Texas Almanac, 1949-1950 Page: 137
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OUTLINE OF TXAS HISTORY. 137
the confines cf Texas. A remnant of these
tribes, scattered along the Neches in 1854.
attracted the attention of Sam Houston. whc
was influential in having two square miles
of land, or 1.280 acres, given them for a res-
ervation. Hete in the mridst of the Big
Thicket the Indians dwelt with little notice
from the white people about them until about
1927, when their destitute conuition was
called to the attention of governmental au-
thorities by the residents of Polk County, in
which the reset ration Is situated.
A federal appropriation was made and
3.000 acres (of land houg)'t raising the reser.
vation to 4,280 acres. The "I exas state Board
of Control as authorized to allot to the
Indians (ertain household equipment and as
a result of these acts the living conditions
of the Indians were grr-atly improved. Tie
little band of Alahamas and Coushattas, still
speaking tp native tongue and retaining
many tribal customs (although largely Chris-
tianized during the last fifty years), lives
today on its reservation in the eastern part
of Polk County. Total Indian population of
this community is between 300 and 400. about
s) per cent of whom are Alabamas. 20 per
cent Coushattas.
Other Immigrant Tribes.
Remnants of other eastern tribes migrated
to Texas in the latter part of the eighteenth
and early part of the nineteenth centuries.
notably the Seminoles, Kickapoos and Dela-
wares. The two last-mentioned tribes settled
largely in eastern Texas among the Chero-
kees and were expelled with the Cherokees
In 1839. Part of the Seminoles came in with
the Cherokees. but a later migration entered
the state from Florida. Part of the Seminoles
drifted westward to the vicinity of Kinney
County and a small reservation was main-
tained for them for a number of years near
Fort Clark at Brackettville. this being aban-
doned only in recent years. Most of these
Seminoles eventually drifted across the Rio
Grande. A few Seminoles still dwell in the
vicinity of Brackettvllle.
By the time of the Lamar administration.
1839-41. the Caddoes. once the most powerful
and most highly civilized Indian stock In
Texas, had practically disappeared. Warfare
and pestilence thinned the ranks of these
Indians rapidly after their contact with the
French and Spanish. Some of them joined
the Cherokees during the migration of the
latter to rexas and later drifted northward
into Indian Territory. Only the Indians of
the western and southwestern parts of the
state remained to oppose the oncoming tide
of white man's civilization.
The Karankawas had been thinned to the
point of extinction and driven southward and
the Llparns had retreated westward, many of
them crossing the Rio Grande. There con-
tinued to be forays from across the Rio
Grande for a number of years, but the line
of conflict lay primarily between the fron-
tiersman and the Indians of the northwestern
plains.
Council House Fight.
The Comanches were giving much trouble
in the vicinity of San Antonio and a council
between leaders of the tribe and the whites
was agreed upon, the assembly taking place
at San Antonio. To this meeting, which was
held March 19, 1840. the Indians were to have
brought their white prisoners for exchange
and settlement, but when they appeared with
only one prisoner the whites determined to
hold the thirty or forty assembled warriors
as hostages. A fight ensued in which the
Indians were killed with one or two excep-
tions.
Linnville Raid of 1840.
The Council House Fight only intensified
the feeling among the Comanches and inAugust of 1640 they n ade what was prb-
ably the greatest single raid ever conducted
hy Indians in the Southwest. Appearing Aug.
3. the bard of 1 U0O or more Indians swept
down the valley of the Guadalupe. killing a
large number of persons in tlhe vicinity of
Cuero and Victoria and sacking the town of
Linnviule. while residents of the town took
refuge in boats on the bay. After several
days of raiding and with 1.500 or more stolen
horses and much merchandise taken at Llnn-
ville, the Indians started their retreat, but
were overtaken and decisively defeated In the
Battle of Plum Creek, Aug. 12. near Lock-
hart, the volunteer army of Americans being
led by Gen. Felix Houston, Col. Edward
Burleson. Capt. Matthew Caldwell and others.
After the Battle of Plum Creek and with
the growing population of Texas, rapid prog-
ress was made in pushing the frontier west-
ward, despite frequent Indian raids.
Houston's Second Term
SSam Houston was elected again to the
presidency in September, 1841, after a bitter
campaign in which Vice-President Burnet
opposed him. Houston immediately restored
the policy of friendly relationships with the
Indians. However, the conciliatory policy
toward Mexico, pursued in his first adminis-
tration, was not possible because the Santa
Fe expedition and the activities of the Texas
Navy during Lamat's administration had
spurred the Mexican Government to aggres-
sive action. In March, 1842. a Mexican expe-
altionary force suddenly appeared and took
possession of San Antonio, Victoria, Golad,
Refugio and some other places. There was
feverish activity to organize forces to attack
the Mexicans. but before It could be assem-
bled the Mexican army retired across the
Rio Grande. In September the Mexicans
struck again with a force of 1.500 soldiers
under General Adrian Woll, recapturing San
Antonio although they retreated toward the
Rio Grande a few days later. A detachment
of Woll's army was defeated by a small com-
pany of Texans on the Salado. However, a
company of fifty-five from LaGrange under
command of Capt. Nicholas Mosby Dawson,
while endeavoring to join the Texas forces
at San Antonio, was surrounded, and thirty-
three were slain, including Captain Dawson.
Most of the remaining men who surrendered
were either slain or died in captivity in
Mexico. Public sentiment in Texas was raised
Sto fever heat and punitive measures were
decided upon.
Mier Expedition.
Under Gen. Alexander Somervell a force
marched to the Rio Grande. where the larger
part of the expedition turned back under
orders. About 300 of the men, however, or-
ganized an independent expedition under
Col. W. S. Fisher, crossed the Rio Grande
and attacked Mier, which at that time was
a place of considerable size and strategic
importance. After a bitter fight they surren-
dered to a much larger force and were start-
ed as prisoners of war toward Mexico City.
At Salado they escaped, were recaptured
later and every tenth man was executed as
the result of the famous drawing of the black
beans. Capt. Ewen Cameron was also exe-
cuted for having headed the break for lib-
erty. The others were marched to Mexico
City and imprisoned in the Castle of Perote.
Thirty-five of them were eventually released.
The Archive War.
The Mexican invasions resulted in one of
the comic opera incidents of Texas history-
one which might have had tragic results.
In 1839, following a careful Investigation by
a government commission, the site of Austin
on the Colorado had been selected for the
capital and a city established there despite
its frontier position. When the first Mexican
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Texas Almanac, 1949-1950, book, 1949; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117167/m1/139/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.