Winners of the West
Vol. XII     No. 6
ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI
MAY 30, 1935
 
 
 

ON THE BORDER WITH MACKENZIE

Or Winning West Texas From The Comanches

The true story of Gen. Mackenzie's campaign in Texas, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and Mexico 1871-1875. The subjugation of the wild Qua-ha-da band of Northern Comanches and opening up for settlement of that once desolate wilderness, now a populous and prosperous country. Including "The Killing of Se-Tank" "The Pursuit of Kicking Bird," "The Tragedies of Canyon Blanco" "On the Trail of Deserters" "Destruction of Mow-Wis Village" thirteen actions in the Panhandle including Tule, and Palo Duro Canyons, "The Mackenzie letters, etc. by the last surviving officer of Mackenzie's column.

By R.G. Carter, Captain U.S. Army Retired, formerly Fourth U.S. Cavalry. A book to be in every library in Texas and read by every frontier settler of the Panhandle-Plains region.

For sale only by Eynon Printing Company Inc. 930 H. Street N.W., Washington, D.C. Price $4.00 postpaid.

General Grant in his Memoirs states that "Mackenzie was the most promising young officer of the army" and that all of his promotions from Second Lieutenant to brevet Major General in the regular army were made from pure merit and no influence was sought. He was transferred from the Twenty-fourth Infantry to the Fourth U.S. Cavalry in 1870 and joined it in February 1871 at headquarters of the regiment which had been changed from San Antonio to Fort Concho (San Angelo). He gave us all a very short talk which was characterized by modesty bordering upon diffidence. He was never loudmouthed or blustering and was always just and firm. He was wounded five times during the Civil War and was in most of its principal campaigns and battles. He was wounded by Indians once, of which there is no record.

The regiment moved in March 1871 to Fort Richardson (Jacksboro), Texas. It had to deal with the Southern Comanches, Kiowas, Southern Cheyennes and Arapahoes, who, while on the reservation at Fort Sill, I.T. (Now Oklahoma) kept up a constant raiding upon the settlement of Texas, stealing horses, cattle, burning ranches and, if opposed, murdering the inhabitants and capturing women an children.

General Sherman accompanied by General Marcy, Colonels McCoy, Tourtelote and Colonel Myer of the Quartermaster Department, came to Fort Richardson on May 17, 1871, on a tour of inspection. The next day the frightful massacre of Salt Creek prairie took place, in which seven teamsters belonging to Henry Warren's train were killed. Warren was a corn contractor. Salt Creek prairie was about 22 miles from Fort Richardson. The writer had escorted General Sherman into Fort Richardson the day before. One of the teamsters (Elliott) was stripped, scalped and burned alive. General Sherman saw one of the wounded who escaped.

When General Sherman reached Fort Sill he found that Satanta had come in ahead of him and boasted of this massacre in the presence of the agent (Lawrie Tatum) and post interpreter Horace P. Jones. General Sherman then had them arrested and under escort of the Fourth Cavalry, which had followed their trail into Fort Sill. Satanta, Setank and Big Tree were taken back to Jacksboro. Setank was killed trying to escape. The other two were indicted and tried for murder. The writer was present at the trial. It was the first instance in this country where Indian chiefs had ever been indicted and tried by a jury of cowboys. They were found guilty and sentenced to be hung, but the sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life and both Indians were taken to the Huntsville Penitentiary. There, Satanta in 1878 committed suicide.

General Sherman nearly lost his life while holding a pow-wow on General Grierson's porch as the Indians came to the council with concealed weapons and drew them upon General Sherman at a signal. Kicking Bird and Lone Wolf with all the Kiowas fled the reservation after a skirmish with the garrison.

By General Sherman's order the Fourth Cavalry early in May 1871 in cooperation with the Tenth Cavalry went into the headwaters of the North Fork of the Red River, the Sweetwater, where Fort Elliott was later located, and the False Washita, the scene of Custer's battle with Black Kettle's band of Cheyennes in 1868, and the town of Mobeetie was later built, and forced these Indians to go in to the Fort Sill reservation. The advance of this expedition, Mackenzie's first effort, advanced as far as Gilbert's Creek - a small tributary of the main Red River. The writer was his Adjutant. He rode with him, slept with him and ate with him. The writer got to know him most intimately. Nobody knows a man so well as when he eats, sleeps and rides with him. He suffered from his wounds and frequently was very nervous, irritable and irascrible. We had the agency interpreter of Fort Sill in our mess, while General Grierson had Horace P. Jones, the post interpreter.

On the trail MacKenzie received positive orders not to attack the Kiowas, although it had been his intention to attack them when ever found. This order came through the Quaker Ring in Washington.

The command came in about September 13 and rendezvoused at old Camp Cooper, near Fort Griffin, for a campaign in the Panhandle against the Quahada Comanches under Quanah Parker. They stampeded our camp on the Freshwater Fork of the Brazos River on October 9 and later we lost them near what is now the town of Plainview, near the head of Canyon Blanco.

In 1872, another campaign was organized for the extermination of this same band of Indians. In an action on the North Fork of the Red River near the mouth of McClellan's Creek, we struck Mow-wis (the "Hand Shaker") Camp on September 9^th 1877. Captured his village, all his supplies, captured 180 squaws and about 800 ponies, which the Indians later recovered. Those squaws were held from October until the following May at Fort Concho. On this campaign the command went across the Staked Plains to Forts Summer and Bascon, New Mexico. It was reported that this was the first mounted column of cavalry to cross the Plains from East to West, although Mexican traders had been in and across before. It is now the main road through Amarillo and other large towns located nearby.

So much faith did Grant have in Mackenzie that he, when President, caused General Sherman, while commanding the Army, to write the following letter to the Commanding General Department of Texas:

An Early Day Tribute to Mackenzie
"Headquarters Army of the United States,
Washington, D.C. Feb. 5, 1873

General C. C. Augur,
Commdr. Dept. of Texas.

General: -

The President wishes you to give great attention to affairs on the Rio Grande Frontier, especially to prevent the raids of Indians and Mexicans upon the people and property of Southern and Western Texas.

To this end he wishes the 4^th Cavalry to be moved to that Frontier, and it will be replaced by the 7^th Cavalry to be drawn from the Department of the South. The 7^th Cavalry is now scattered but it is believed the whole can reach Louisville or Memphis by or before the 10^th of March. And if the Red River is up as it ought to be at that period of the year, the Regiment will be at or near Fort Richardson in all March. Its strength is now reported 1021 enlisted men; and the horses are believed to be in splendid order. This Regiment can replace the 4^th in North West Texas. The 4^th, as soon as it is safe to move, should march to the Rio Grande, and the ninth can be broken up into detachments to cover the Western Frontier and road toward New Mexico

In naming the 4^th for the Rio Grande the President is doubtless influenced by the fact that Col. Mackenzie is young and enterprising, and that he will impart to his Regiment his own active character.

I have the honor to be,
Your obedient servant,
(Sgnd)
W. T. SHERMAN,
General."

Official copy furnished General Sheridan for his information.
Wm. D. Whipple,
Asst. Adjut. Genl.

Then followed the great raid into Mexico in which the writer not only acted as Adjutant but sat up all night with Mackenzie and helped him plan the raid. We had the post guide Ike Box and two half breeds, Maclane and Green Van. The horses were under the saddle 49 hours and we made 160 miles in 32 marching hours with a pack train, wounded men, prisoners and captured stock. The State of Texas expressed its Grateful Thanks to the command.

About August 1874 it was rumored that the Northern Comanches and other confederated bands were raiding and committing more depredations than usual. Eight (8) troops of Cavalry and seven (7) companies of Infantry, aggregating about 1200 men, were organized; the Cavalry supply camp being at the mouth of Canyon Blanco and the Infantry base near what is now known as the Spur Ranch, Spur, Dickens Co., Texas. It was known as "Anderson's Fort," although the pioneer settlers now call it "Soldiers Mound." We scouted and skirmished with small and large bodies of Indians until September 27, 1784, near Tule Canyon and then by our scouts finding that the main body under Lone Wolf and Quanah Parker were in the Palo Duro Canyon, almost inaccessible from the East and North, the command made a forced night march and at daybreak, leading down into the canyon "by file," the sides being almost precipitous, the villages were attacked. They were destroyed with all supplies and about 2200 ponies were driven up to the head of the canyon and out and across to Tule Canyon where they were all shot to prevent their falling into the hands of the Indians again. The bones were on the "Tex" Rogers ranch for many years but were finally taken to Colorado City and sold for 20 per ton for fertilizer.

More or less desultory fighting went on during November and December, resulting in the capture of more ponies and prisoners and a promise that the last of the wild or Northern Comanches would go into the Fort Sill reservation. But it was not until April 1875 that the last band came in under a threat from Mackenzie that if they did not accept the ultimatum he sent them by Sergeant Charlton he would annihilate them. The details of this last surrender of the hostiles (Mow-wis' band) to Mackenzie's activity, his domitable will and determination to subjugate these savages and open up the Panhandle- Plains country to settlement and to civilization was swift and sure, and to him will forever be given the credit for this great work.

Our station from that time was at Fort Sill, I. T. now Oklahoma, and our work was dealing with the numerous desperadoes and bad men who swarmed in to the Territory and who really were as bad as the Indians, stealing cattle and horses from the former and white settlers and murdering innocent people. Jack Stillwell was our chief post scout, ably assisted by Sergeant John B. Charlton who had been detached from his Troop "F," as a man of iron nerve and all the qualities that go to make up a man able to cope with these cut-throats. His activities are given in another book, "The Old Sergeant's Story."

These campaigns include "The Salt Creek Massacre," "The Pursuit of Kicking Bird," "The Campaign after Quanah Parker's Quahada Band of Northern Comanches," "The Tragedies of Canyon Blanco," "On the Trail of Deserters," "An Indian Reservation," "Destruction of Mow-wis Village," "Capture of 130 Squaws "The Raid into Mexico," "The Palo Duro," including destruction of Quanah Parker's Villages, all his supplies, and the killing of nearly 2200 ponies, " "The Surrender of Mow-wis and his band."