San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1879-03-08
The Cherokee War.

Liam in Texas, all of what we now term
r.,,b Texas was without single white
..hobitant, if We except handful in
~h.t is now Red River county. The
,aort Of East Texas, as it is now, was
.,0o tbe home OF one branch of the
chorokee Indians and "their twelve as
.o;ote bands" the Delawares, Shaw
.ses Kickapoos, and Others who had
a;.rted there from 1922 to 1929. They
had cabins, fields, cattle, horses, and
.,her attendants of civilization, and
usrs both numerous and formidable.
.Tbe Bowl" or Colonel Bowles, was the
thief man of the Cherokecs, and ranked
.s the highest dignitary among the as
sociate bands.
During the incipiency of the revolu.
ton-September, 1885, to April, 1886
crave apprehensions were felt, lest
through Mexican emissaries, known to
no among them, these Indians might be
hurled upon us in the rear, the effect
q which would have been disastrous to
onr ca,,se and destructive to largo por'
films of or families. 49,. ...
10 prevent this, Sam. Houston, John
Forbes, of Nacogloches, and DR.. John
Cameron, we're commissioned by the
nrovisional government to treat with
them, and. if possible, secure their neu-
t,a)ity. They succeeded, but not t"
uch an extent rs to inspire confidenc,
in the fidelity of the Indians. A.
Houston retreated east, our families
were completely at the mercy of these
tribes. 1t was at this critical moment
Houston, with eight or nine hundred
men falling back before Santa Anna
with seven OF eight thousand our fam
lies. from the Trinity to the Sabine,
dragging along the margin of the Cher
okees. that the noble-hearted Maj. Gen.
Edmund p. Gaines, U. S. A., with five
hundred United States Dragons,
crossed the Sabine and took position at
Nacocloches, determin. if one Texas
woman or child should fall by these In
dams. to throw his force upon the as
soilants. q. It is certain, mo matter what
the Indians intended, that this bold
move Of the fearless old soldier and pa-
triot at once determined them to remain
neutral. A few days, and the victory OF
San Jacinto removed all danger, and
Gaines withdrew to Fort Jessup, Lou
isiana, reporting his conduct, and the
reasons therefor, to President Jackson,
whose glorious old heart responded
Amen! The memory of Gaines should
be dear to all Texans, and it will be as
our children become familiar with our
history. ge
But the seeds of suspicion and dis
cord between the whites and Indians
still existed. Isolated murders and les
ser outrages began to show themselves
soon afterward. The Pearce family,
the numerous family of the Killoughs
and others, were ruthlessly murdered.
Gen. Houston interposed his potential
voice aud influence to allay the excite
ment and preserve peace. He had great
influence with the Cherokees, and did
all in his power to stay the tide. But,
just as his first presidency was drawing
to close, Gen. Rusk, chief militia Off
Ger of the republic, fought and won
bloody victory over the Kickapoos and
others in November, 1888. Gen. Ln-
mar came into the presidency little
later, already in deep sympathy with
the feelings of the people, which had
been famed into a fame by the savage
massacre Of the killough family, and
other acts of cruelty. .....
Exhausting all reasonable efforts at
reconciliation, or instead, the removal
Of the Indians from the very heart OF
East Texas. President Lamar resolved
on war. Once determined, no time was
lost. Gen. Kelsey H. Douglass, OF the
east, was ordered to raise the militia.
Gen. Thomas J. Rusk, of Nacogdoches,
called to his standard a band of volun-
teers. Col. Edward Burleson, with a
regiment of regulars and some volun-
tiers, was ordered to novefrohn the west.
He was accompanied by Vice Presi-
dent David G.. Burnet Gen. Albert Sid