The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924 Page: 155
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Memoirs of George Bernard Erath
from her protection on account of wrong done in one locality.
The election of Sam Houston, the philanthropist in behalf of
Indians, should have spoken for the greater part of Texas. Still
the officers of the United States army, though displeased with the
course of the people on the frontier, did make strong efforts next
year to protect us, and made fair reports to the government on
the subject of depredations which were now multiplied. But all
through the Civil War and long afterwards the Indian reserva-
tions north of Red River fostered the Comanche raids on Texas
by buying the property stolen in them. The Comanches were
fostered in this manner by the United States long after Recon-
struction had taken place. Not until General Sherman made his
tour of inspection through Texas did conditions change rapidly.
I was up in some of the frontier counties on business in the fall
of 1859 and found the trouble quieting down; the people at last
admitted that the Comanches had been the depredators. When
the legislature convened in the fall of 1859, the principal topic
was Indian difficulties. Nothing was done in the early part of
the session, General Houston not being inaugurated till Christmas.
Other matters before us were the bringing about of a new ap-
portionment of the State and the approaching political troubles
which ended in Secession. The money received from the United
States for the territory of New Mexico was about exhausted, and
our taxation was not sufficient to support the government bur-
dened with the additional expenses of protecting the frontier.
Before the session's close we passed measures to call out a regiment
of men if necessary, and Governor Houston did call out about a
thousand in spring. During May and June, 1860, ten companies,
commanded by Col. M. T. Johnson, marched northwestwardly
from Fort Belknap, returned in August, and disbanded. Then
as always before it was a mistake to expect Indians of the wild
tribes to give battle to numbers, or to allow themselves to be
found and forced to do so. General Houston was of the opinion
that he could get the cooperation of the United States, and that
the Indians, seeing the demonstration of Texas and the general
government together, might be more inclined to submit to the
latter. But before this I had learned from United States army
officers of the antipathy between the Indian Department of the
United States and Texas. After the return of our force, the155
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924, periodical, 1924; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101086/m1/161/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.