Indian wars and pioneers of Texas, Vol. I, Part 12

Author: Brown, John Henry, 1820-1895
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Austin : L.E. Daniel]
Number of Pages: 922

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Speedily two squads of men assembled at the locality - twenty-five under Capt. Joseph Burleson and twenty-seven commanded by Capt. James Rogers. Thus, fifty-two in number, they pursued the savages in a northerly direction. On the next forenoon, near a place since called Post Oak Island and three or four miles north of Brushy creek, they

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

came in sight of the enemy, who, all being on foot, sought to reach the thicket on a branch, somewhat between the parties. To prevent this a charge was ordered to cut them off, and if need be, occupy the thicket as a base of defense; but some of the men hesitated, while others advanced. Skirmishing began, eonfusion ensued, followed by a disorderly retreat, some men gallantly dismounting time and again, to hold the enemy in check. In this engage- ment Capt. Joseph Burleson was killed, while dis- mounted and trying to save the day. The horse of. W. W. (afterward Captain) Wallace eseaped and was caught and mounted by an Indian. A. J. Haynie, seeing this, gallantly took Mr. Wallace up behind him and thus saved his life.

The whole party, notwithstanding the disorder, halted on reaching Brushy.

While remaining in a state of indecision, Gen. Edward Burleson (of whom Joseph was a brother) came up with thirty-two men. All submitted at once to his experienced leadership. Reorganizing the force, with Capt. Jesse Billingsley commanding a portion, he moved forward, and about the middle of the afternoon found the Indians in a strong position, along a crescent-shaped branch, partly protected by high banks, and the whole hidden by brush. Burleson led one party into the ravine above and Billingsey the other into it below the Indians, intending to approach each way and drive the enemy out. But each party found an inter- vening, open and flat expansion of the ravine, in

passing which they would be exposed to an enfilad- ing fire from an invisible enemy. Hence this plan was abandoned and a random skirmish kept up until night, a considerable number of Indians being killed, as evidenced by their lamentations, as they retreated as soon as shielded by darkness. Burle- son camped on the ground.

The next day, on litters, the dead and Mr. Gilleland were carried homeward, the latter to die in a few days.

The men of Bastrop were ever famed for gal- lantry, and many were the regrets and heart-burn- ings among themselves in connection with the first engagement of the day; but ample amends were made on other fields to atone for that untoward event.

Doubtless interesting facts are omitted. Those given were derived long ago from participants, sup- plemented by a few points derived at a later day from Mr. A. D. Adkisson, who was also one of the number.

For several years succceding the raids into and around Bastrop, stealing horses, and killing, some- times one and sometimes two or three persons, were so frequent that their narration would seem monotonous. In most cases these depredations were committed by small parties carly in the night, and by sunrise they would be far away, rendering pursuit useless. They were years of anguish, sorely testing the courage and fortitude of as courageous a people as ever settled in a wilderness.

Cordova's Rebellion in. 1838-9 - Rusk's Defeat of the Kicka- poos - Burleson's Defeat of Cordova - Rice's Defeat of Flores - Death of Flores and Cordova -- Capt. Matthew Caldwell.

At the close of 1837, and in the first eight or nine months of 1808, Gen. Vicente Filisola was iu command of Northern Mexico, with headquarters in Matamoros: He undertook, by various well- planned artifices, to win to Mexico the friendship of all the Indians in Texas, including the Cherokees and their associate bands, and unite them in a per- sistent war on Texas. Through emissaries passing above the settlements he communicated with the Cherokees and others, and with a number of Mexi-

can citizens, in and around Nacogdoches, and suc- ceeded in enlisting many of them in his schemes. The most conspicuous of these Mexicans, as devel- oped in the progress of events, was Vicente Cor- dova, an old resident of Naeogdoelics, from which the affair has generally been called " Cordova's rebellion," but there were others actively engaged with him, some bearing American names, as Nat Norris and Joshua Robertson, and Mexicans named . Juan Jose Rodriguez, Carlos Morales, Juan Santos

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

Coy, Jose Vicenti Micheli, Jose Ariola, and An- tonio Corda.

The first outbreak occurred on the Ith of August, 1838, when a party of Americans who had pursued and reeovered some stolen horses from a Mexican settlement in Nacogdoches County, were fired upon on their return trip and one of their number killed.

The trail of the assailants was followed and found to be large and made by Mexicans. On the 7th Gen. Rusk was informed that over a hundred Mexicans, headed by Cordova and Norris, were eneamped on the Angelina. He immediately re- cruited a company of sixty volunteers and posted them at the lower ford of that stream. The enemy were then on the west side. On the 10th it was reported that about 300 Indians had joined Cor- dova. On the same day President Houston, then in Nacogdoches, who had issued a proclamation to the immigrants, received a letter signed by the per- sons whose names have been given, disavowing allegiance to Texas and claiming to be citizens of Mexico.

Cordova, on the 10th, moved up towards the Cherokee Nation. Maj. H. W. Augustin was detailed to follow his trail, while Gen. Rusk moved. directly towards the village of Bowles, the head chief of the Cherokees, believing Cordova had gone there; but, on reaching the Saline, it was found that he had moved rapidly in the direction of the Upper Trinity, while the great body of his followers had dispersed. To the Upper Trinity and Brazos, he went and remained till March, 1839, in constant communication with the wild Indians, urging them to a relentless war on Texas, burning and destroying the homes and property of the settlers, of course with the deadly horrors of their mode of warfare, and promising them, under the instructions of Gen. Filisola first, and his sueees- sor, Gen. Valentino Canalizo, secondly, protection under the Mexican government and fee simple rights to the respective territories occupied by them. He sent communications to the generals named, and also to Manuel Flores, in Matamoros, charged with diplomatie duties, towards the Indians of Texas, urging Flores to meet with him for eon- ference and a more definite understanding.

In the meantime a combination of these lawless Mexicans and Indians committed depredations on the settlements to such a degree that Gen. Rusk raised two hundred volunteers and moved against them. On the 14th of October, 1838, he arrived at Fort Houston, and learning that the enemy were in force at the Kickapoo village (now in Anderson County), he moved in that direction. At daylight on the 16th he attacked them and after a short, but

hot engagement, charged them, upon which they fled with precipitation and were pursued for some distance. Eleven warriors were left dead, and, of course, a much larger number were wounded. Rusk had eleven men wounded, but none killed.

The winter passed without further report from Cordova, who was, however, exerting all his powers to unite all the Indian tribes in a destructive war- fare on Texas.

On the 27th of February, 1839, Gen. Canalizo, who had succeeded Filisola in command at Mata- moros, sent instructions to Cordova, the same in substance as had already been given to Flores, detailing the manner of procedure and directing the pledges and promises to be made to the Indians. Both instructions embraced messages from Canalizo to the chiefs of the Caddos, Seminoles, Biloxies. Cherokees, Kickapoos, Brazos, Tehuaeanos and other tribes, in which he enjoined them to keep at a goodly distance from the frontier of the United States, - a poliey dictated by fear of retribution from that country. Of all the

tribes named the Caddos were the only ones who dwelt along that border and, in consequence of acts attributed to them, in November, 1838, Gen. Rusk captured and disarmed a portion of the tribe and delivered them to their American agent in Shreveport, where they made a treaty, promis- ing pacific bebavior until peace should be made between Texas and the remainder of their people.

CORDOVA EN ROUTE TO MATAMOROS.

In his zeal to eonfer directly with Flores and Canalizo, Cordova resolved to go in person to Matamoros. From his temporary abiding place on the Upper Trinity, with an escort of about seventy- five Mexicans, Indians and negroes, he set forth in March, 1839. On the 27th of that month, his eamp was discovered at the foot of the mountains, north of and not far from where the city of Austin now stands. The news was speedily conveyed to Col. Burleson at Bastrop, and in a little while that ever-ready, noble and lion-hearted defender of his country found himself at the head of eighty of bis Colorado neighbors, as reliable and gallant citizen soldiers as ever existed in Texas. Surmising the probable route of Cordova, Col. Burleson bore west till he struck his trail and, finding it but a few hours old, followed it as rapidly as his horses could travel till late in the afternoon of the 29th, when his scouts reported Cordova near by, unaware of the danger in his rear. Burleson inereased his pace and came up with the enemy in an open body of post oaks about six miles east, or

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

probably nearer southeast, from Seguin, on the Guadalupe. Yoakum says the enemy fled at the first fire. Ile was misinformed. Cordova promptly formed his men, and, shielded by the large trees of the forest, made a stubborn resistance. Bur- leson dismounted a portion of his men, who also fought from the trees for some time. Finally see- ing some of the enemy wavering, Burleson charged them, when they broke and were hotly pursued about two miles into the Guadalupe bottom, which they entered as twilight approached. Further pur- suit was impossible at night and Burleson bore up the valley six miles to Seguin, to protect the few families resident there against a possible attack by the discomfited foe. The conduct of Gen. Bur- leson in this whole affair, but especially during the engagement in the post oaks, was marked by unusual zeal and gallantry. The lamented John D. Anderson, Owen B. Hardeman, Wm. Il. Magill and other participants often narrated to me, the writer, then a youth, how gloriously their loved chief bore himself on the occasion. All the Bastrop people loved Burleson as a father. Cordova lost over twenty-five in killed, fully one-third of his follow- ers, Burleson lost none by death, but had several wounded.

PURSUIT OF . CORDOVA BY CALDWELL.

At the time of this occurrence Capt. Matthew Caldwell, of Gonzales, one of the best known and most useful frontier leaders Texas ever had, was in command of a company of six months' rangers, under a law of the previous winter. A portion of the company, under First Lient. James Camp- bell, were stationed in the embryo hamlet of Seguin. The other portion, nnder Caklwell, was located on the Guadalupe, fourteen miles above Gonzales and eighteen miles below Seguin, but when the news reached them of this affair, during the night succeeding Cordova's defeat. Capt. Caldwell was in Gonzales and Second Lieut. Canoh C. Colley was in command of the camp. He instantly dispatched a messenger, wbo reached Caldwell before daylight. The latter soon sent word among the yet sleeping villagers, calling for volunteers to join him by sunrise. Quite a number were promptly on hand, among whom were Ben McCulloch and others of approved gallantry.

Traveling rapidly, the camp was soon reached and, everything being in readiness, Capt. Caldwell lost no time in uniting with Campbell at Seguin, so that in about thirty-six hours after Burleson had driven Cordova into the Guadalupe bottom, Cald- well, with his own united company (omitting the

necessary camp guards), and the volunteer citizens referred to, sought, found and followed the trail of Cordova.

But when Cordova, succeeding his defeat, reached the river, he found it impracticable to ford it and, during the night, returned to the up- lands, made a detour to the east of Seguin, and struck the river five miles above, where, at day- light, March 30th, and at the edge of the bottom, he accidentally surprised and attacked five of Lieut. Campbell's men returning from a scout, and encamped for the night. These men were James M. Day, Thomas R. Nichols, Jolmn W. Nichols, D. M. Poor and David Reynolds. Always on the alert, though surprised at such an hour by men using fire-arms only, indicating a foe other than wild Indians, they fought so fiercely as to hold their as- sailants in check sufficiently to enable them to reachi a dense thicket and escape death, though each one was severely wounded. They lost their horses and everything excepting their arms. Seeing Cordova move on up the river, they continued down about five miles to Seguin, and when Caldwell arrived early next morning gave him this information. Besides those from Gonzales Caldwell was joined at Seguin by Ezekiel Smith, Sr., Peter D. Ander- son and French Smith, George W. Nichols, Sr., William Clinton, H. G. Henderson, Doctor Henry, Frederick Happell, George H. Gray and possibly two or three others.

Caldwell pursued Cordova, crossing the Guad- alupe where New Braunfels stands, through the highlands north of and around San Antonio and thence westerly or northwesterly to the Old Pre- sidio de Rio Grande road, where it crosses the Rio Frio and along that road to the Nueces. It was evident from the "signs" that he had gained nothing in distance on the retreating chief who would easily cross the Rio Grande thirty or forty miles ahead. Hence farther pursuit was futile and. Caldwell returned, following the road to San Antonio. He had started without provisions, rely- ing upon wild game; but Cordova's party had, for the moment, frightened wild animals from the line of march and after a serpentine route of a hundred and sixty miles through hills, the men were in need of food and became much more so before traveling a hundred and ten additional miles to San Autonio. Arriving there, however, the whole town welcomed them with open arms. In a note to the author written August 21, 1887, more than forty-eight years later, Gen. Henry E. McCulloch, who was a private in Caldwell's Company, says: "The hospitable people of that blood-stained old town, gave us a warm reception and the best dinner pos-

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

sible in their then condition, over which the heroic and ever lamented Col. Henry W. Karnes pre- sided. They also furnished supplies to meet our wants until we reached our respective encamp- ments."

On the way out Caldwell passed at different points wounded horses abandoned by Cordova. One such, in the mountains, severely wounded, attracted the experienced eye of Ben McCulloch as a valuable horse, if he could be restored to sound- ness. On leaving San . Antonio for home by per- mission of Capt. Caldwell, with a single companion, he went in search of the horse. He found him, and by slow marches took him home, where, under good treatment, he entirely recovered, to become famous as "Old Pike," McCulloch's pet and favorite as long as he lived - a fast racer of rich chestnut color, sixteen hands high, faultless in disposition and one of the most sagacious horses ever known in the country. The tips of his ears had been split for about an inch, proving his former ownership by one of the Indian tribes. Another coincidence may be stated, viz., that returning from a brief campaign in June, 1841, when at a farm house (that of Mrs. Sophia Jones), eight miles from Gonzales, the rifle of an old man named Triplett, lying across his lap on horseback, with the rod in the barrel, accidentally fired, driving the ramrod into Old Pike's shoulder blade, not over four feet distant. McCulloch was on him at the time and the writer of this, just dis- mounted, stood within ten feet. The venerable Mrs. Jones (mother of the four brothers, William E., Augustus H., Russell and Isham G. Jones), wept over the scene as she gazed upon the noble animal in his agonizing pain, and strong men wept at what they supposed to be the death scene of Old Pike. But it was not so. He was taken in charge by Mrs. Jones ; the fragments of the shat- tered ramrod, one by one, extracted, healthy sup- puration brought about; and, after about three months' careful nursing, everyone in that section rejoiced to know that Old Pike " was himself again." In a chase after two Mexican scouts, between the Nueces and Laredo, in the Somervell expedition, in December, 1842, in a field of per- haps twenty-five horses, Flacco, the Lipan chief, slightly led, closely followed by Hays on the horse presented him by Leonard W. Grace, and Ben McCulloch, on Old Pike. Both Mexicans were captured.

PURSUIT AND DEATH OF MANUEL FLORES.

Bearing in mind what has been said of Cordova's correspondence with Manuel Flores, the Mexican

Indian agent in Matamoros, and his desire to have a conference with that personage, it remains, in the regular order of events, to say that Flores, ignorant of the calamitous defeat of Cordova (on the 29th of March, 1839), set forth from Mata- moros probably in the last days of April, to meet Cordova and the Indian tribes wherever they might be found, on the upper Brazos, Trinity or east of the latter. He had an escort of about thirty Indians and Mexicans, supplies of ammuni- tion for his allies and all his official papers from Filisola and Canalizo, to which reference has been made, empowering him to treat with the Indians so as to secure their united friend- ship for Mexico and combined hostility to Texas. His march was necessarily slow. On the 14th of May, he crossed the road between Seguin and San Antonio, having committed several depredations on and near the route, and on the 15th crossed the Guadalupe at the old Nacogdoches ford. He was discovered near the Colorado not far above where Austin was laid out later in the same year.

Lieut. James O. Rice, a gallant young ranger, in command of seventeen men, fell upon his trail, pursued, overhauled and assailed him on Brushy creek (not the San Gabriel as stated by Yoakum), in the edge of Williamson County. Flores en- deavored to make a stand, but Rice rushed for- ward with such impetuosity as to throw the enemy into confusion and flight. Flores and two others were left dead upon the ground, and fully half of those who escaped were wounded. Rice captured and carried in one hundred horses and mules, three hundred pounds of powder, a large amount of shot, balls, lead, etc., and all the correspond- ence in possession of Flores, which revealed the whole plot for the destruction of the frontier people of Texas, to be followed up by the devast- ation of the whole country. The destruction of the whole demoniacal scheme, it will be seen, was accomplished by a train of what must be esteemed providential occurrences.

THE FATE OF VICENTE CORDOVA.

Cordova, after these admonitions, never returned to East or North Texas, but remained on the Rio Grande. In September, 1842, in command of a small band of his renegade Mexicans and Indians, he accompanied the Mexican General, Adrian Woll, in his expedition against San Antonio, and was in the battle of Salado, on Sunday the 18th of that month. While Woll fought in front, Cordova led his band below the Texian position on the creek and reached a dry ravine where it entered the timbered bottom, at right angles with the corner of the creek.

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

At intervals were small thickets on the ravine, with open spaces between. Cordova, in the nearest open space to the bottom and about ninety yards to the right of my company, when in the act of firing, was shot dead by John Lowe, who belonged to the adjoining company on our right and stood about thirty feet from me, while I was loading my gun. I watched the affair closely, fearing that one of our men might fall from Cordova's fire. There could, at the instant, be no mistake about it. Otliers saw the same; but no one knew it was Cor- dova till his men were driven from the position by Lieut. John R. Baker of Cameron's Company, when old Vasquez, a New Madrid Spaniard in our com- mand, recognized him, as did others later. And thus perished Cordova, Flores, and largely, but by no means entirely, their schemes for uniting the Indians against the people of Texas. The great invasion of 1840, and other inroads were a part of the fruit springing from the intrigues of Filisola and Canalizo.

These entire facts, in their connection and rela- tion to each other, have never before been pub- lished; and while some minor details have been omitted, it is believed every material fact has been correctly stated.

In subsequent years contradictory statements were made as to the manner of Cordova's death, or rather, as to who killed him. I simply state the absolute truth as 1 distinetly saw the fact. The ball ran nearly the whole length of the arm, hori- zontally supporting his gun, and tlien entered his breast, causing instant death. I stated the fact openly and repeatedly on the ground after the battle and no one then asserted differently.

Caldwell's Company of six months' men, while failing to have any engagement, rendered valuable service in protecting the settlers, including Gonzales and Seguin, on the Guadalupe, the San Marcos and La Vaca. In the summer of 1839, Capt. Caldwell also furnished and commanded an escort to Ben McCulloch in surveying and opening a wagon road from Gonzales to the proposed new capital of Texas, then being laid out at Austin, the course, from the court house at Gonzales, being N. 17º W., and the distance, by actual measurement, fifty-five and one- fourth miles. Referring back to numerous trips made on that route from soon after its opening in 1839 to the last one in 1869, the writer has ever been of the impression that (outside of mountains and swamps), it was the longest road for its meas- ured length, he ever traveled.

The Expulsion of the Cherokees from Texas in 1839.

When the revolution against Mexico broke out in Texas in September, 1835, all of what is now called North Texas, excepting small settlements in the present territory of Bowie, Red river and the northeast corner of Lamar counties, was without a single white inhabitant. It was a wilderness occu- pied or traversed at will by wild In lians. The Caddos, more or less treacherous, and sometimes committing depredations, occupied the country around Caddo and Soda lakes, partly in Texas and partly in Louisiana. The heart of East Texas, as now defined, was then the home of one branch of the Cherokees and their twelve associate bands, the Shawnees, Kickapoos, Delawares and others who had entered the country from the United States from about 1820 to 1835. It has been shown in previous chapters that in 1822 three of their chiefs visited the eity of Mexico to secure a grant of land and failed: how in 1826, two of their best and most talented men, Jobn. Dunn Hunter and -

Fields, visited that capital on a similar mission and failed, returning soured against the Mexican gov- ernment ; how, in the autumn of that year, in con- sequence of that failure, they united with Col. Haden Edwards, himself outraged by Mexican in- justice, as the head of a colony, in opposition to the Mexican government, in what was known as the Fredonian war, and how, being seduced from their alliance with Edwards through the promises of Ellis P. Bean, as an agent of Mexico, they turned upon and murdered Hunter and Fields, their truest and best friends, and joined the Mexi- can soldiery to drive the Americans from Naeog- doeles and Edwards' colony.

So, when the revolution of 1835 burst forth, the provisional government of Texas, through Gen. Sam. Houston and Col. Jno. Forbes, commissioners, in February, 1836, formed a treaty with them, conceding them certain territory and securing their neutrality, so far as paper stipulations could do it.

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INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

But it was soon suspected that Mexicans were among them, and when it became known that the whole population west of the Trinity must flee to the east of that stream, if not to and across the Sabine, perhaps two or three thousand men - hus- bands, fathers and sons - were deterred from join- ing Gen. Houston's little band of three hundred at Gonzales, in its retreat, from March 13th to April 20th, to the plains of San Jacinto. It was a fear- ful moment. Being appealed to, on the ground that these were United States Indians, Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, the commander at Fort Jessup, near Natchitoches, Louisiana, encamped a regiment of dragoons on the east bank of the Sabine, which was readily understood by the Indians to mean that if they murdered a single Texian family, these dragoons would cross that river and be hurled upon them. This had the desired effect.

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Indian wars and pioneers of Texas, Vol. I, Part 12

Author: Brown, John Henry, 1820-1895 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Austin : L.E. Daniel] Number of Pages: 922

Author: Brown, John Henry, 1820-1895
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Austin : L.E. Daniel]
Number of Pages: 922