Comanche, when raiding, ordinarily move in quickly, attack, and move out
quickly. Usually, they are content to
kill a few settlers, burn a homestead or two, steal some horses, and hurry back
to the safety of the high plains. Many
times, raids are planned to coincide with the full moon, so the raiders can
come and go at night, riding full speed across the prairie by the light of what
is still known in Texas as a “Comanche Moon.”
The Great Linnville Raid, as it came to be known, was different. It was the largest raid by any group of Indians
on a populated city in the history of the United States—Texas was not
technically a part of the U.S. at the time, but would become so in a bit more
than five years. Buffalo Hump was forced
to surrender the tribe’s mobility because of the sheer size of his war party. He
did not expect organized resistance from the Texans, even the Rangers. He knew that a small group of Rangers would
be foolish to attack so many Indians. He
also felt that his group would move faster than it did.
Military-style discipline,
never strong among the Comanche, broke down completely after the Linnville raid.
The Comanche were herding 3,000 horses, leading dozens of stubborn, heavily
laden pack mules, and carrying bedding, food, and cooking supplies for over a
thousand people. Braves, some still wearing
top hats and carrying parasols, rode horses, while the squaws and children
walked. They were travelling two or
three abreast and the column stretched out for several miles. By August 12, they had covered less than a
hundred twenty miles, and the Rangers struck.
John Coffee Hays, just starting a career that would make him a legendary
Texas Ranger, fought with a company of Rangers headed by Edward Burleson. Hays’ friend from Tennessee, Ben McCulloch
was chief scout and later took command of a unit. They were joined by some
militia men from nearby communities, and volunteers from central and east
Texas, all together less than two hundred men.
The Texans engaged the tail end of Buffalo Hump’s column as it crossed
Plum Creek, just east of present-day Lockhart.
A running gun battle ensued, with the Texans charging and firing at
anything that resembled a Comanche. The
squaws and children abandoned their pack animals and hurried forward for
protection.
Some of the Texans discovered a chest of silver on one of the mules and
they became distracted. The Indians
continued to run away, and the Texans concentrated on recovering the mules and
investigating their cargo. The attack
disintegrated into a treasure hunt, and the Indians moved ahead toward the high
plains and safety. A few captives were
rescued, some merchandise was recovered, and the silver bullion was distributed
among the attackers.
The Texas newspapers, hungry for any good news, proclaimed a great victory. According to the militia members, some eighty
Indians were killed, but only twelve Comanche bodies were found.
Pochanaquarhip, riding bareback at the front
of the column and hanging his canteen on a makeshift saddle horn that he had,
was little disturbed by the rangers’ attack. He led his people back to the Llano Estacado
and continued to lead the tribe, in war and in peace, for many years.
When Sam Houston regained the Texas Presidency, he and Buffalo Hump
signed a treaty in 1844 that guaranteed peace.
If the Anglo settlers stayed off the Edwards Plateau, the Penetakas
would stay out of central Texas. Houston
and the Republic of Texas legislature were sincere, as was Buffalo Hump, but unfortunately,
the Texas Senate neglected to include the agreed-upon boundaries in the final
version, angering the Indians. Anglo
settlers moving west would not be stopped at the Edwards Plateau, and within
two years the treaty proved worthless. The
Penetakas went back to raiding.
In March of 1847, Buffalo Hump, Old Owl, and Santa Anna (also called Santanna)
negotiated a treaty with John Meusebach and the German settlers in the
Fisher-Miller Land Grant, just north of present day Fredericksburg. The Comanche trusted Meusebach and called him
“El Sol Colorado” (The Red Sun) for his flaming red hair and beard. When Buffalo Hump asked why he should trust
the white colonists, Meusebach replied that the Germans were a different
tribe. Satisfied, Buffalo Hump went
ahead with the treaty.
The treaty allowed white settlers to go unharmed into the Penetaka
lands, and the Comanche to freely visit and trade in the white settlements. Both sides were to report any criminal
activity and were responsible for punishing their lawbreakers. White surveyors
would be allowed into the Penetaka lands and the Indians would be paid at least
a $1000.00 for this privilege. The
agreement opened almost 4,000,000 acres to colonization and may be the only treaty
that was never broken by either side.
In 1856, Buffalo Hump led his tribe, on
the brink of starvation, to a new reservation on the Brazos River, set up by
the US Government and supervised by the Indian Agent, Robert Neighbors. Despite
Neighbors’ protection, the tribe was mistreated, underfed, and blamed for every
offense that occurred anywhere near the reservation. Finally, in desperation, Buffalo Hump led his
people back out onto the Llano Estacado, where they were eventually captured by
the U.S. Army and forced to move into Indian Territory.
On the reservation in Oklahoma, Pochanaquarhip asked for a small plot of
land and some tools, so he could teach his people to farm. He died in 1870, farming that plot of land
and insisting that his people get an education if they planned to succeed in
the white man’s world.
The Battle of Plum Creek was the first meeting of Jack Hays and Buffalo
Hump. Hays, a surveyor who became a legendary
ranger captain, successfully fought the Penetaka for many years, engaging bands
led by Buffalo Hump or one of his war chiefs.
The fact that both men stayed alive is a tribute to their abilities.
“Cap'n Yack” was held in high regard by all Indians. Chief Flacco, a Lipan-Apache guide said, “Me
and Red Wing not afraid to go to hell together.
Cap'nYack… not afraid to go to hell by himself.”
Captain Jack Hays left the Rangers and moved to California in 1850 and became the sheriff
of San Francisco. When his first son was
born, the Hays family received a gift from Buffalo Hump—a tiny golden spoon,
engraved “Buffalo Hump, Jr.”
To be continued….
No comments:
Post a Comment