Santa Anna ( Comanche war chief ) In The Early Life . Santa Anna was a member of the same band of the Comanche as the more famous Buffalo Hump . He was an important chief , though probably less influential than Buffalo Hump during the 1830s and 1840s . He was the first member of his band to visit Washington , D . C . He was originally , along with Buffalo Hump , a leader of Comanche resistance to Anglo settlement in Texas , especially during the period following the Council House Fight . He was the father of Carne Muerto , later a War Chief of the Quahadi band of Comanche . Santa Anna , " a large , fine - looking man with an affable and lively countenance , " rose to prominence in the years following the Texas Revolution . Ferdinand Roemer , a noted German scientist who was traveling in the Americas at the time of the meetings in the mid and late 1840s , attended the council between the chiefs and white representatives . He described the three Comanche chiefs present as ' serene and dignified , ' characterizing Old Owl as ' the political chief ' and Santa Anna as an affable and lively - looking ' war chief ' . Following the Council House Fight . Following the deadly Council House Fight , where the Comanche felt that the whites had slaughtered their envoys despite the promise of the white treaty flag , conflict between Comanches and migrating Anglo - Texans had become increasingly frequent . Santa Anna advocated armed and bitter resistance to the white invasion of the Comancheria , and gained prominence after the Council House Fight in San Antonio in 1840 . For approximately the next five years he joined Buffalo Hump and a number of other war chiefs in conducting a series of raids and attacks on Anglo settlements , including the Great Raid of 1840 , during which the Comanche burned two cities , and raided all the way to the sea . Though it is today impossible to trace his direct involvement with any sort of precision , Santa Anna probably took part in the raids on Linnville and Victoria in 1840 and may have been present at the Battle of Plum Creek . Prior to 1845 he was firmly identified with the faction of his tribe that opposed accommodation with whites . After the Great Raid . Santa Anna became a proponent of accommodation and peace with the whites following his involvement with treaty talks with the Army , and a later visit to Washington , D . C . in 1847 . Before 1845 he was firmly identified with the militant faction of his tribe that opposed accommodation with whites . In point of fact , there is absolutely no record of his ever meeting with officials representing the government of the Republic of Texas . He appeared during this time to be even more militant than Buffalo Hump , who had met with Sam Houston in 1843 – 44 . But in the later part of 1845 , he was finally convinced to attend treaty negotiations conducted by United States officials , where he was first exposed to the true numbers and weaponry of the whites . Santa Anna , more than any other Native American of the Plains during this time , was influenced by what he had seen . Convinced that his people could simply not defeat or long resist the numbers and weapons of the whites , he began advocating peace . In May 1846 he was one of those Comanche Chiefs who signed a treaty promising peace between his people and American citizens in Texas . Geologist Dr . Ferdinand von Roemer was present at those treaty talks , which resulted in the Meusebach - Comanche Treaty , and left an enduring and vivid portrait of Santa Anna : In early December 1847 , Santa Anna and a party of chiefs from several tribes in Texas visited Washington , D . C . The first of his tribe to make such a journey , Santa Anna was recorded to be overwhelmed by what he saw , especially the sheer numbers of the whites . From that moment on , convinced that continued armed resistance against the United States was tantamount to suicide for his people , he began advocating accommodation and attempted to use his prestige as a noted War Chief to secure a lasting peace . But among the still - warlike Comanche , Santa Anna ' s conversion reduced his prestige . Death . Santa Anna apparently tired of his reduced position , and to regain his former glory , he led several raids into Mexico in 1848 – 49 , in violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . These raids necessitated intervention by the army and United States Indian agent Robert S . Neighbors , and Santa Anna was persuaded to stop . In late December 1849 , a cholera epidemic killed over 300 Penateka Comanche in a few weeks time . Santa Anna was one of the victims , though Buffalo Hump , also ill , survived . Following Santa Anna ' s death , those in the Penateka band , other than the division commanded by Buffalo Hump , disintegrated . Its surviving members joined other Comanche bands .