Savage Frontier Volume II 1838-1839: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas

Afterword

353 Colonel Edward Burleson’s Frontier Regiment was two weeks into 1840 before returning from its final Indian campaign of 1839. His troops marched out of Camp Shawnee on January 1, 1840, and headed east toward the Brazos River. They crossed a chain of small mountains dividing the Colorado and Brazos rivers, making camp on the night of January 3 on the Leon River, one of the forks of the Little River. On January 3, Doctor Shields Booker and Captain James January of Company F were scouting out ahead of the main party. They returned to camp that night and reported to Burleson “the discovery of twenty-five or thirty Indians a few miles from camp.” During the early hours of January 4, Burleson detached Lieutenant Colonel Fisher, Major Wyatt, and all the mounted men at his discretion to pursue these Indians. He took the balance of the foot soldiers about six miles on down the stream and made camp, awaiting their report. The Tonkawa scouts soon joined Burleson at this camp and reported having seen a large force of some ninety or one hundred Indians near the party under Fisher. The Tonkawas also reported having found the bodies of two infantrymen on the Leon River who had deserted the army two days previous. The two soldiers were privates David Anderson and Tiba Lesley of Captain Clendenin’s Company B. According to the muster roll, these men had “absented themselves from the company while on the march without leave on the 2nd of January.” The Texans believed that these men “were murdered by the Comanches.”1 Burleson immediately marched out with his troops to assist. They proceeded to the area on the Leon indicated, but found no signs of Indians. Afterword SAVAGE FRONTIER Fisher and Wyatt’s mounted party had turned and made its way back toward camp by that time, also. On their return, Fisher’s men did encounter a large group of Comanches, whom they instantly charged upon. The enemy fled and were chased for three miles “as rapidly as the weak condition of our horses would permit.” The Indians managed to escape into the mountains and further pursuit was not attempted. The Texans had fortified their newest camp. Burleson left Second Lieutenant Daniel Lewis in command of a small guard detail, and took the balance of the men in pursuit of the Indians on the morning of January 6. They found a large trail about ten miles from camp which led south. It appeared to have been made by four or five hundred mules. At the same time, they discovered “extensive fires in the direction of the Upper Brazos. We followed the trail, however, to their camp, which they had abandoned in the greatest confusion and haste.” It was obvious that Burleson’s men were pushing the Indians farther and farther along, following just slightly behind them. The Lipan and Tonkawa scouts reported to him that the enemy Indians had fled to the Upper Brazos area, which Burleson firmly believed. At this point, he determined that further pursuit would be fruitless. “Our provisions were growing somewhat short, our men fatigued and our mules and horses much jaded,” wrote Burleson. He therefore decided to close out his Northwestern Campaign for the winter. The army moved back toward Austin and reached Camp Caldwell on January 12, 1840. Other new companies had arrived in the Austin area during Burleson’s absence. With nine infantry companies at their disposal, Burleson and Lieutenant Colonel Fisher began assigning various companies to improve upon the chain of frontier forts that the Frontier Regiment was designed to maintain. Frontier posts were manned and/or established during 1840 at Fort Burleson, Mission San Jose, Mission Concepción, the Alamo, San Gabriel, Little River Fort, Fort Johnston, and Fort Skerrett (in Cherokee Nation). Troops were also stationed during the year at Houston, Post Galveston, and a new arsenal established in Austin under command of Captain James P. Goodall. The Frontier Regiment’s most serious encounter of 1840 was the famed Council House Fight in San Antonio. The army attempted to hold some of the Comanche tribal leaders for failing to bring all of their white captives into San Antonio, but the meeting turned to violence. Most of the Comanche leaders were slain in the fight. All told, thirty-five Indians were killed, including three women and two 354 Afterword children, and twenty-seven were captured...