Indian wars and pioneers of Texas, Vol. I, Part 15

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

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INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

guish between the sexes, and three squaws were killed. The short struggle was fruitful in blood. Our losses were : -

" Killed: Judge Hood, of San Antonio; Judge Thompson, of Houston; Mr. - Casey, of Mata- gorda County ; Lieut. W. M. Dunnington, First Infantry ; Privates Kaminske and Whitney, and a Mexican - 7.

" Wounded: Capt. George T. Howard, Lieut. Edward A. Thompson and Private Kelly severely ; Capt. Matthew Caldwell, Judge James W. Robin- son, Messrs. Higgenbottom, Morgan and Car- son -8."

"John Hemphill, then District Judge and after- ward so long Chief Justice, assailed in the council house by a chief and slightly wounded, felt reluct- antly compelled (as he remarked to the writer afterwards) to disembowel his assailant with his bowie knife, but declared that he did so under a sense of duty, while he had no personal acquaint. ance with nor personal ill-will towards his antag- onist.

"The Indian loss stood : Thirty chiefs and war- riors, 3 women and 2 children killed. Total, 35.

"Prisoners taken : Twenty-seven women and chil- dren and 2 old men. Total, 29.

"Escaped, the renegade Mexican, 1. Grand total. 65."

Over a hundred horses and a large quantity of buffalo robes and peltries remained to the vietors.

By request of the prisoners one squaw was released, mounted, provisioned and allowed to go to her people and say that the prisoners would be

released whenever they brought in the Texas prisoners held by them.

A short time afterwards a party of Comanches displayed a white flag on a hill some distance from town, evidently afraid to come nearer. When a flag was sent out, it was found that they had brought in several white children to exchange for their people. Their mission was successful and they hurried away, seeming to be indeed "wild Indians."

These are the facts as shown by the official papers, copies of which have been in my possession ever since the bloody tragedy. At that time a few papers in the United States, uninformed of the underlying and antecedent facts dietating the action of Texas, criticised the affair with more or less condemnation; but the people of to-day, enlightened by the massacre of Gen. Canby in Oregon, the fall of the chivalrous Gen. Custer, the hundreds of inhuman acts of barbarism along the whole frontier of the United States, and the recent demonisms of Geronimo and his band of eut- throats, will realize and indorse the genuine spirit of humanity which prompted that as the only mode of bringing those treacherous savages to a real- ization of the fact that their fiendish mode of warfare would bring calamities upon their own people. Be that as it may, the then pioneers of Texas, with their children in savage captivity, shed no tears on that occasion, nor do their sur- vivors now. Their children of to-day dispense with that liquid, eye-yielding manifestation of grief.

The Great Indian Raid of 1840 - Attack on Victoria - Sacking and Burning of Linnville - Skirmish at Casa Blanca Creek - Overthrow of the Indians at Plum Creek.

Of this, the most remarkable Indiau raid in the annals of Texas, numerous fragmentary and often erroneous, or extremely partial, accounts in former years have been published. It was a sudden and remarkable inroad by the savages, took the country by surprise, drew the fighting popniation together from different localities for a few days, to speedily disperse to their homes, and there being no official

control. no one was charged with the duty of re- cording the facts. The great majority of the par- ticipants, as will be seen in the narrative, witnessed but a portion, here or there, of the incident.

The writer was then nineteen years old and, though living on the Lavaea near Victoria and Linn- ville, happened to be with a party from that vicinity that passed to the upper and final field of opera-

COMANCHE WARRIORS.

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

tions - a party that saw more of the entire episode than any other one party. More than this, he took care at once to gather ali the facts not seen by him and made copious notes of all, which have ever since remained in his possession. In January, 1871, in the town of Lavaca, the suecessor of Linnville, he delivered (for a benevolent purpose) to a large audience, embracing both ladies and gentlemen resident in that section at the time of the raid, a . lecture historically narrating the events connected with it, and received their public thanks for its fullness, fairness and historical accuracy. These remarks are justified by the false statements in " Dewees' Letters from Texas," giving the credit of fighting the battle of Plum Creck to four com- panies of citizen volunteers, he claiming to have been Captain of one of them, when in fact not one of such companies was in the fight or even saw the Indians. This falsehood was exposed by the writer hereof, on the appearance of Dewees' book, in the Indianola Bulletin of January, 1853, an exposure unanswered in the intervening thirty-five years.

At the time of this raid the country between the Guadalupe and San Marcos, on the west, and the Colorado on the east, above a line drawn from Gon- zales to La Grange, was a wilderness, while below that line it was thinly settled. Between Gonzales and Austin, on Plum creek, were two reeent set- tlers, Isom J. Goode and John A. Neill. From Gonzales to within a few miles of La Grange there was not a settler. There was not one between Gon- zales and Bastrop, nor one between Austin and San Antonio. A road from Gonzales to Austin, then in the first year of its existence, had been opened in July, 1839.

This Indian raid was known to and encouraged by Gen. Valentin Canalizo, commanding in Northern Mexico, with headquarters in Matamoras. The Comanches were easily persuaded into it in retaliation for their loss of thirty-odd warriors in the Council fight in San Antonio during the previous March. Renegade Mexicans and lawless Indians from some of the half-civilized tribes were induced to join it. Dr. Branch T. Archer, Secretary of War, from information reaching him gave a warning to the country two months earlier ; but as no enemy appeared, the occasion became derisively known as the " Archer war."

THE RAID.

On August 5, 1810, Dr. Joel Ponton and Tucker Foley, citizens of the Lavaca (now Hallettsville) neighborhood, en route to Gonzales, on the road from Columbus and just west of Ponton's creek, fell in with twenty-seven mounted warriors, and

were chased about three miles back to the creek. Foley was captured, mutilated and killed. Ponton received two wounds, but escaped, and during the following night reached home. The alarm was given, and next day thirty-six men, under Capt. Adam Zumwalt, hastened to the scene, found and buried Foley, and then pursued the trail of the savages .*

In the meantime the mail carrier from Anstin arrived at Gonzales and reported a large and fresh Indian trail crossing the road in the vicinity of Plum creek, bearing towards the coast. Thereupon twenty-four volunteers, under Ben McCulloch, has- tened eastwardly to the Big Hill neighborhood, about sixteen miles east. This is an extended ridge bearing northeast and southwest, separat- ing the waters of the Peach creeks of the Guad- alupe from the heads of Rocky, Ponton's, and other tributaries of the Lavaca and the latter stream itself. Indian raiders, bound below, almost invariably crossed the Columbus and Gonzales road at the most conspicuous elevation of this ridge - the Big Hill. Hence McCul- loch's haste to that point. On the 6th McCulloch and Zumwalt united on the trail and rapidly fol- lowed it in the direction of Vietoria. Some miles below they fell in with sixty-five men from the Cuero (now De Witt County ) settlements on the Guadalupe, and some from Victoria, commanded by Capt. John J. Tumlinson. The latter assumed command of the whole 125 by request and the march was continned.

On the same afternoon the Indians approached Victoria. At Spring creek, above the town, they killed four negroes belonging to Mr. Poage. On the Texana road, east side of town, they met and killed Col. Pinkney Caldwell, a prominent cit- izen and soldier of 1836. They chased various persons into the town, killing an unknown Ger- man, a Mexican, and three more negroes. A party bastily repaired to the suburbs to confront the enemy. Of their number Dr. Gray, Varlan Richardson, William MeNuner and Mr. Daniels were killed, a total of thirteen.

The Indians retired and passed the night on Spring creek, having sceured about fifteen hundred horses and mules on the prairie in front of Victoria,

* Arthur Foley was killed in the Fannin massacre, March 27, 1836; James Foley was killed by Mexican marauders west of the Nueces in 1839; Tucker was the third brother to fall as stated. They were the sons of an eccentric but wealthy planter (Washington Green Lce Foley), who died in Lavaca County some years ago. The father of Dr. Ponton was killed by Indians near his home, on Ponton's creek, about 1834-35.

INDIIN WIRS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

a large portion of which, belonging to " Scotch " Sutherland, had just arrived en route east. On Friday, August 7, the Indians reappeared, made serious demonstrations, but were held in check by citizens under cover of houses. Securing several hundred more horses, they bore down the country to Nine Mile Point, where they captured young Mrs. Crosby, a granddaughter of Daniel Boone, and her infant. They then deflected to the east, across the prairie in the direction of Linnville. They camped for a portion of the night on Placido creek, killed a teamster named Stephens, but failed to discover a Frenchman ensconced in the moss and foliage of a giant live oak over their heads.

Moving before dawn on Sunday, August S, as they approached Linnville, its inhabitants entirely unconscious of impending danger, they killed Mr. O'Neal and two negro men belonging to Maj. H. 0. Watts. The people, believing the enemy to be friendly Mexicans with horses to sell, realized the fearful truth only in time to escape into the sail- boats anchored in shoal water about one hundred yards from shore. In attempting this, Maj. Watts was killed in the water. His young bride, negro woman, and a little son of the latter were captured. There was an immense amount of goods in the warehouses destined for San Antonio and the Mexican trade. Rapidly were these goods packed on horses and mules, but it consumed the day, and late in the afternoon every building but one warehouse was burned, the citizens, becalmed all day in their boats, witnessing the destruction of their homes and business houses.

During the night the jubilant savages began their return march for their mountain homes, taking a route that passes up the west side of the Garcitas creek, about fifteen miles east of Victoria.

On the 8th of Angust (Sunday) while Linnville was being sacked, Tumlinson reached Victoria about sunset, rested for a time, received some sup- plies, left about twenty-five men and received about an equal number, continuing his effective force at 125 men. They moved east on the Texana road and at midnight camped on the Casa Blanca creek, a small tributary of the Garcitas from the west. George Kerr was dispatched for recruits to Texana, but at Kitchen's ranch, on the east side of the Arenoso, near tidewater junction with the Gar- citas, he found Capt. Clark L. Owen of Texana with forty men. It was then too late to unite with Tumlinson. The enemy in force had come between them. Owen sent out three scouts, of whoin Dr. Bell was chased and killed, Nail escaped by the fleetness of his horse towards the Lavaca, and the noble John S. Menefee (deceased in 1884) escaped

in some drift brush with seven arrows piercing his body, all of which he extracted and preserved to the day of his death.

Thus Tumlinson early in the day ( August 9) con- fronted the whole body of the Indians with their immense booty, on a level and treeless prairie. He dismounted his men and was continually encircled by cunning warriors, to divert attention while their herds were being forced forward. McCulloch impetuously insisted on charging into the midst of the enemy as the only road to victory. The brave and oft-tried Tumlinson, seeing hesitancy in his ranks, yielded, and the enemy, after immate- rial skirmishing, was allowed to move on with herds and booty. Later in the day Owen's party joined them and desultory pursuit was continued, but the pursuers never came up with the Indians, nor did any other party till the battle of Plum ereek was fought by entirely different parties. In this skir- mish one Indian was killed and also Mr. Mordecai of Victoria.

On reaching the timber of the Chicolita, some twenty miles above the Casa Blanca, writhing under what he considered a lost opportunity, Ben McCulloch, accompanied by Alsey S. Miller, Archibald Gipson, and Barney Randall, left the command, deflected to the west so as to pass the enemy, and made such speed via Gonzales that these four alone of all the men at any time in the pursuit, were in the battle of Plum creek. The pursuers, however, were gallant men, and many of them reached the battle ground a few hours after the fight.

Let us now turn to the series of movements that culminated in the overwhelming overthrow of the Indians at Plam creek, and of much of this the Writer was an eye-witness. On the night of August 7, advised by courier of the attack on Victoria twenty-two volunteers left the house of Maj. James Kerr (the home of the writer) on the Lavaca river. Lafayette Ward was called to the command. The writer, then a boy of nineteen, was the youngest of the party. Reaching the Big Hill, heretofore described, and finding the In- dians had not passed up, the opinion prevailed that they had crossed over and were returning on the west side of the Guadalupe. They hastened on to Gonzales where the old hero, Capt. Matthew Caldwell, had just arrived. He adopted the same view, and announced that the Indians would recross the Guadalupe where New Braunfels now stands. In an hour he was at the head of thirty- seven men, making our united number fifty-nine. We followed his lead, traveled all night, and at sunrise on the 10th, reached Seguiu. As we did so,

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEX.IS.

" Big " Hall, of Gonzales, on foaming steed, over- took us with the news from Victoria and Linnville, and that the Indians, pursued, were retreating on their downward made trail. The old veteran Cald- well at onee said we must meet and fight them at Plum creek. After rest and breakfast, and strengthened by a few recruits, we moved on and camped that night at the old San Antonio crossing of the San Marcos. The 11th was intensely hot, and our. ride was chiefly over a burnt prairie, the flying ashes being blinding to the eyes. Waiting some hours at noon, watching for the approach of the enemy after night, we arrived at Goode's cabin, on the Gonzales and Austin road, a little east of Plum creek. Here Felix Huston, General of militia, with hi's aide, James Izard, arrived from Austin about the same time. We moved two or three miles and eamped on Plum creek, above the Indian trail. Here we met the gallant Capt. James Bird, of Gonzales, with about thirty men, who had come up the road directly from that place, and with the indefatigable Ben McCulloch and his three com- rades. Our united force was then one hundred men. We camped at midnight and sent pickets to watch the trail. Men and horses were greatly jaded, but the horses had to eat while the men slept.

At daylight the piekets dashed in and reported the Indians advancing about three miles below. In twenty minutes every man was mounted and in line. Capt. Caldwell, in the bigness of his heart, rode out in front and moved that Gen. Felix Huston take command. A few responded aye and none said nay, but in faet the men wanted the old Indian fighter Caldwell himself to lead. They respected Gen. Huston as a military man in regular war. They knew he had no experience in the business then in hand, but they were too polite to say nay, having a real respect for the man. The command moved forward across one or two ravines and glades till they entered a small open space hidden from the large prairie by a branch, thickly studded with trees and bushes. At this moment the gallant young Owen Hardeman, and Reed of Bastrop dashed up with the infor- mation that Col. Edward Burleson, with eighty- seven volunteers and thirteen Toncahua Indians (the latter on foot) were within three or four miles, advancing at a gallop. They were too invaluable to be left. A halt was called. Gen. Hnston then announced his plan : a hollow square, open in front, Burleson on the right, Caldwell on the left, Bird and Ward forming the rear line, under Maj. Thomas Monroe Hardeman. During this delay we had a full view of the Indians passing diagonally Across our front, about a mile distant. They were

singing and gyrating in divers grotesque ways, evidencing their great triumph, and utterly ob- livious of danger. Up to this time they had lost but one warrior, at the Casa Blanca ; they had killed twenty persons, from Tucker Foley, the first, to Mordecai, the last; they had as prisoners Mrs. Watts, Mrs. Crosby and child, and the negro woman and child; they had about 2,000 captured horses and mules, and an immense booty in goods of various kinds. Before Burleson arrived the

main body had passed our front, leaving only stragglers bringing up bunches of animals from the timber in their rear. It must be under- stood that the whole country, about forty miles from the Big Hill to the north side of Plum creek, is heavily timbered, while beyond that it is an open prairie to the foot of the mountains, with the Clear Fork of Plum ereck on the left and parallel to the Indian trail .:

Here is an appropriate place to speak of the number of Indians. Their number was variously estimated, but from all the facts and the judg- ment of the most experienced, it is safe to say they numbered about 1,000. Our force was :-

Number under Caldwell, including Bird and

Ward 100

Under Burleson, 87; and 13 Indians. 100

Total .. 200

As soon as Burleson arrived the troops were formed as before mentioned, and the advance made at a trot, soon increasing into a gallop. The main body of the Indians were perhaps a mile and a half abead. As soon as we ascended from the valley on to the level plain, they had a full view of us, and at onee prepared for action. Small par- ties of their more daring warriors met and eon- tested with a few of our men voluntarily acting as skirmishers, and some heroic acts were performed. I remember well the gallantry of Capt. Andrew Neill, Ben McCulloch, Arch. Gipson, Reed of Bastrop, Capt. Alonzo R. Sweitzer (severely wounded in the arm), Columbus C. DeWitt, Henry E. MeCulloch, and others then personally known to me.

The Indians, as we neared them, took position in a point of oaks on the left, with the Clear Fork in their rear, and a small boggy branch on their left, but in the line of their retreat. It was only boggy a short distance, and was easily turned on our right advance.

When within about two hundred yards of the enemy we were halted and dismounted on the open

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS. OF TEXAS.

plain. Bands of warriors then began eneircling us, firing and using their shields with great effect. From the timber a steady tire was kept up, by muskets and some long range rifles, while about The heroic action of Placido, chief of the Ton- cahuas, attracted universal praise. He seemed reckless of life, and his twelve followers, as rapidly as mounted, emulated his example. All being on foot, they could only be mounted by cach vaulting thirty of our men, still mounted, were dashing to and fro among the mounted Indians, illustrating a series of personal heroismns worthy of all praise. In one of these Reed of Bastrop had an arrow driven through his body, piereing his lungs, though . into the saddle of a slain Comanche, but they were all mounted in a marvelously short time after the action commenced.

he lived long afterwards. Among the dismounted men several were wounded and a number of horses were killed. In all this time the herds and pack animals were being hurried onwards, and our oldest figliters, especially Burleson, Caldwell, Ben Mc- Culloch, and others, were eager for a charge into the midst of the savages. At last, perhaps half an hour after dismounting, an Indian chief, wearing a tremendons head dress, who had been exceedingly daring, approached so near that several shots struck him, and he fell forward on the pommel of his saddle, but was caught by a comrade on either side and borne away, evidently dead or dying, for as soon as lic was led among his people in the oaks they set up a peculiar howl, when Capt. Caldwell sang out, " Now, General, is your time to charge them! they are whipped!" The charge was ordered, and gallantly made. Very soon the Indians broke into parties and ran, but ran fight- ing all the time. At the boggy branch quite a number were killed, and they were killed in clusters for ten or twelve miles, our men scattering as did the Indians, cvery man acting as he pleased. There was no pretense of command after the boggy branch was passed. A few of our men pur- sued small bodies for twelve or more miles. In one of these isolated combats it fell to my lot to dismount a warrior wearing a buffalo skin cap sur- mounted with the horns. Hle was dead when I dis- monnted to secure the prize, which was soon after- wards sent by Judge John Hayes to the Cincinnati museum, and was there in 1870.

During the running fight Mrs. Watts was severely wounded in the breast by an arrow, but fell into our hands. The negro woman shared a similar fate, and hier little son was recovered without wounds. Mrs. Crosby, by some means (probably her own act), was dismounted during the retreat near a small thicket, and sought to enter it, but in the act a fleeing warrior drove a lance through her hicart. With several others, at about a hundred

yards distance, I distinctly witnessed the act; but though at full speed none of us could overtake the bloody wretch.

Great numbers of the loose and pack animals stampeded during the engagement, and were seen no more; but large numbers on the return were driven in, and about the middle of the afternoon the men had generally returned to the point where the action began, and near which a camp was pitched. A welcome slower proved refreshing about this time. Later in the afternoon Col. John H. Moore, of Fayette, Capt. Owen, previously mentioned, and in all about 150 men arrived on the ground, having followed the trail that far.

The trophies, during the next day, were classi- fied, numbered, and drawn by lot. I only remember that a horse, a fine mule, $27 worth of silk, and about $50 worth of other goods fit for ladies' use fell to my lot, and the latter were so donated. I gave the horse to a poor man as a plow horse, and sold the mule for $100 on trust to a stranger whose horse died on the road, and never received a eent thereof ; and although he so treated me, an inex- perieneed boy, I was very sorry some years later when the Indians shot on arrow through his breast.

It was impossible to determine how many Indians were killed. They sank many in the creek, and many died after reaching their haunts, as was learned from prisoners afterwards reclaimed. From this source of information it was ascertained that fifty-two so died in a few days, and I became sat- isfied by the after discovery of secreted and sunken bodies and the number found on the field that at least eighty-six were killed in the action, being a total of 138 certainly killed.

The Indians lost everything. The defeat was unexpected - a surprise, complete and crushing. Followed by a great vietory over them in the fol- lowing October, near where Colorado City now stands, won by Col. John H. Moore and his brave volunteers, the Comanches were taught lessons hitherto unknown to them.

INDIAAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

Moore's Great Victory on the Upper Colorado, in 1840.

Following Col. Moore's defeat on the San Saba in January, 1839, came the Cherokee battles, of July and December, and many engagements or calamities of lesser magnitude during that year, including the massacre of the Webster party of fourteen men and one child and the capture of Mrs. Webster, her other two children and negro woman, on Brushy creek; in what is now William-

son County. In March, 1840, occurred the Council House fight, in San Antonio, and in Au- gust the great Indian raid to the coast, the rob- bery and burning of the village of Liunville, two miles above the present Lavaca, and the final defeat and dispersion of the Indians in the decisive battle of Plum Creek, on the 12th day of that month.

Following this last raid the veteran soldier, Col. John H. Moore, of Fayette, sent forth circulars calling for volunteers to again penetrate the country of the hostiles, on the upper waters of the Col- orado, as another lesson to them that the whites were determined to either compel them to abstain from robbing, murdering and capturing their fel- low-citizens or exterminate them. A prompt response followed, and about the first of October the expedition left Austin, at once entering the wilderness, Col. Moore commanded, with S. S. B. Fields, a lawyer of LaGrange, as Adjutant. Capts. Thomas J. Rabb and Nicholas Dawson, of Fayette, commanded the companies, the latter being the same who commanded and fell at the Dawson massacre in 1842. There were ninety men in all. Clark L. Owen, of Texana ( who fell as a Captain, at Shiloh, in 1862), was First Lieutenant in Rabb's Company. R. Addison Gillespie (who fell as a Captain of Texas rangers in storming the Bishop's palace at Monterey, in 1846), was one of the lieutenants, his brother being also along. Nearly all the men were from Fayette and Bastrop, but there were a few from the Lavaca, among whom I remember Isaac N. Mitchell, Mason B. Foley, Joseph Simons, of Texana, Nicholas J. Ryan and l'eter Rockfeller (Simons and Rockfeller both dying in Mexican prisons, as Mier men in 1844 or 1815. ) I started with these young men, then my neighbors, but was compelled to halt, on account of my horse being crippled at the head of the Navilad. Col. Moore also had with him a detach- ment of twelve Lipan Indians, commanded by Col. Castro, their principal chief, with the famous young chief Flacco as his Lieutenant.

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Indian wars and pioneers of Texas, Vol. I, Part 15

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