. Three of the Wilbar- ger party then ran to their horses, which had been been tied out for feeding, and began to flee. Wilbarger, though wounded as he was, ran after them, begging for an opportunity to ride behind one of them, but before reaching them he was wounded in the neck by a ball. He fell apparently dead, but thongh unable to move or speak he remained conseions. Ile knew when the Indians came around him, stripped him naked and tore the scalp from his head. The character of the wound in the neck probably made the In- dians believe that it was broken, and that Wilbarger was dead, or at least conld not sur- vive, and they left him. They cut the throats of Strother and Christian.
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Late in the evening Mr. Wilbarger so far recovered as to drag himself to a pool of water, lay in it for an hour, and then, be- numbed with cold, he crawled npon dry ground and fell into n profound sleep. When awakened the blood had ceased to flow from his wounds, but he was still consumed with . hunger and again suffering intensely from thirst. Groen flies had "blown" his scalp while ashop und the larves began to work, which created a new alarm. Undertaking to go to Mr. Hornsby's, abont six miles distant, he lind only proe. cded about 600 yards whon he sank exhausted! Remaining all night upon the ground, he suffered intensely from cold; hut during the next day he was found by his friends, who Ind been urged to hunt for him by Mrs. Hornsby, despite the report by Hay- nie and Standifer that he was dead. She was influenced by a dream, so the story goes, to say that Wilbarger was still alive, and con- sequently urged the men to go and hunt for him. It is stated also that Wilbarger had a dream or vision of the spirit of a sister, who had died only the day before in Missouri, which said that help would come that day! The relief party consisted of Joseph Rogers, Reuben Hornsby, Webber, John Walters and others. As they approached the tree under which Wilbarger was lying and had passed the night, they snw first the blood-red sealp and thought they had come upon an Indian. Even his body was red almost all over with blood, and he presented a ghastly sight. Rogers, mistaking him for an Indian, ex- claimed, "Here they are, boys!" Wilbarger arose and said, "Don't shoot! it is Wilbarger! The poor sufferer was taken to Hornsby's residence, where he was cared for. When he had somewhat recruited he was placed in a sled, as he could not endure the jolts of a wagon, and taken down the river to his own
eabin. He lived eleven years afterward, but the scalp never grew to entirely cover the bone. The latter, where most exposed, be- came diseased and exfoliated, finally exposing the brain.
By his death he left a wife and five chil- dren. The eldest son, John, was killed many years afterward by the Indians in west Texas. Ilarvey, another son, lived to raise a number of children.
.The circumstance above related is the first instance of white blood shed at the hands of the red savage within the presont limits of Travis county.
GENERAL EDWARD BURLESON was born in Buncombe county, North Carolina, in 1798. We quote the following sketch of his life from J. W. Wilbarger's work, before re- ferred to:
"When but a lad, young Edward served in a company commanded by his father un- der General Jackson, in the Creek war. In March, 1831, he emigrated to Texas and set- tled eleven miles below the town of Bastrop, where he soon rendered himself conspicuons by his readiness wlien called on to repel the savages, then of frequent occurrence. His unflinching courage and perseverance on such occasions brought him into favorable notice, and in 1832 he was elected lieutenant colonel of the principality of Anstin. By his activ- ity, promptness and courage, he soon rose to be an acknowledged leader, while his plain and unpretending deportment and natural dignity won friends as fast as he made ac- quaintances.
"In the battle with the Mexicans under General Cos at San Antonio he was conspicu- ous for his gallantry and rendered important services. As colonel of a regiment he par- ticipated in the final battle at San Jacinto, which secured the independence of Texas.
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On that bloody field Burleson added new honors to his fame as a brave soldier and tried officer. llis regiment stormed the breastwork and captured the artillery, and contributed its honorable share to the victory. The morning of the day on which the battle was fought, General Houston ordered Burle- son to detail 100 men from his regiment to build a bridge across the bayou in case a rc- treat should be necessary. Burleson replied that he could make the detail, but he had no idea the bridge could be built; that they had no axes or tools of any description whatever, or teams to hanl the timber. Houston asked him whether he intended to disobey orders. Burleson replied that he was not disposed to disobey orders, but that his men would much rather fight than work. "Then,' said Ilous- ton, 'if you are so anxious to tight you shall have your fill before night," and immediately made ont his plan of battle.
"After the battle of San Jacinto General Barleson returned to his home and was elected to the senate of the first congress of the republic. In the Cherokee war he moved against the Indians at the head of 500 men, defeated them in a hard-fought battle, killing many (among them their head chief, Bowles) and drove the remainder be- yond the limits of the republic. In the great Indian raid of 1840 General Burleson was second in command of the forces that met the Indians on Plum creek, which defeated them with great slaughter and recaptured a vast amount of plnnder. He was in a num- ber of hotly contested fights with the Indians, in one of which, the battle of Brushy, he lost his brother, Jacob Burleson, who had engaged the enemy before the general arrived.
"On one ocension a party of forty-five or fifty Indians came into the settlements below the town of Bastrop and stole a lot of horses
while the people were at church. A man who had remained at home discovered them, ran to church and gave the alarm. Burleson, . with only ten men, started in immediate pur- snit and followed the trail that evening to Piny creek near town. Next morning he was reinforced by eight meu, the pursuit was continued and the enemy overtaken near the Yegua, a small sluggish stream now in Lee conuty. When within about 200 yards of them, Burleson called out to the Indians to halt; they immediately did so, and, forming themselves in regular order, like disciplined troops, commeneed firing by squads or plat- oons. When within sixty yards the battle was opened by the Texans by the discharge of Burleson's double-barreled shot-gun. The confliet was of short duration. Six Indians were killed, and the remainder fled into a deep ravine enveloped in thickets and made their escape.
" In 1841 General Burleson was elected vice president of the Republie, by a consid- erable majority over General Memncan Iluut. At Monterey he was appointed by Governor Ilenderson, then in personal command of the Texas division, one of his aides-de-camp, and in that capacity bore a distinguished and hon- ored part in the fierce conflicts before that city. "IIe died September 26, 1851, at the capital of the State, while a member of the senate then in session, and his death produced a profound sensation throughout the country, where his name had become as familiar as a household word. Eloquent eulogies were pronounced in both houses of the legislature at his death."
An ambitious young village in Johnson connty, this State, a few miles north of Al- varado and on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad, is named in honor of the hero of the foregoing memoir.
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JOHN C. HAYS, generally known as Colonel "Jack " Hays, was a native, it is believed, of Tennessee, and came to Texas when a young man, bringing with him letters of recommendation from prominent people to President Ilouston. The latter soon gave him a commission to raise a ranging com- pany for the protection of the western frontier. This company is supposed to be the first regularly organized one in tho service so far in the West. With this small company- for it never numbered more than three score mon -- Colonel Hays effectually protected a vist scope of the frontier reaching from Corpus Christi on the gulf to the headwaters of the Frio and Nueces rivers. With the newly introduced five-shooting revolvers each of his men was eqnal to abont five or six Mexicans or Indinns. Although the colonel was rather under the medium size, he was wiry and active, well calculated to withstand the hardships of frontier life. He was fre- quently seen sitting before his camp fire in a cold storm, apparently as unconcerned as if in a hotel, and that, too, when perhaps he had nothing for supper but a piece of hard- tack or a few pecans. Although he was ex- tremely cautious when the safety of his men was concerned, he was extremely careless when only his own welfare was in jeopardy.
Ile was elected colonel of a regiment of mounted volunteers at the breaking out of the Mexican war, and they did valiant service at the storming of Monterey. Some time after the war he moved to California, where he finally died, a number of years ago.
. As an example of Ilays' heroism we cite the following anecdote from Mr. Wilbarger's work: In the fall of 1840 a party of Comanche Indians numboring about 200 came into the vicinity of San Antonio, stole a great many horses and started off in the direction of the
Guadalupe river. Hays, with abont twenty of his men, followed in pursuit, overtaking them at that river. Riding in front, as was his enstom, the colonel was the first to dis- cover the red rascals, and, riding back to his men, he said, " Yonder are the Indians, boys, and yonder are our horses. The Indians are pretty strong, but we can whip them and recapture the horses. What do you say?" "Go ahead," the boys replied, "and we'll follow if there's a thousand of them." " Come on, then, boys," said Ilays: and, putting spurs to their horses, this little band of only twenty men boldly charged upon the 200 warriors who were waiting for them drawn up in battle array.
Seeing the small number of their assailants the Indians were sure of victory; but Hays' men poured shot among them so directly and rapidly as to cut down their ranks at a fear- ful rate, killing even their chief, and the Indians, frightened at what appeared to them a power superior to man, fled in confusion. Hays and his inen followed for several iniles, killing even more of them and recovering most of the stolen horses.
About a year afterward he wns one of a party of fifteen or twenty men employed to survey land near what the Indians called " The Enchanted Rock," in which, high up, was a cavity large enough to contain several men. Being attacked by Indians in this vicinity, Colonel Ilays, who was at some distance from his party, ran up the hill and took a position in this little hollow place, determined to "sell his life at the dearest price." He was well known to the Indians, and they were anxions if possible to get his scalp. Mounting the hill, they surrounded the rock and prepared to charge upon him. llays was aware that his life depended more upon strategy than courage, and reserved
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his fire until it could do the most good. IIe lay behind a projection of the rock, with the muzzle of his gun exposed to their vision, and awaited the most opportune moment. The savages meanwhile suspected that the noted white warrior had a revolver besides, and indeed he had two. The Indians yelled with all their might, but onr hero was too well acquainted with that style of warfare to be very badly frightened by it.
The red men, being ashamed of permitting themselves to be beaten by one man, made a desperate assault, and when the chief in front approached sufficiently near the colonel downed him with the first shot of his rifle. In the next charge he did effective work with a revolver, and soon the remainder of his own inen, who had been engaging the main body of Indians, suspected that their commander was hemmed in there, and turned npon the Indians near by, immediately routing them.
A remarkable example of Colonel Hays' generalship was exhibited in a little skirmish in 1844, when, with fifteen of his company, on a sconting expedition about eighty miles from San Antonio, he came in sight of fifteen Comanches, who were mounted on good horses and apparently eager for battle. As the colonel and his men approached, the Indians slowly retreated in the direction of an im mense thicket, which convinced llays that the Indians they saw were but a part of a larger number. Ile therefore restrained the ardor of his men, who were anxious to charge upon the Indians they saw, and took a circnitons ronte around the thicket and drew up his little force upon a ridge beyond a deep ra- vine, in order to take advantage of some position not looked for by the Indians. The latter, seeing that they had failed to draw the white party into the trap they had laid for them, showed themselves, to the number
of seventy-five. Directly the rangers assailed them on an unexpected side, made a furious charge, with revolvers, etc. The battle lasted nearly an hour, exhausting the ammunition of the whites. The Comanche chief, perceiv- ing this, rallied his warriors for a final effort. As they were advancing, Colonel Hays dis- covered that the rifle of one of the rangers was still loaded. Ile ordered him to dis- mount at once and shoot the chief, and the man did so, successfully. This so discour- aged the Indians that they gave up the day.
In the battle above referred to, with the main body of the Indians, the rangers lost only two killed and five wounded, while thirty Indians were left dead on the field. For good generalship, as well as cool, un- flinching bravery, Colonel Ilays and his men deserve the highest credit. The above fight is certainly one of the most remarkable in all Indian warfare.
In 1845, in encountering a large party of Indians, Colonel Ilays mounted a horse which had more "heroism " or " foolhardiness " than he anticipated, as it carried him, in spite of all the rider could do, right through the enemy, the main body of the Comanches. This so astonnded the Indians that they actually gave way for him and another man accompanying him, and the rest of the white party rallied forward with a yell and with their revolvers actually put the savages to flight!
Not long after the above ocenrrence Hays, with only fifteen men, encountered and totally defeated the famous Comanche chief, Yellow Wolf, who was at the head of eighty warriors: the chief himself was slain. This battle occurred at the Pinta crossing of the Guadalupe river, between San Antonio .and Fredericksburg.
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CAPTAIN JAMES G. SWISHER, in whose honor n county in this State is named, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 6, 1794. Joining John Donelson's company, under General Jackson, he participated in the battles of New Orleans on the night of Decem- ber 23, 1814, and on Jannary 8, 1815. Ile came from near Franklin. Williamson county, Tennessee, to Texas in 1833, and during the following Jannary he settled at the town of Tomatitian on the Brazos river, not now in existence, but which up to the year 1832 had been garrisoned by 200 Mexican troops. Swisher commenced life here with his family apparently under the finest anspices, but in a few months two Comanche Indians stole most of his horses, which, however, hie recov- ered after a long journey in parsnit.
Captain Swisher was the father of James M. Swisher and John M. Swisher, of Travis county. The latter, known as Colonel " Milt." Swisher, was in the employ of the Republic from 1839 up to the time of annexation, and from that time to 1856 in the employ of the State. In 1841 he was chief clerk and acting secretary of the treasury of the Republic, and in 1847 was appointed auditor to settle up the debts of the late Republic.
JOHN L. WILBARGER, brother of the anthor of "Indian Depredations in Texas," was born in Matagorda county, Texas, November 29, 1829, and grew up in his parents' family in Anstin colony, innred to the roughness of pioneer life. Having considerable talent he . became well qualified to manage the interests of those exposed on the frontier; but before he had opportunity to exercise his talent to a considerable degree he joined an expedi- tion which eventually proved disastrous to him. August 20, 1850, he and two other young men were quietly pursuing their jour- ney back to the command in Bastrop county
which they had left, when Indians attacked them, shooting down the two other young men at the first fire, and then Wilbarger, after a chase of about two miles. One of the young men (Neal), however, was not killed, and succeeded in getting back home, to tell the news.
COLONEL GEORGE G. AIFORD, prominent in the early history of the State, was born in Cayuga, Soneca connty, New York, June 19, 1793, reared on lakes Champlain and Cayuga, that State, and served as lieutenant of artil- lery under General Winfield Scott during the second war with Great Britian, in 1811- '13, participating in the battles of Queens- town Heights, Lundy's Lane, etc. Ilis father, who was a cousin of General Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame, had twelve children. In 1815 the family removed to Detroit, Michigan, then an obscure and remote frontier Indian village, making the trip in a small sail vessel, which was wrecked at what is now the great city of Cleveland. In 1819 he moved to New Madrid, Missouri, the former capital of the Spanish province of Louisiana, and there engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1821 he married Miss Jeannette Lesieur, a sister of IIon. Godfrey Lesienr, one of the oldest and wealthiest French set- tlers of that section: she died, leaving him one daughter, Jeannette. About 1829 Col- onel Alford married Miss Ann Barfield, of Murfreesborough, Tennessee, born May 9, 1807, a descendant of Governor Badger, of North Carolina. By this marriage there was born Judge George Frederick Alford, now of Dallas.
While a resident of Missouri the Colonel prospered and became wealthy, and served with satisfaction to his constituents a term in the State legislature.
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