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OLD TMINCS ill CALDWELL three squads we.re severally com-cotiim. | maiided by Captain Ward, Ca£iBATTLE OF PLUM ,Cl|JBEKscattered groups and indi-jand pa«*»ng-by the JOgley hills\*lt;4ua!s of the Indin fbrce• fre- (made their escape into th’e mountain Matthew Cldwell; * ($Jd | quently wheeled to the rear* and j fains.Durirm; the run mine fi tr'it madei #• ^Paint, after whom Caldwell cfiuji- i/aced their eager pursuers, staifll-1 - -—:— f J ty was named), and Ciptain jing their ground for a time, and bv ike savages- i Ion- killed Mrs.^Perhaps very lew ql the pres- Janies Bird. V j again turning in flight, Hu 1 his. Crosby, ono of the we-men • wh 'V. ‘ «IVWiqhv-nA.ent residents of Cald^elt county' The several detachments just j. irregular and confused manner! had been'captured hyjle?n are aware that one of the moat mentioned united their forces at j the fight was kept up 'for several days’ before -at «r bean f.in. important and decisive Indian midnight, August l.lih, at a point; miles, affording many favorable-Mrs. Wai-t*. ih- oOu*r .capiuivd Rattles of Texas History, or of the-on Plum Creek a .few miles south- j opportunities for .single-handed woman, * nUb-mp-h entire western frontier, ’ was lt;east of Lockhart Springs, and loom hats between individual* of. wmlt; ndrd, vat'sHI*.fought on the Lockhart prairie, in the immediate vicinity of th spot where ,the county capitalLivnear the frail made by the. Ln-; the oppo?in?:; forces, a iVsv rf• .snvviv*^! onti dions on their march to the coast i which mtfat striking incident.* will 'die.! while 1:^;■N.i * . »; i r i *»i i»'• ta few days before. This they I be briefly related, njow grows and flourishes ; yet I did, rightly conjecturing * thn.tj -lrhaps th'lt;4ult;j$t stubborn $nd\vei I-con tested finK; of the tiav| such is the fact. A person pas- \ they would return by the sameI sin a* now from. Lockhart i trail in their hurried effort to es-; was between -Lon' a?* c -j . * ^ • • • *^'TrTT^'tho'\ cape with their mi ran rod plundv.r; Mcculloch, Aisey S. must travel over the fieldwhere, j into .the mountains ana cno i A ike r amio . ion the 1.2th day of August, 1840,a small force of fearless and hardy Texas-pidneers, some 1.85 or 200 in number, fought, routed and vanquished 1000 Comanche andKiowa Indians—the Bed on me of►the Texas plains—aided by a few renegrade Mexicans and refugee half-breeds who.,had abandoned civilization for the more congen-lal surroundihgs of the Indian camp and war trail.In relating briefly, the particulars o! this historic confUot,1 . * • • '. \ \ tthe writerjrdies largely upon Information which'he personly obtained from'the lips of active participants intthe event; amongthem, General Henry E, McCul-•»loch, Mr. O, B._ Hardeman, Maj. 6. C. peWitt, (a brother-in-lawof the writer,) and Col. T. M.* . *• -Ha^eman, Advantage has also been taken of the narratives published by John Henry Brown, Rev. I. N. Morrill and Mr. J. W. Wilbarger.Concerning the incidents of this’^reat Indian'foray, known in history as the “Invasion of 1840,”brakes near the head of the. Ban _i ami well-equipped '' (\\nr.am-he--th.Marcos river.1 b-nrvi i \ »» »• •M ’ i (, warrior* wlv.ru they cut nil from tic1 but tie. the T»; General Felix Huston, general.; the main body and unrelentingly• who had 'eyaliy of militia, who had arrived from: pursued until at the crossing of white allies. u wns their Austin', was, through courtesy ,‘j Boggy, near 'where Mr.lt; Brook engaged them.-elves ■ in -invited t,o assume the chief com- now lives, the fleeing warriors ' the fieri; f.non rife b.Hies. ii:rs;ni;t •:: • V i; imand, which ho did; General Ed’ Burleson was assigned to the command of the right wing, Col-which preceded and led to -theman -11 \ . Ifotw.were brought to bay, and all wort*:.inyetenire miernir?--the lt;killed.in the fight which ensued. M'hcs* who had bom slain,(The place where this fight IJcutting off Hieir luinlt;lg and,•• ^ j •.. »* - v'onel Caldwell to the left wing, icurred was poinfetl out to the; which they carried hdmm withand - Major Monroe Hardeman writer by General Henry Me- j them to be cxhibiled as trophiesCuHoch many years ago). I at their war dance.Later in the day John Hcmty; Thus was fought and -rnrmdBrown won his spurs by killing, |one of the greatest Indian fightsin single cofnbafc, the-second.cluef pi thf Texas frlt;)nticr, anti, thein command of the Indians. This i iconoclastic hand of Time has de-was intrusted with the important duty of'protecting and bringing up the rear. .Early on the morning of 'the 12th the Indians, in along.* straggling line, singing, whistlingand laughing, ludicrously attired in the dry good^and clothing captured at Linnvilie, with long streamers of gay ribbons, tied' to their horses’ tails and fluttering in the breeze, debouched from the Umber along^ Plum ' Creek, and passed into full view upon the open prairie-. The, entirescene would have been a laugh-•• . ^ •able comedy if it had not been. ...very evident that it was soon to terminate in a bloody .tragedy. Surprised, but not intimidated bywarrior, who w;is evidently a stroyeri or obliterated every land• tperson of great distinction, wore i mark ol the noted engagement; a -buffalo head with polished Occasionally the glebe of the in-horns attached, as a cap Or head- dustrious plowman upturns from dress. j. the ...soil, enriched with humanBefore going into the fight j blood, a-flint arrow-head, a spearbrave, old Placido, the chief of tHb Tonkawa Indians, in Burleson’s command, tied a white handkerchief around his arm, in order that he might' not-in thepoint, a spur, or some other little relic of the,battle which has born buried from eight during all the years gone by. Even the gnarled amhfcnotty lave Oak tree un-“Battle of Plum Creek,” ^ shatr Rje appearance of the wh ites ar-have no more to-say tbfCh is nec- rayed to give them battle,; tlie essary to introduce and explain Indians were instantly deployed that memorable event. -• - v into iiije by their courageousDuring the light moon in the chiefs, and were -ready for the'early days -of August, 1840, alarge body of Comanche Indians,lt; . ,thirsting to aveng* the slaughterof their chiefs who were slain a *short time previously, in what was known as The “Council-House Fight,” in San Antonio,passed dowri over the uninhabited plains of the interior, to . the coast country, coming suddenly and unexpectedly upon the town of Victoria, killing and plundering the settlers indiscriminately; The attack. on Victoria occurredi - , .on August 0th, and, after seizingmany horses and mules, and .other movable property, they pro-ceded on to the town of Linnvilie,on Lavaca Bay, about fifty mil-* • • ■*. .... . .. .es distant, and on August 8th,.they sacked and burned .Linnvilie killing, among others^ Captain H. O. Watts, cpHeetet-of the customs, and capturing his young wife. They also captured, Mrs. Crosby, a granddaughter of thenoted Daniel.Boone.•’ . . .Satiated .with the blood of innoheat of the battle, - be mistaken I dor which. Mrs. Crosby .was killedfor a hostile, and several of the. .enemy, with whom he engagedand buried, which stood .for years«'near tlic present fesidence of. Mr.iu single-combat, fell beneath his «I°e M. Horner, has disappeared, knife and tomahawk. • and but fnw, if any, or tlieThe most heroic, certainly the most unselfish, incident of. thepioneers who participated • in the stirringHfiCidepIs offray*,.“The Indians, ’ ’ -says ^Torrilf, “seemfid disposed to keep at a distance and delay the fight, in order that their pack mules might be driven ahead with the spo|te^ In the meantime General Huston delayed a general advance uncertain whether ail of the savages -had yet made their exit from the timber. During this delay on the pare of the whites,.which was'an'excess .of caution,j? ’ -the Indians were., pouring intotheir ranks a hot,fire, by whichseveral of the Texans ‘ werea ■*woundedr and some horses killed. Whereupon, Ben McCulloch, becoming . impatient, gruffly admonished General Huston that .“Jihat is not the way tp fightday . was the rescue of. Dr. [bl« day, are left to tell the tale Sweitzer by Henry E.McCulloch. f Among those who were in the Swcitzer had long-been a bitter, j battle of Plum Crock, and after-»lt;•* *personal enemy of Captain BenWards became ci!.izcn« of ( ‘aid-McCullocfuJths cider and idolized well coontjvwhen 11- was oitfan-brother of Henry, and tho twS j,’^ ;n '1S4S, as well r.-im.mbeieii were, consequently,not on speak- i *3.V tho older eurrinf' *ritiztaiH,ing terms at thistn^battle,” says Wilbargeis time. “During j were Dr. David F. Drown, Judge ,ye Wilbarger, in I Edrnund’Bellinger, Major T. 1.his me of Henry K. McCulloch, j Hardeman, Owen lb Hard-man, “Henry had djamourited . and I James i’atton, ,Arrh Gipson,, taken a positionJashind a—am all Janies Berry and (Japtiin_ F.sapplingysomewhat in advanceof the main Texas force, and was✓pouring hot shot into the ranks of the enemy, who, in return, hadPerry. Equa) 1 y nsr well kn(iwn and reverentialPy r«'.monbered lwposterity—among those who did not live in the county at rb'ryMZled the baric off - of the little time—wero tJenend Elt;n*urih*om tree behind which he found par- I Colonel Andrew Heill. Bri) a riff tial sheltoi’. Arch Gipson and | Henry■ McCulloch*,,! antam Joss*' AIsey Miller had come up and ; ihllmgriy. Cant. Mauln w lt;:nu -were testing on their horses near:VV(-‘b Alsey H. ,\!iiier. loim Henry, when 'suddenly one of; rr Brown, lt;. o. Duv/itt and Iwv. them exclaimed, “They’ll catch-j.Morrill, all -f whom ImvoIndiana!”- Huston then, taking him i they’ll oat eh him!” -'catch f'*7 ~ . ‘ J I “ „ -i. T. . i . * I 'L .. . ' . v . *the hint from McCulloch, ordered j who?”' askod McCulloch. His = *■lt;■ i'Z™ Hu* “riion; nu^vaycpinpanions answered, “rivvpit- j H- i^quesiiorjiibh; d any ol rib-zcr.” Glancinxr over thlt;y nook.of \ partDipam^ in I:ho i.aid- ;u-:- yoi0-.v dvo.-rvo ■lt;) i,=ai i Jii.*a general advance of his entire line, whieh^was made at a gallop,in two columns, under The iraoie* j bis horsey the gallant^yonng Me-1 ^5AlnB*diate leadership of Burleson and jCulloch saw a party of eight or j ferreted out arid.m;* ao too w.rrg^ - Caldwell. The iMians prepared.Uen In iimm closely pursuing the b( the mato, m “rucr thatcent women and children, and. loaded down with the plunder secured at Victoria and Linnvilie^ the savages started upon their retreat, well knowing that the coast country would be too hot for their comfort so soon as information of their raid could• • *reach the interior settlements;this retreat by. the gatheringj bands of.Texaa patriots, that,the age, wounding several of the battle of whioh we write occurred, whites, and causing some disor-The forces actually engaged in der.among them. This did not the Plt^Creek Sght, excluding suit the impetuous .TMeGuiloch, the detachment of 1^0 meh from the oool and courageous jBurleaoa,for a stubborn defense by dis- bitterest enemy of his brother. • d*--*- ir^zb’ “*•* !,‘1,v ’ . , .' ‘U ! 'A.mounting about one-half their In a second ho was in his saddle j passed Bfi the scrvr^tnrr^nH^ -speed, at the risk of ! civilization wln.Ji they yo city.-forces, and using the remainderas c avalry. G en eral H us ton d is-mounted his men within ooen*view and range, of the enemy, and for about 30 minutes it wasgive-and-take, with oonstantfire kept up by both .sides;' thewith their long-rangeguns, having decided ad van t'•rFayette, Lavaca and Colofdo counties, under the command ofapd tjie intrepid Caldwell; they were not accuatotsftUSL: ggfetin^Colonel jobn H• Moore and Capr^ ^at long range, and urged Huston tain Clark L. 6wen, whb~arrrved to remouot his men and chargetoo late to taka any part in the action* consisted of 87 volunteers and 13 Tonkawa Indians under the: Of General '.fed-Burleson, 21 men fi$in Jacksoneeun$r, 87. S men frim .Gohz^esand 8egumy and another squad of 29 raei^fi^ Goiizaies ccmnty,this last (mez^imedyB^ateteen^utincluding Captain Ben McCulloch......going at full speed. .his own life to save thatof 8wejt-.| tustUy anivd In eHa-Jishij.-g turn zer. .The companions.of McCul- j developing*ioch joined him in the chase, and j , ' l** li:-they- reached Sweitzer. just in* m.A RV KIJ ' VH \ N’f F- N*;iTON time to save his scaljs, as he had j ------------his right arm pinned to his body j Wonders never cease,. A machine.by atfarrow, and was almoat in khafl invented that' will cut,T1e grasp uf the nn.i H-n»i '..mg wall pt.p.a-Several other remarkable in- t)1 invention andmi to lyj_unbn?if.»«i to relate which would tw greatly j \qjtable jwhong great ,diseqverilt;*» prolong this article, and the writ-. i8 ])r New I iwv very .torer reluctantly omits them.In this great battle the Texans had none killed and but few wounded. Besides Dr. Sweitzer,at full speed. This sedate adjust mentioned,, oneCdnHumptinn. fr ban do no. aworld of good for weak lungs- a/wisaved many- avl«fi. Thousandshave used-ft and vonqui rcd Grip.,was the moat seriously jvouiided |11 Jfrjf4,rV * ,tfi? ■-.......... *... *\ , . r I verdict ■}*•: “Us tnR*lnr^t end «ual-vice was followed by-the coia» of the whites,and he finally Ter UsU^i* medicine for ihm^und mander, and a general charge covered. The Indians lost, kc- jlupg troublea. ., Every 50o andWtis made upon the Indian posi- cording to the estimate made by j §1.^1 ifettie i-s ; giiarautvi^l byfcion,'the little force of. Texans John Henry Brown and other ac-jC. p../Mcl)annaSd Go., Druggist-. dashing-|orward with an unearth- jfrye participants, 80 warriors kit- jTria. tattles free, ly yell that made the ““welkin led, and a iarg^ number ol j ringTv andjftruefc terror to the wounded who werf/sarried off by | hearts cvf the savages, They their fleeing, companions, as isveHinot long able to-wlthetan^ ever th^rtoustoffl. ^ . * there ie itr tite -.ounty.-e... After crossing Boggy, w {mile from 'the court- house, Tni« the Lockhart Spnffge the Indians j would bo „choice location i- rKOii' BALE,'the superior strength and skill of tl^ Tfsahs, in, close combat, andgroup*aod equade th^ ft*d. pursued by _ .................. .. .•*mbrok,n wlt;ter-iM Y- : mnMia^*m acres of as fine black hrScattei^aloy^ the prsirie, crossfloigMr.;eoin«* one #he'wishas to furm i» milk b the creamery* For further paHiouMrs apply at this office,
Newspaper Details
Lockhart Register
Lockhart, Texas, US
Fri, Jan 23, 1903
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Rebecca W.
TX, USA 05 Jul 2019
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