The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-05-26
A Great Fight with the Comanches.

been defeated in battle with white men
They were arrogant and bloodthirsty.
and were at war with all the world. They
would not make peace with other tribes,
but waged constant and vindictive war
on white and red alike. They were rich,
strong in numbers a. nd the best horaemep
in tho world, and they made war with
other nations because they loved the ad-
venture of It.
In May of the year named Texan
known as Captain Gordon, who was an
old Indian fighter, learned that there was
gold in the Big Wichita Mountains Of
Western Texas. This claim OF mountains
forms the Eastern boundary of the Great
Staked Plains, but the Comsuches rang
ed far West as the Rio Pescos River.
Captain Gordon called for volunteers to
explore the gold fields, and the expedition
was fitted out at Sante Fe. He knew
what WAS before him, and be did not cut
loose until he had secured about 140 men.
They were all border men and each fur.
nished his own horse and arms. Every
one had rife, and most of them a re-
volVer as we'll, and Gordon got the loan
Of two field pieces, and trained crew to
work them. There were about forty pack
mules loaded with provisions and ammu
milton, and it was believed that the com.
maud was strong enough to take care of
itself under any circumstances. It was
so long In getting ready that the Indians
heard Of its object, and Eagle Chief, then
the head chief of all the Comanches, sent
word by one of his braves to Captain Cor
don as follows:
Iwant scalps, horses, rifles and powder.
Come on as fast as you can.
No one vas frightened over the mes
sage, and iu due time the expedition set
out. Captain Gordon was confident that
he would be attacked before crossing the
Canadian River, and be was not surpris-
ed at finding the Indians all about him
as the command emerged into the Chico
valley to the West of Old Fort Bascom.
Eagle Feather had gathered together 4s1
warriors, the flower of the tribe. They
we're 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 rife. A
more notable war party Was never raised
by any tribe, and it started out to meet
the invaders, boastiug that it would bring
back the scalp of every white man in the
expedition.
Gordon Was familiar with the Chico
snd knew where the attack would be
made. The Indians would wait until he
was ready to enter the pass leading
through the Chico mountains TO the river
aud beyond. 1t was b position that they
could hold against 10000 men, and be
realized that he must draw them away
from it. The command marched to
within three miles of the pass and then
turned to tha North, as if to geek for
another. For distance of IL miles the
two commands held psrallelcourse and
were not over two miles apart. The IN
dians hugged the base of the range so as
TO prevent the white men from entering
any of the passes, while Gordon watched
for battle ground in the valley. He
found it twelve miles above the pass, just
at sundown on June day. The spot SO.
lected wes a natural sink on the crest Of
a mound or series of mounds, taking in,
on whole, Hi area OF about two or three
acres.
There Was w,l of earth around this
sink, as If small lake had once occupied
the spot. To The north was still lower
and deeper basin, large enough to shelter
all the horses and so strategetic that q
few men could defend it. There was
big spring on the plateau, with grass
enough to lasc the horses for three or
four days, and Captain Gordon's idea was
to force the Indians to attack him in this
position. a renegade white man named
Gerry, who had served in the regular cav.
airy aud deserted TO the redskins, had
drilled them in cavalry tactics and he was
with them at this time. Out in the open,
4SO ComaRches, each armed with q 12-
foot lsnce-a weapon they knew how to
use with murderous effect-would have
proved too strong for the gold hunters.
Behiud de!ences the case would be diff
ferent
There was only one place where the
sink could be approached by horsemeD,
and that was on The south side. There
was a clear road 200 feet wide, and the
cannon were posted 10 crossfre 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 go 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
bunters WAS undisturbed BY even a shot
During the night Gordou'S man threw up
further defenc+s and cleared the sink of
every incunlbrancr Twenty men were
told off to gusrd the animals, and when
the sun rose again everybody in the
command WAS ready for what was to hap
pen.
Eagle Feather was in no hurry. 1t was
9 o'clock befure he marshalled his warriors
on the prairie, a mile south ofthe plauteau
he then sent in word that he hoped the
white men would 6ght. He did not de-
msnd surrender and he wanted it plain.
" understood that be would grant no
quarter. His firm impulse was to wipe
ont evnry man in the expedition, and