Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 116 of 894
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INDIASN IWA RS ANlD PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
105
opposite the little German settlement of Castell, on
the Llano river. In response to a request from the
citizens interested. Capt. Ilighsmith was directed
to detail thirty-five of his company and escort
the expedition. Col. Iays commanded the comnbined
forces. Capt. IIighsmith, instead of making
an arlitrary detail, called for volunteers. Instantly
more men stepped forth than were required, but
tle matter was amicably arranged. Among those
whoi went were bugler A. H. Barnes, now of Lampasas,
Calvin Bell, Joseph Collins, Jesse Jerkins,
-Jerkins, John Ihughes.
Measbe, Herman
L. Raven, still of Travis County, Solomon Ramsey,
James Sims, Thomas Smith, John Warren and
John Conner, a noted Delaware Indfian who was
the regular guide of the company. My informant,
IIerman L. Raven, can only recall these names.
The San Antonio party arrived at IHighsmith's
camp about the 1st of August, 1848. The troops
were given a pack mule to each mess of four men
and carried rations for thiity days. The command,
seventy in all, moved up the valley of the
Llano to the source of the South or Paint Rock
fork. They then crossed the divide and reached
the upper Nueces river. The route then pursued
passed the Arroyo Las Moras, a tributary of the
Rio Grande (on whichi Beales' unfortunate party
essayed the establishment of an English-American
colony in 1834, as will be seen in the remarkable
narrative of Mrs. Horn, one of the victims, elsewhere
in this work), and thence to Devil's river,
near its confluence with the Rio Gran(e. This
stream had previously acquired the name of San
Pedro; but after occupying three days in getting
across an(l away from it, accompanied by several
accidents, the expedition voted that it shloul(d ever
more bear the name of El Rio del Diablo, or the
Devil's river. It required tiree (lays to pass from
this to the IPecos river, the water found on tile way
being reddish and brackish. Thenceforward no
man in the expedition knew the country. Ilaving
crossed the Pecos they found( themselves in
the rough, broken and unknown region
lying between that stream and the Rio Grande.
To men whose rations, as at this time, were
about exhausted, it was a dismal succession of
barrenness in hill, vale and l)arranca. Lorenzo,
the guide. failed to recognize the landmarks and
became bewildered. In a day or two their supplies
gave out. There was no game in the country, and,
as many had been driven to do before, they resorted
to their pack mules, the flesh of which was
their only food for ten or twelve days. Fortunately
a party of Mescalero Indians discovered them
and, as Col. lIays, from prudential motives withreference to Indians in that region, always had a
white flag flying, came close enough to invite a talk,
for which purpose three of their number met three
of the Texians. After mutual explanations, easily
un(lerstood on both sides tlirough the Spanish language,
and a liberal distribution of presents, with
wlhich the San Antonians were well supplied, they
gave the party careful directions how to reach and
cross the Rio Grande, and get to the Rancho San
Carlos, on the Mexican side. Before reaching the
river a (loctor of the San Antonio party became deraniged
and wandered off. Five (lays after leaving
the Mescaleros they arrived at San Carlos in a l)itiable
condition, where they procured a supply of food.
After resting one lay they continue(l their march
about forty miles further up the country, recrossing
the Rio Grande to Fort Leaton, on thie east
si(le and nine miles below I'residio del' Norte, on
the west si(le, where they arrived on the fortyseventh
day from the initial point on the Llano.
Fort Leaton (pronounced "Layton ") was a sort
of fortified trading house kept by two or three
brothiers of that name, the senior of whom, Benjamin
Leaton, a Tennesseean and an oltl Apache
trader, was personally known to the writer of this.
The exoe(lition remained there sixteen days recruiting
their animals and providing suiplies, during
which time the proprietors gave them a barbecue,
the chief elements being meat, tortillas (Mexican
corn pancakes), and that most chlelishie( of all
beverages among old Texians
coffee! The
Bishop of Chihuahua sent them also some supplies.
For reasons deemed sufficient it was (leterminedl
to prosecute the enterprise no fartlier. Winter was
close by. Thley had left to be absent only sixty
(lays. At tile expiration of that time they were
not yet recruited at Leaton's. T'he troops, having
started in August, liad only summer clotliing. Tile
result showed the wisdom of their determination
to return.
About the first of November the return march
was begun. The men had thirty (lays' rations of
meat, beeves to be driven on foot, and more or
less " Pinola" or parclied corn meal. Their route
was by Lost Springs, wilere they arrived after a
fast of two and a half days without water. They
struck the Pecos at the Ilorsehead crossing, and
followed that stream down to Live Oak creek,
where Fort Lancaster was afterwards established.
It was in this locality that the command separated.
Twenty-eiglit of the San Antonio party started in a
direct route for that city and safely arrived at their
destination. Col. IHays, with six men, returned by
way of the Las Moras and also got in safely, but
both parties suffered much.
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/116/?rotate=270: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.