The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-05-07
Captain 0ordon's Great Fight with
the Comauchea.

Captain 0ordon's Great Fight with
the Comanches.
Upto the.year 1859 the gConauche In
d1Gas boosted thai they he'd never ben de-
feated ina battle With The vhitoA men.
They were arrogant and bloodthirsty, and
were 1t war with oil the world. They
would not make peace with other tribes,
but wa2ed constant and vindictive war
fare on white and red alike. They were
rich, strong in numben and the best horse
m6p inethe world, ana they made war
bec41se they loved thu advonture Of it.
In May Of the year nsmea = Texan
known - Captain Gordon, who was an
old Indian tighter, learned that there vas
gold in the Big Wichita Mountains OF
Western Texas. This chain of mountains
forms. the eastern boundary or the 'drest
Staked Plains, but the Commences
ranged as far west ~ the Rio Pecos RIVER.
Captain Gordon called for volunteers to
explore the gold fields, and the expe-
dition was fitted out at Santa Fe. he
knew what was before him, and he did
not cut loose until he had secured 139
men. They were all border men and
each furnished his own horse and arms.
Every one had q rifle and naoet of them
revolver a. well, and Gordon got the loan
Of two field pieces and trained = crew to
work them. There Wefe about forty
pack mules loaded with provisions and
ammunition, aud it was believed that the
command was strong enough to take care
of itself under any circumstances. II
was 30 long in getting ready that the In
dams heard of its object, and Eagle
Feather, then the head chief of the
Comanches, sent word to Captain Gordon
as follows:
II want scalps, horses, rifles and pow.
der. Come e fast as you can !'FS 80 &.
No one was frightened over the mes
sage and in due time the expedition
set out. Captain Gordon was confident
that he would be attacked before crossing
the Canadian River, and he was not sur
prised at finding the Indians oil about
him as the command emerged into Chico
Valley to the west of old Fort Bacon.
Eagle Feather had gathered together 4S2
warriors, the flower of the tribe. They
were not ordinary warriors, but each
could boast of having killed an enemy.
They were mounted on the finest war
ponies and every one had lance and
rifle. and some had bows and arrows in
addition. A more notable war party
was never raised by any tribe, and 1t
started out to meet the invaders, Boosting
that it would bring back the scalp OF
every white man in the expedition.
Gordon was familiar with the Chico
and knew where the attact would be
made. The Indians would wait until ne
was ready to enter the pass leading
ing through the Chico Mountains to the
river and beyond. 1t was position they
could hold against 10000 men, and he
realized that he must draw them away
from It. The command marched to with
in three miles of the pass and then turned
to the north as if to seek for another.
For q distance of twelve miles the two
commands held q parallel course, and
were not over two miles apart. The In
dians Rugged the base of the range SO as
to prevent the white men from entering
any of the passes, while Gordon watched
for a battle ground in the valley. He
found it twelve miles above the pass, just
at shutdown on June day. The spot
selected was natural sink on the crest
of a mound or a series Of mounds taking
in an area or about two acres.
There was a wall of earth around this
sink, as if lake had once occupied the
spot. To the north was still lower and
deeper basin, large enough to shelter oil
the horses and SO strategic that q few
men could defend it.. There was a big
spring on the plateau, with grass enough
to last the horses three or four days, and
Captain Gordon's idea was to force the
Indians to attack him in his position. A
renegade white man named Gerry, who
had served in the regular cavalry and
who had deserted to the Indians, had
drilled them in cavalry tactics and he
was with them at this time. Out IN the
open 48O Comanches, each armed with
l2-foot lance-a weapon they knew how
to use with murderous effect
have proved too strong for the gold hun
tiers. Behind defences the case would be
different.
There was only one place where the
sink could be approached by horsemen
and that was on the south side. There
was clear road 200 feet wide, and the
cannon were posted to cross-fre over
this. They had been kept covered on the
march, and the Indians had no suspicion
of their presence. Just at dusk Eagle
Feather sent in word for the white men
to 90 to sleep without fear, as he would
not attack until next day. This was no
ruse on his part for he made his camp
two miles away, and that of the gold
hunters was undisturbed by even q shot.
During the night Gordon's men threw up
further defences and cleared the sink of
every incumbrance. Twenty men were
told off to guard the animals, and when
the sun rose again every one in the COM
mand was ready for what was to happen.
Eagle Feather was in no hurry. 1t
was 9 o'clock before he marshalled his
warriors on the prairie, mile to the
south of the plateau. He then sent
word that he hoped the white men
would fight, he did not demand sur-
render, and he wanted it plainly under
stood that he would grant no quarter.
His firm purpose was to wipe out every
man in the expedition, and thus deter all
thought of future invasion OF his ter
ritory. From the way he disposd of his
forces he must have been confident Of
speedy success. The mounted warriors
were marshalled in lines having front
of thirty men. They were eight lines
deep making 240 horsemen. The remain
der of the force Vas held a. asreecrye.
Not warrior was dismounted, and no
attack was made on the men guarding the
~. u.