The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-08-14

doubtless owed his escape to that fact, as
the Comanches were afraid If they shot
the Caddo they would kill the little girl.
This whole scene transpired in few
minutes, and Van Dorm, although badly
wounded, had possession OF the entire
village, and the surviving Comanches had
fled to the almost impenetrable brushy
hills, leaving their dead and their prop
erty behind them. consisting of ninety
fve good Indians being dead Indians),
number of wounded and captives, about
four hundred horses, and ali the spoils of
their camp.
The Texas troops had five killed and
several wounded, including Major Van
Dorm and myself. NV recollection is
that Lieut.. Van Camp was a protege of
Hon. Thad Stevens of Pennsylvania,
and had but recently come from West
Point. He was gallant and chivalrous
officer, and though at the time in deadly
peril myself, and entirely bereft of all
hope Of escape, 1 shall never forget the
emotions of horror that seized me when
I saw the Indian warrior, standing not
five feet away, send his arrow, clear to
the feather, into the heart of that noble
young officer.
No trace of the parantaoe or kindred of
the little girl captive could ever be found,
and 1 adopted, reared, and educated her,
giving her the name of Lizzie Ross, the
former being in honor of Miss Lizzie
Tinsley, the young lady to whom | was
then engaged to be married, and who has
been my wife since May, 1861. Liz e
Ross, the captive girl, grew into hand
some young woman, and married hap
PLY, but died a few years since at Los
Angeles, Cal.
[ lay upon the battle field for five days,
unable to be moved, when a litter was
constructed and I was carried on the
backs of my faithful Caddos ninety
miles, to Fort Radziminski. AS soon as
able I returned 10 my alma mater, Flor
ence (Ala.) Wesleyan University, where
finished my education, and returned to
Texas in 1859. At the period of which
write, was out on vacation.
For some time after the battle OF
Wichita the Comanches were less trou-
blesome to the people Of the Texas
| frontier, but in 1859 and 1860 the condi-
! ton of the frontier was again truly de-
| plorable. The loud and clamorous
| demands of the settlers induced the
! State Government to send out regiment
under Col. M. T. johnson for public de-
Tense. The expedition, though of great
expense to the State, failed to accomplish
anything. Having just graduated and
L
commissioned as Captain by Gov. Sam
Houston, and directed to organize com
pany of sixty men, with orders to repair
to Fort Belknap, in Young County, re-
ceive from Col Johnson all Government
property, as his regiment was disbanded,
and offer the frontier such protection as
was possible from so small force.
The necessity for vigorous measures
soon became SO pressing, however, that de-
termined to attempt to curb the insolence
of these implacable, hereditary enemies of
! Texas, who were greatly emboldened by
| the small force eft to confront them, and
to accomplish this by following them in
to their Businesses. and carry the war in
to their own homes. I was compelled,
after establishing post. to leave twenty
of my men to guard the Government
property, and give some show Of protec-
tion to the frightened settlers, and as
could take but forty of my men request
ed Capt. n. G. Evans, in command of the
United States troops at Fort Cooper, to
send me a detachment of the Second
! United States Cavalry. We had been in
| timately connected in the Van Dorm cam
paign in 1858, during which was the re-
| c1pient of much kindness from him
| while I was suffering from the severe
wound received in the battle of the
| Wichita. He promptly sent me sergeant
and twenty well-mounted men, thus in
creasing my force to sixty. My force
was still further augmented by some
! seventy volunteer citizens, under the
brave old frontiersman, Capt. Jack Cure
/ ton, of Bosque County.
On Dec. Is, 1860, while marching up
Pease, River, had suspicious that In
dams were in the vicinity by reason of
| the great number of buffalo which came
| &0xr vi hn NJ
while my command moved in the low
ground visited neighboring high points
to make discoveries. On one of these
| sand hills I found four fresh pony tracks,
and being satisfied that Indian videttes
had just gone, galloped forward about
mile to a still higher point, and riding
! to the top to my lnexpressible surprise
/ found myself within two hundred yards
of large Comanche village, located on a
small stream, winding around the base
of hill. It was most happy circum-
stance that cold, piercing wind from the
| north was blowing, bearing with it clouds
/ of dust and my presence was thus un-
| observed and the surprise complete. By
| signaling my men as I stood concealed
| they reached me without being discover
| ed by the Indians who were busy pack
ing up, preparatory, to move
| By the time nv men reached me the
Indians had mounted and moved of north
across the level plain. My command, in
Guiding the detachment of the Second
Cavalry, had outmarched and become
separated from the citizen command of
seventy, which left me about sixty men.
In making disposition for the attack, the
sergeant and his twenty men were sent at
gallop behind chain of sandhills to
encompass them and cut off their retreat,
while with NV forty men charged. The
attack was so sudden that large number
were killed before they could prepare for
defense. They fed precipitately ight into
the arms of the s. rgeant and his twenty
men. Here they met with warm reception,
and, finding themselves completely en-
comprised, every one fed his own way
and was holly pursued and hard pressed
The chief, a noted warrior of grea. re-
pute, named Pe-ta- no-co-na with young
Indian girl about fifteen years of age
! mounted on his horse behind him, and
Cynthia Ann Parker, his squaw, with a
girl child about two years old in her
arms and mounted on fleet pony, fed
together. Lieutenant Tom KelliheIr and
pursued them. and after running about