The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-07-18
AEkMlUS Fight.
A Minute Description of the Battle
Of Leayenworth, Fought One
Hundred and Fifty
Eight Years Ago.
The Site of the Conflict the Very
Center of What is Now the
Metropolis of Kansas.
How the Spaniards Fell Into the
Trap Spread for Their Enemies.
A Midnight Affrsy-Extsrmination OF
Five Hundred CastiIIians, With
The Exception of One.
ruE EArrLEFIELD OF Liberty.

As Belgium has been the battlefield of Eu-
r1I,e 50 has Kansas. even in s. broader sense,
bscn the Battlefield of America, for upon
Kansas soil were fought the first battles which
herllded the mighty consummation at Apo
matoX. From time imineInorial, almost, the
fate OF nations has been arsitrated with cold
lead and canister within the narrow and
contracted limits of beautiful Belgium Eng
land has more than once dictated terms 10
naughty France upon this soil, and II was
there, In ISIS, that British cannon suggested
10 the great Napoleon that the peace OF Eu-
rop. was more to be desired AMI OF greater
benefit to mankind in general than the su-
premacy fthe Man OF Destiny. Belgium has
felt the last despsiring throes OF expiring des-
potisrns and autocracies; Kansas has felt the
con ichbetokened the deathof by
dra -headed slavsry; Kansas was more fortu-
nate than Belgium, as the consummation OF
the one was but temporary, that of the other
perpetual, \ deSpot may again tramp!e up
on the liberties and the rights of nations in
Europe; the fangs OF slavery have been ex-
tTacted and the loathsome servant killed.
ANTIQUE KANSAS.
While il is the popular supposition that
KaIs.lS has no history extending further
hack than lisa, when the 6nti-slavery
troubles frst began the truth is Is that R sne can
pIored the Missouri river up as lar as the
mouth of the Kansas rlyer, where the nour-
ishing little city OF Wyandotte now stanos.
Thes.: were the first Europeans or white men
who ever laid eyes upon what was 10 be, one
hundred and seventy years late, the gSrueh
spot Of the world. ,
Later in l7l9 a young French officer, named
Dustine was sent out by Beinville, Governor
of Louisiana, who ascended the MISSISSIPPI
as far as the Sabine river, and then sci OUT
westward crossing Kansas on his travels.
He made treaties with the different tribes OF
Indians he met on the way. the Osages, ram
oucas the PaOnis or Pawneess, and Ml.sou-
ries. This, however, is but a. preliminary
10 our story, which is meant 10 be descrip.
tion of the famous and bloody battle which
took place upon the very spot where the
beautiful city Of Leayenworth now stands, In
which large party of Spaniards was exter-
minated, with the exception OF one, a priest,
who succeeded in returning safely 10 santa re
| to tell the story, in which city the records oil
the Tight are still kept, being the only ac-
count of the Ssnguinary struggle in existence.
L A representative of THE TINES has seen a
transcript of them, and for the inst time the
| story of the battle OF Leavenworth Is put In
print.
THE BATTLE.oF LEAyESwoRTH.
The Spaniards, who contested with the
French for the possession OF this portion OF
the North American continent, and having
driven their enemies out OF Texas, were
determined TO have command of this section
before the French had located permanently.
They knew of Dustincs expedition, and also
knew that no time was TO be lost in efiecting
| the conquest. They thought by possessing
themselves OF the Missouri river TO COM
mand its commerce by putting restrictions
upon the French upon the Illinois side of
the Mississippi. To accomplish this object
tney laid plans for the subsection of the
Missouries, who lived upon the banks of the
Missouri, and who were friendly
To THE FRENCH,
and 10 then establish a colony. The better
to carry out their project they sought an alli-
ance with the Pawnees, who were at war
with the MisSouries, Intending to form an al
lance with the former in aiding TO a success
full issue their undertaking. santa Fe was
the Spanish rendezvous, and In the Spring of
l72O large command, numbering nearly
five hundred, under the command OF Senor
Campos, said to be member ofthe family to
which General Martinez de Campos 5, the pre-
sent Spanish Iaptain-Ieneral of Cuba, be-
longs, brave officer, but little skilled In In
dian warfare. The command traversed the
san Juan Valley
CROSSING THE ARKANSAS
at or near Pueblo, and crossed the State of
Kansas In a northeaSterly direction until
they reached the place where Leavenworth
now sands. Here they found the chief camp
OF the MIssouries, whom they mistook for
Pawnees, and To whom they unfoided their
plans The date of the arrival of the Spanish
command here is put down as about the 7th
OF July, as IL WAS on the night of the 18th that
the battle, or massacre, as IL might the more
appropriately be called, took place. The
Missouries, with
THE Willy CUNNING AND NATURAL DIPLOMA
which is so Characteristic of the Indian, lis.
tened without emotion to the plans for their
destruction, SO elaborateIy detailed by the
/
which their enemies had fallen, took advan-
tage of the situation and made every prepa-
ration for the massacre. Under the pretense
that they wished 10 make preparations for
the coming campaign, they lulled the suspi-
cion of the Spaniards, Of they had any,
which is not proosble) and gathering togeth-
er the major portion OF their warriors, num-
bering something in the vicinity of ,009, they
made a night attack upor'
THEIR USsUsPECTING FOES,
who were sleeping in fancied security and
never dreaming of their fearful doom SO
near at han d. The camp OF the Spaniards,
f-,m the location as set down in the trans
script of the original record of the fight,
must have been in the very center of the city,
upon the banks of Three Mile Creek, the
spot in all probability being included within
Third ard Fifth streets. The Missouries.
having every arrangement perfected, made
the assault upon the night of
THE FOURTEENTH OF JULY
and although totally surprised and entirely
unprepared the Spaniards fought bravely,
their Castillian blood forbidding the thought
of shameful retreat. Being outnumbered
four TO one, and fighting under every imagin-
forced TO succumb, but 10 surrender was to
meet the most horrible of deaths. Happy
was the warrior who died upon the field, for
the tortureS reserved for the captive We're too
inhuman to mention. OF the five hundred
Spaniards probably fifty was taken prison
eIs, the remainder, including their brave
tifnpDs, IN the DaItle,
but one member of the. command, 8spriest,
Father LDranzo, escaping to Santa Fe to tell
the fate OF his companions. After the re-
coyery from the shock and surprise of the
first assault, the Spaniards formed and
SLOWLY TURNED EASTWARD
toward the river, where they thought they
could make a successful resistance. But In
this they made a fatal mistake, as when
near the mouth of the creek, (Three Mile,)
they Were fired upon from ambush, and be-
ing demoralized, their destruction was COM
plete. The battle ragged for over six hours, IL
being inearly daylight when the last OF the
Spaniards surrendered. The loss OF the In
dians was very great, being estimated at
something over three hundred killed. The
fate of the pslsoners Is unknown, but they
were never heard from again, having met. in
all probability the cruel fate assigned all pris-
oners captured by Indians.
DURING THE BATTLE
the Missouries perpetrated every description
of name!ess atrocity upon the bodies of the
dead and wounded, the continued, determin-
ed and desperate resistance of the Spaniards
but adding fuel TO the deyilish fury OF the
savages. Traces OF the fight have been
brought to the surface while grading on
Main, Second, Third, Fourth and Eifta
streets, the line OF the battle seems to
have been down the line of the bed Of the
creek from Fifth street TO the river, in the
shape of arrow heads, an occasional toma.
hawk, and in one or two instances swords
have been found. After the battle the
French sent another force and Occupied the
country, Spaniards never again making the
effort TO occupy 1t.