The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-09-13

Iee out OF kuubhOL-
Presently however, they covered
the hill again, bringing up their bow
men, for the first time in the fight
There was rapid shooting on both
sides; another chief advanced on
horseback. and James Bowie brought
him down.
Meanwhile a score Of Caddos who
had succeeded In getting under the
bank Of the creek in the rear OF the
Texan party opened fire at 40 yards, |
and shot Matthew Doyle through the
breast Thomas McCaslin ran for
ward to avenge him, and was shot |
through the body. The firing became |
general from all quarters. The Tex !
ans, finding their position in the trees !
too much exposed. retreated to the
thicket, where they dislodged the rifle
men under cover of the creek, who
we're In point blank range. by shoot
ing them through the head as often
as they showed above the bank.
In the thicket, where they were
well screened, they had clear views
Of the hostiles on the prairie. I'VE
bafled their shots" wrote James Bow
lie, "by moving six or eight feet the
moment we had fired. for their only
mark was the smoke of our guns.
They would put 20 balls within the
space Of a pocket-handkerchief in the
| spot where they saw that smoke"
In this fashion the fight was kept
up for two hours, and James Cornell
was shot through the arm. Seeing
that the Texans were not to be dis
lodged from the thicket the savages
resorted to fire-for the double pur-
pose of routing the little party and
of carrying away their own dead and
wounded under cover of the smoke,
for the rifles of the rangers had
brought down half a dozen at every
round. They set fire to the dry prai-
RE grass to the windward of the
thicket; the flames flared high AMI
burned all the grass as far as the
creek; but there they bore away to
the right and to the left, leaving a
clear space of five acres around the
camp. Under cover Of the smoke the
hostiles carried away their dead;
while the Texans scraped away the
dry grass and leaves from their
wounded comrades. and piled rocks
and bushes to make a fimsy breast
work.
The Indians re-occupled the trees
and rocks in the prairie and renewed
their firing. Suddenly the wind shift
ed to the north and blew hard. The
red men were quick to see the ad-
vantage and seize the chance. One
Of their braves crawled down this
creek and set fire to the high grass.
Robert Armstrong killed him-too
late Down came the flames, 10 feet
high, straight for the camp The
shouts and yells of the Indians rent
the air, and they fired 20 shots in a
minute.
Behind the screen Of smoke the
Texans held a council of war If the
, Indians should charge them under
cover of the fire they could deliver
, but one effectual round. Even theT
the sparks were flying so thickly thai
2 no man could open his powder-horr
> but at the risk of being blown up
' Bowie's men determined if the In
r dams charged "to deliver that ont
! round, stand back to back. draw ou
knives, and fight as long as one wa
= left alive" On the other hand, shOul,
S the Indians not charge, and should tn
o Texans still stand their ground, the,
{ might be burned alive. In that cas-
o each man would take care Of himsel
n as well as he could until the fir
S reached the ring of cleared groun
d around the wounded men and the bal
b gage; then they would smother
n with buffalo-robes, bearskins, dee,
" skins, and blankets. And this the
n did, the hostiles not charging.
S By this time the fire had left S
a. little of the thicket that the sma
a group Of fighters took refuge In tn
K. ring they had made around the woun
Is ed and the baggage, and begun raj
it ing their breastwork higher with loos
s rocks and with earth that they dU
al with their knives. The Indians ha
to succeeded in removing their killt
IS and wounded under cover Of Il
s. smoke Night was approaching, al
is they had been fighting since sunris
tn The Indians, seeing that the Texal
ne we're still alive and dangerous, DIRE
ed off and encamped for the night wi
Ie. their dead and wounded. BY 10 o'clo
)" the Bowies has raised their clum
,e rampant breast high; the men fill
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